Gluten-Free, Refined Sugar-Free Cookies Made Healthier
If you’ve never baked with gluten-free teff flour, I’m insisting that you at least try. These cookies will convince you that teff flour should be one of the healthier flours in your pantry.
Let’s chat about why you should bake with teff…
First, it’s one of the tiniest grains in the world. Since it’s so small it’s more difficult to grind and thus retains more of it’s nutritional value. It’s also high in calcium and vitamin C; two nutrients not commonly found in grains.
According to The Whole Grains Council, teff is made up of resistant starch. This newly discovered type of dietary fiber is thought to control blood sugar levels, assist in weight control, and help with colon health.
Teff Creates a Perfect Bite and Mouthfeel
But does it taste good? You bet!
And here’s how I know…my picky husband ate not one but 3 of these cookies. He loved them sandwiched with ice cream, too.
Where To Find Teff Flour
There are two types – ivory and the darker brown. I’ve only used the brown teff flour so far – it’s slightly more nutritious than ivory. I’ve read that ivory is milder in taste. As soon as I try it out I’ll give you a full report.
If you can’t find teff flour locally, buy it here:
- Whole Grain Teff Flour, 1 (24 ounce) bag from iHerb.com (use coupon code SIR086 to get $5 off your first order)
- Whole Grain Teff Flour 4 (24 ounce) bags from Amazon.com
(use the Subscribe & Save option to save 15% and get free shipping)
I just had to take a bite...
And then, make these cookies….and watch them disappear.
Other Teff Recipes:
- Carrot Date Spice Muffins from SS&GF
- Whole Grain Naan Flatbread from Book of Yum
- Chocolate Chip Banana Teff Bread from The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen
Teff Almond Butter Cookies Sandwiched with Ice Cream
makes about 24 (2-inch) cookies
1/2 cup (127 grams) unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 teaspoons chia seed meal
1 1/2 cups (240 grams) teff flour
1 teaspoon (4 grams) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) sea salt
1/2 generous cup (179 grams) gluten-free brown rice syrup
1 teaspoon (4 grams) pure vanilla extract
1 cup (322 grams) almond butter
Optional:
1 recipe Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (regular or healthier)
OR…
make it Vegan with this vanilla ice cream
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats. Mix together the applesauce and chia seed meal. Set aside.
Combine the teff flour, sea salt, and baking powder and set aside. Heat the almond butter for about 20 seconds in the microwave. Stir the brown rice syrup, vanilla, and applesauce into the warm almond butter. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients. Stir until combined.
Use a cookie scoop to portion the dough and roll each one. Set them on the prepared cookie trays about 1 1/2 inches apart from each other. Use the tines of a fork to press down the center of the cookie. Bake for 10 – 13 minutes until the cookies are set. Don’t overbake. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
If desired, once cool place one scoop of vanilla bean ice cream (regular or healthier) on top of one cookie and top with a second cookie. If not eating immediately, wrap each sandwich in plastic and freeze. Let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes or until soft enough to bite into.
Junia @ Mis Pensamientos
posted on May 19, 2011 at 9:46 am
mmmmm almond butter cookies look soo good!!! where did you get your chia seed meal?! i’ve only seen the “seed” form! i usually use flaxseed meal, so this is intriguing!!
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
May 19th, 2011 at 12:44 pm
@Junia @ Mis Pensamientos, You can grind chia the same way you grind flax in a coffee mill.
Hugs,
Amy
[Reply]
Christina
posted on May 19, 2011 at 9:57 am
Um, how much baking powder? Also, I’m guessing that when you say, “Heat the almond flour for about 20 seconds …,” you mean, “Heat the almond butter …,” right?
So, these sound fantastic. I will be looking into getting some teff flour and trying them. (I should prolly use up the mixes I currently have in my cupboard, tho.)
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
May 19th, 2011 at 12:44 pm
@Christina, 1 teaspoon/4 grams. Yes, almond butter. Thanks for catching that.
Hugs,
Amy
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Sarena (The Non-Dairy Queen)
posted on May 19, 2011 at 10:41 am
Oh these sound so good. Teff is one that I haven’t used yet, but want to try. I’ve been wanting to make flatbread with it. Ice cream season is just about on us and this is definitely going on my list of things to make!
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Cindi
posted on May 19, 2011 at 11:59 am
Yumm! Can’t wait to try! How many calories are in these cookies?
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
May 19th, 2011 at 12:37 pm
@Cindi, No idea…I don’t bother counting calories.
Hugs,
Amy
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Sue Mosier
posted on May 19, 2011 at 12:31 pm
I am not able to use any nut butters or sunflower butter. Any suggestions on what I might be able to use? Thank you.
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
May 19th, 2011 at 12:37 pm
@Sue Mosier, Can you use tahini? That would work.
[Reply]
Sue Mosier Reply:
May 19th, 2011 at 12:44 pm
Thank you! I will definitely look into that.
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Christine
posted on May 19, 2011 at 1:05 pm
I love how you made these into ice cream sandwiches. I’ve never tried baking with teff flour before, but next time I’m at the health food store, I will pick some up!
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
May 20th, 2011 at 2:16 pm
@Christine, Yes, pick some up and bake away. It’s delicious! I couldn’t resist making ice cream sandwiches because these cookies are the perfect texture for biting into while still frozen.
Hugs,
Amy
[Reply]
Gopika
posted on May 19, 2011 at 1:59 pm
These are gorgeous!!! I can hardly wait to try some. Now that my order for whole organic teff from http://www.nutsonline.com came today (if I knew you’d be posting recipes using it, I’d have gotten more!!), I can make these. Good excuse to try my new ice cream maker too.
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Jeri
posted on May 19, 2011 at 2:05 pm
These look great and I have Teff right now and this recipe will be my first try at it. I don’t have brown rice syrup but I have yacon syrup. Do you think that would work?
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
May 20th, 2011 at 2:15 pm
@Jeri, That would be a whole lot of yacon syrup at $10 for a tiny little jar. It would work, though. If it was me, I’d do a couple tablespoons of yacon with some honey or agave. I like to use yacon sparingly because it’s so darn pricey.
Hugs,
Amy
[Reply]
Heather
posted on May 19, 2011 at 2:27 pm
Those look wonderful! I just love almond butter. What do you think would be a good substitution for the applesauce? I’m allergic to apples so I need a similar, light exchange. I’ve heard bananas listed in some places but I don’t always want the banana flavor.
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
May 20th, 2011 at 2:14 pm
@Heather, What about a different fruit puree? Like maybe some kind of baby food? Or yogurt, but that would mean they’re not dairy-free.
Hugs,
Amy
[Reply]
Maggie
posted on May 19, 2011 at 6:06 pm
Amy I love teff! I can’t wait to try these cookies. Love it when you do vegan
And the rice syrup! I bet the flavor of these cookies is incredible.
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
May 20th, 2011 at 2:14 pm
@Maggie, I was thinking it’s time to add in some different refined sugar-free sweeteners here. Rice syrup is earthy so it works really well with these cookies.
Hugs,
Amy
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Ricki
posted on May 19, 2011 at 6:06 pm
These sound fantastic, Amy. I LOVE teff flour! I find that it adds a certain chocolately dimension to baked goods. Can’t wait to try these.
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Beth
posted on May 19, 2011 at 7:22 pm
These look fabulous – I love teff. Can’t wait to try the recipe.
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Debi
posted on May 19, 2011 at 8:06 pm
Great idea to pair almond butter with teff. I adore teff and I’m glad you posted this. I really need to use it more!
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Kelli
posted on May 19, 2011 at 11:04 pm
I just ordered teff flour from Azure Standard, to try your chewy granola bars. I have only used the whole grain in a hot multi-grain cereal before. The Azure website said that there was no nutritional difference between the two varieties (I’d like to know which is right). I ordered the light, I think it was called ivory maybe, because I figured it wouldn’t change the color of the granola bars. I love recipes, like this one, where it uses ingredients I already have in the kitchen. I suppose most people don’t just happen to have teff flour in the kitchen, though! So I’ll try these in a week or two, and I’ll let you know if we like them. I just recently purchased your cookbook, and have a long list of recipes I want to try.
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
May 20th, 2011 at 2:13 pm
@Kelli, I’ve read that the dark teff flour has a little more nutrition than the white but I don’t know for sure. I know most people don’t have teff flour in the kitchen but I think they should.
Maybe I’ll be able to change that.
Hugs,
Amy
[Reply]
Nora @ Natural Noshing
posted on May 20, 2011 at 5:38 pm
Yum!!! These are a must-try! Off to buy some teff flour! : )
[Reply]
Nicole@GFonaShoestring
posted on May 22, 2011 at 10:39 am
Thank you for the teff tutorial! I know almost nothing about all of the different flours, but everyone keeps talking about teff. Even I, as dedicated as I am to all-purpose GF flour, might have to try teff.
I wonder if I will ever stop making the connection to Chia Pet when I think of chia seeds, though! You can take the girl out of the 80s…
xoxo
Nicole
[Reply]
Gail
posted on May 22, 2011 at 2:42 pm
Hi Amy,
I made these teff cookies the day you posted this on your blog. I used maple syrup instead of brown rice syrup and these were wonderful. I gave one to my husband figuring that he would turn his nose up at them but he really like them. I thought I was just dreaming about them tasting chocolatey because I didn’t put chocolate in them, but like Ricki above said they do have a chocolate dimension to them. I made Ali’s teff bread a few weeks back, and I fell in love with Teff then so when I saw these awesome cookies I went to the cupboard to see if I had all the ingredients and started baking. I froze them and just like you said you can take them out of the freezer and bite into them and they are soft and cold. The perfect texture. I have yet to try them with ice cream, because I still have’nt got a new ice cream maker since I tried making your frozen lemon yogurt and ended up having to scrape and freeze, scrape and freeze. Any suggestions on a really good ice maker that is reasonably priced and known to work when you want it too.
Amy, you are a master at what you do. Keep up the great work!
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
June 2nd, 2011 at 9:17 am
@Gail, Thanks Gail! So glad you enjoy them.
Hugs,
Amy
[Reply]
abbie
posted on May 22, 2011 at 4:48 pm
AMY!! This is a pregnant woman’s craving nightmare!! I just might have to make some of these…though tricky in my current state. (Yes, still waiting, as patiently as I can that is…) Goodness me these look amazingly yummy!
[Reply]
Jessica
posted on May 24, 2011 at 2:50 pm
I recently got some Himalayan pink salt from Sustainable Sourcing and I’ll have to try it out in this recipe. Their salt is gluten-free and made in an eco-conscious facility which is really important to me.
[Reply]
Alta
posted on June 18, 2011 at 7:45 pm
Okay so I’m like a month behind in reading some of the blogs I subscribe to – yours included! These look so tasty. I was just thinking the other day how I’d love an ice cream sandwich…:)
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
June 21st, 2011 at 8:11 am
@Alta, Does anyone ever keep up with their blog reading? My RSS reader is jam-packed right now.
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Lacey @ LaceyWagner Events
posted on June 27, 2011 at 11:24 pm
I love teff flour and use it to make GF waffles for my son. I would love to try these cookies, but my son is also allergic to rice, so I can’t use rice syrup. Could I use maple syrup instead?
[Reply]
Cara
posted on August 25, 2011 at 9:57 pm
Oh yay!!! I *just* bought teff flour for the first time and was a little in the dark as to what I was going to bake with it. Thank you for this.These cookies look delicious!
[Reply]
Amy Reply:
August 27th, 2011 at 11:55 am
@Cara, Have fun! I love these cookies. Teff flour is great…it’s so nutritious and has almost a hint of chocolate & molasses.
[Reply]
Sam @ Gluten Free Diet
posted on September 7, 2011 at 8:35 pm
Hi Amy, thanks for sharing this awesome recipe. It is not only good for celiac but also for diabetes and vegan…. Amazing!
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