My family isn’t gluten free – well, not exactly. We’re just really, really, *really* avoiding grains. They don’t seem to agree with my daughter, and I’m on a baby weight-busting low glycemic diet. Problem: I love cookies. Like, *love* cookies. If I were only allowed to eat one food forever, it would be cookies – no question.
There are plenty of gluten free options out there for cookies, but few of them are low-glycemic – and the ones that *are* low glycemic aren’t really very cookie-like. Or tasty. Or even tolerable.
I am not willing to eat nasty faux “cookies” just because of dietary restrictions. Could I come up with a delicious, low glycemic, gluten-free, cookie that tasted like a cookie should? Challenge accepted.
The first thing I did was determine what I’d use as my “flour.” Most gluten free recipes call for mixes containing rice, but I can’t have much rice (it’s not low glycemic). I’ve had desserts made with beans before, and the beans are so bland that adding some sweetener and flavorings makes them virtually disappear into the recipe.
Even if you’re *not* worried about the glycemic index, but *are* concerned about gluten, the nice thing about cookies made with white bean flour is that you don’t have to have any other special gluten-free flours on hand to mix them with. If your storage space is too limited to be keeping bags of tapioca flour, potato starch, brown rice flour and almond flour on hand, you can still have cookies. You only need one type of flour – white bean!
Thankfully, the Wondermill can handle beans! I chose Great Northern beans (although any white bean will work just as well), and milled them into this fantastic flour. It was perfectly silky and white – a good sign so far!
Pretty much the number one reason you *need* a grain mill when you’re low glycemic (or gluten free) is how rapidly the savings add up. For just a few minutes and a $0.97 bag of beans, I saved myself the hassle of not only *finding* white bean flour (my local stores don’t carry it), but also the *price* ($5.50 for a 1 lb bag *before shipping* – my under-a-dollar bag of beans was 2 lbs!).
The cookies that I made up are extremely basic. This recipe could be a little bland on it’s own – but it’s meant to be jazzed. Want a Monster Cookie? Add some peanut butter and M&M’s. Want an oatmeal cookie? Add more oats and some cinnamon. Want a spice cookie? You get the idea! This recipe is bare-bones basic so that you can adapt it to your favorite cookie – and have a very not-deprived dessert!
They taste as “real” as they look!
A word of warning, though: if beans generally give you, um, “digestive issues” (you *know* what I mean), then you might want to soak the beans overnight and then dehydrate them before trying this out – or, alternatively, you could soak the flour once it’s prepared overnight, carefully straining off the excess soaking water the next day. Either option should neutralize the gas-producing nature of beans.
Also, you’ll notice the defatted peanut flour in the recipe. That’s for depth of profile and to counteract any beany taste. It doesn’t give the cookies a peanut butter flavor. If you’re going for that, you’ll have to add a lot more! If you’d rather leave it out (for allergies or any purpose), you could try adding another nut butter, or even date paste. This will alter the protein content and glycemic load – but the cookie will turn out all right!
- 1⅓ c. fresh white bean flour
- 1⅓ c. rolled oats (if you're GF, be sure to use certified GF oats!)
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ⅔ c. xylitol
- 1 tsp. powdered stevia
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla (if you're GF, be sure to use GF vanilla)
- 1 Tbsp defatted peanut flour
- 2 Tbsp water
- 1 whole egg + 1 egg white
- ⅓ c. extra virgin coconut oil
- In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients until well combined.
- Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
- If the dough is too stiff, add more water 1 Tablespoon at a time until you reach a cookie dough consistency.
- Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet.
- Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, or until slightly browned.
There are *dozens* of possible variations, but here’s just a yummy few:
For chocolate chip cookies, add 1 cup chocolate chips.
For oatmeal cookies, add 1 cup rolled oats, 1 Tbsp cinnamon, and adjust sweetness to taste.
For Monster cookies, add 1 cup peanut butter and 1 cup chocolate chips.
For double chocolate cookies, add 2 Tbsp cocoa powder and 1 cup chocolate chips
Or add whatever you darn well please! I hope you enjoy this recipe – and please, if you come up with your own fabulous additions, share them below!
