Covid-19 has brought upon unprecedented change across the world. With so much of the world facing self-isolation, quarantine, and lockdown, it is more important now than ever before, to take care of our bodies. Nourishing your body with wholesome foods that will strengthen your immunity, maintain healthy gut flora, and dense nutrition should be the goal when it comes to eating.
However, this can be deemed as quite the challenge. While in quarantine, all you really want to do is snack and eat sweets. Most of the times these items tend to be packaged, highly processed, with little to no nutritional value. What if you could make your own baked goodies, ensuring there was an excellent balance of nutrition as well?
I haven’t met a person who doesn’t like chewy chocolate chip cookies. There is just nothing like a warm, ooey, gooey cookie coming out of the oven for you to devour. Most recipes for chocolate chip cookies have tonnes of butter, refined sugar, and refined flour, leaving little to no room for healthfulness. In comes a cookie for us to indulge in, delicious, and nutritious, all at the same time.
Key Ingredient Focus on Nutrition:
Almond Butter: I use all natural almond butter, which only contains almonds and salt. Almond butter is also a great source of vitamin E, magnesium, copper, vitamin B2 (riboflavin), and phosphorous. It is a great source of monounsaturated fat, protein, and fiber which are essential for heart health.
Oatmeal: I use gluten-free rolled oats, but, you can use regular rolled/traditional oats as well. Oats are amongst the healthiest grain on Earth. They are a whole grain and a great source of important vitamins, minerals, fibre, and antioxidants. Studies show oats are excellent for weight loss, lower blood sugar levels, and maintain a healthy heart.
Eggs: Eggs are rich sources of selenium, vitamin D, B6, B12 and minerals such as zinc, iron, and copper. They are an excellent source of protein and contain healthy fats. They are considered a ‘super-food’ and fortunately, are cheap and readily available all year round.
Chewy & Nutritious Almond Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 cup natural almond butter
- 2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract OR 1 package Dr. Oetkers Natural Vanilla Sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tbsp softened butter or coconut oil
- 3/4 cup rolled oats (gluten-free or regular)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 or 2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (your preference, more chocolate chips, more chocolatey cookies)
- Optional Add Ins (1/4 cup): walnuts, pecans, coconut, white chocolate, raisins.
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a cookie sheet and line with parchment paper.
- In small bowl mix together the rolled oats and baking soda, set it to the side.
- In a separate bowl, preferably with a hand mixer, mix together almond butter, softened butter/coconut oil, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth and uniform. Mix in dry ingredients, then add in the chocolate chips and any add ins. Fold these ingredients in gently.
- Roll cookies into 2 inch balls and place on the prepared cookie sheet approximately 2 inches apart. On one large cookie sheet, I can usually fit around 12 cookies in three rows of four. The dough will be a little bit sticky, so ensure your hands are wet while rolling the dough balls. You could also use a cookie scoop, or a tablespoon to place onto the sheet. Rolling them into balls will ensure they will bake up round however.
- Bake cookies for approximately 9-10 minutes. Remove them when you see the edges are starting to become golden. They may look like they are not cooked through, but they will continue to cook on the sheet once removed from the oven. Do not overbake them!
- Let them cool for about five minutes on the cookie sheet. Transfer them to a rack or another tray to cool completely. This recipe makes approximately 16-18 cookies.
Caution: Please wait for the cookies to cool down a bit, once they do, enjoy this healthful, tasty treat!
Stay tuned for more Quarantine Cooking in our future editions of ‘Exiting Cruise Control: Life Management Series’.
