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Meet The Protein-Packed Chocolate Chip Cookie You Can Eat For Breakfast
In a dream world, I’d eat chocolate chip cookies for breakfast every day. And admittedly, there have been many a day when I’ve been in such a rush getting the kids out the door to school or camp that yesterday’s batch of cookies have had to suffice for today’s "fresh" start. That’s why I created a recipe for cookies that I can feel a little less guilty grabbing and going.
Instead of white flour, I used chickpea or garbanzo flour, which makes the cookies not only gluten-free but adds protein (double the protein of whole-wheat flour), folate and vitamin B-6, iron and potassium. I also use lots of old-fashioned rolled oats, which are rich in both cholesterol-lowering soluble and digestion-aiding insoluble fiber. The sweetness comes from maple syrup, which is less processed and has trace amounts of minerals and phenols, which are believed to have anti-inflammatory properties. Last, I swapped coconut oil for butter. Coconut oil has a higher percentage of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) and lauric acid, which some studies suggest can boost your "good" HDL cholesterol levels. (MCT oil is touted by some for its metabolism-boosting effects.) Result: a cookie that’s delicious but chock-full of good-for-you ingredients.
The one trick to baking with chickpea (or quinoa flour) is to toast it at a very low heat in an oven for an hour (or more) to get rid of any bitter aftertaste. I also tried this recipe with more and less sugar and all-natural peanut butter. Less sugar yields a "cake"-style cookie that tastes a bit more virtuous, while the peanut butter creates a crumblier cookie that tastes a lot like a peanut butter cup. Feel free to tinker with the ingredients until you find your sweet spot.
Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies
Makes 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 1½ cups chickpea flour
- ½ cup virgin coconut oil
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
- 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup unsweetened chocolate chips or cacao nibs
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar (optional)
Method
- Heat oven to 225°F. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet and spread out chickpea flour in a thin layer. Transfer to oven and bake for at least one hour, ideally 2 hours. (You will smell a grassy sort of smell release from the flour after it has baked long enough.)
- Remove from oven and allow to cool. Increase oven temperature to 350°F. Melt coconut oil until liquid and clear in the microwave or in a pan on a stovetop.
- In a medium bowl, combine oil and maple syrup and whip until combined (it’s OK if it’s not entirely smooth). Immediately add eggs and vanilla and continue to whip.
- Add cooled chickpea flour, baking soda, and salt, and stir until well-combined.
- Add oats, chips, and extra sugar (if desired) and any other ingredients (such as ⅓ cup peanut butter or ½ cup of your favorite nuts, toasted and chopped). Stir to combine.
- Form balls or drop cookie dough onto ungreased baking sheet and bake until edges are just browned and tops are golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven, cool on wire rack, and serve.
*You can also freeze the cookie dough by shaping it into a log and covering it tightly with plastic wrap or parchment paper. Slice 2-inch frozen cookie rounds off as needed, placing frozen dough rounds on a baking sheet. Bake in oven at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes.
You could also eat this super-healthy ice pop (it's got avocado in it!) for breakfast. Or, if you go for a smoothie, make sure not to make this super-common mistake.
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