Banana-Chia Chocolate Chip Cookies
Is it breakfast? Is it dessert? Tastes kinda like banana bread and Manischewitz chocolate chip macaroons had an amazingly delicious love child.
One thing that I forgot to mention in my last post is that one of the participants in the raw foods class that I taught was a pediatrician who specializes in alternative therapies for kids with Autism. She and I talked at length about our theories on health, wellness, and diet and we were both so happy to find that we had the exact same opinions.
Throughout my years of researching illnesses and disorders and how they can be treated with diet, one disorder that I somehow had managed to overlook is Autism. And, it is so strange that I did because upon receiving the results of my food allergy test, my doctor recommended that I go on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, which is one of the most commonly recommended diets for kids with Autism.
The Specific Carbohydrate Diet and a Gluten Free, Casein Free Diet (GFCF) are similar in that they both eliminate gluten, but they differ greatly in some other areas. In addition to eliminating gluten, SCD takes it one step further by eliminating all grains (rice, corn, millet, etc.), high starch foods (potatoes, yams, tapioca, arrowroot, etc.), and all sweeteners, except honey. SCD does allow some dairy products (if they can be tolerated), meats, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. You can learn all about the science behind this diet, which was created by a team of doctors and refined by a biochemist, here.
In a nutshell, the theory is that by excluding complex carbohydrates and only eating foods that early man was eating before the agricultural revolution, our digestive systems can work properly and entire body can function optimally – especially our brain!
Because I was allergic to so many different grains, dairy, yeast, and legumes, it seemed that my digestive system would most likely benefit from SCD. I’ve avoided really diving in because it feels like such a restricted diet. But, after meeting my pediatrician friend and realizing that there is a huge Autistic population out there who really HAVE TO adopt this diet, I thought I should at least take a closer look and try to develop more recipes to make the transition easier for them – and maybe even myself.
Banana-Chia Chocolate Chip Cookies
makes about sixty bite sized cookies
inspired by this recipe at 101cookbooks.com
These cookies are easily adapted to fit in line with the guidelines of SCD. If you replace the chia and water with 1 egg and replace the chocolate chips with diced apples, they are SCD compliant.
Otherwise if you eat them just as is, you can enjoy all of the healthy benefits of chocolate and chia seeds in one delicious vegan, gluten free, grain free, casein free, egg free, soy free, peanut free bite!
3 bananas, mashed
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbs. chia seeds
3 Tbs. water
2 cups almond flour
1 cup shredded coconut
1 Tbs. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. baking powder
about 1 cup carob or chocolate chips
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a liquid measuring cup combine the bananas, coconut oil, and vanilla and stir them all together. In a separate small bowl, combine the chia seeds and water. Allow these to sit for about 10 minutes or until it forms a gel-like consistency and stir them into the banana mixture.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut, cinnamon, cardamom, salt and baking powder. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. Fold in the carob or chocolate chips.
3. Line a sheet pan with a Silpat or parchment paper and spoon scoops of dough, about 1 1/2-2 tsp. in size, onto the pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes on a rack located in the upper part of the oven. Bake the cookies as long as possible without burning the bottoms. Gently remove the cookies from the sheet pan and transfer them to a cooling rack.
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Comments
Hey Rebecca!
If you can’t find Chia seeds (Whole Foods has them in a jar with the bulk spices), then you can also use equal amounts of ground flaxseed.
Or, if you want to get super adventurous, you can try Salba seeds. Salba is located on the baking aisle at Whole Foods, and it is like chia’s waaaay cooler older brother, nutritionally speaking. It packs quite a punch as far as vitamin, mineral, and fiber content. All of these 3 things are super nutrient dense and will work great!
Let me know how all of your baking turns out!
Rachel
These look great! Any suggestions for substituting out nuts? Does that even seem possible?
Thanks!
Mariah
Hi Mariah,
Hmm…If you would like to substitute the almond flour for another type of flour I would suggest coconut flour or possibly 2 1/2 cups of your favorite flour – whole wheat, rice flour, oat flour, or any combo of flours that you like. I think that the flavor of an oat flour would be awesome in these.
Good luck and happy baking!
Rachel
Hi there,
I’ve been following your blog and thought you would be interested in our supper club event on August 4th. 5 courses with wine and drink pairings and it’s taking place at the beautiful Allan House mansion downtown. For more information and the menu visit http://www.royalfig.com/supper-club. Hope to see you there! Thanks for the interesting blog posts! Keep ‘em comin!
Best,
Kristen Stacy
Royal Fig Catering
Rachel, these are delightful! I shared them with my neighbors and they LOVEd them too. But you definitely have to use the parchment paper. I didn’t have any and make two batches that horribly stuck to the pan–frustrating!!
What is Almond flour? Just ground almonds??
What is parchment paper? Is there another name for it…(in other countries).
I thought Salba and Chia were the same. Is Salba the more expensive version of chia? I have packets named Salba and packets named Chia and they look and taste the same.
The Chia were grown in Australia and the Salba is from Peru I think.
Hi Anjali,
Almond flour is just almonds, but you have to make sure to use blanched almonds or blanched almond flour. You can purchase almond flour or make it yourself by grinding almonds to a flour consistency in a food processor. Just keep an eye on it while you are blending it because if you blend it for too long you will end up with almond butter.
Unfortunately, I don’t know if there is a substitute for parchment paper in other countries. Parchment paper is basically a thick, smooth paper that prevents food from sticking to your pans. It is becoming easier and easier to find, so you should be able to find it on the same aisle as foil and plastic wrap in your grocery store. If your grocery store doesn’t stock it, I am sure that you can easily find it at most kitchen supply stores or places like World Market, Target, Crate and Barrel, etc. Otherwise, you can use a silpat or just grease your sheet pan really, really well before placing your cookies on it.
And, chia and salba. They are essentially the same seed, just different colors and possibly slightly different nutrient. You can absolutely use either one in this recipe.
Happy Cooking,
Rachel
Hey Rachel, I’m on a baking spree and I’m thinking I’d like to try this recipe. I’ve been researching chia seeds but have never actually used them or had them before. What will happen if I can’t find chia seeds for this recipe? I’m on a mission..
Rebecca (SFC)