A friend who has lactose intolerance was visiting recently so I had the opportunity to make some dairy free cookies. I always feel grateful that I only have coealic disease. I think life without dairy would be tough, but then people say that to me about gluten. 

Years ago a colleague once told me she'd rather die than never eat gluten again. I rolled my eyes and feeling quite insulted told her she was being ridiculous, but maybe I'm just used to it. So when my dairy free friend was dropping in I couldn't wait to bake something new. 

I have been considering baking a few slightly healthier recipes. I'm all about moderation these days and when you have a baking blog its difficult to keep that moderation in check. We do eat very healthy, sometimes a little too healthy. Years ago my husband and I became vegan, it lasted three months and I think my husband was secretly eating steaks for lunch because he hardly complained. 

I once converted all the food in our pantry to organic and eco friendly products, not only was I driving to four different grocery and health food stores each week, I almost bankrupted us. We now eat about fifty percent organic and mostly unprocessed foods and the kids still get a few colours, chemicals and the occasional McDonalds.

After years of trying to be too healthy I've finally found a happy medium and not surprisingly my weight has been the most stable it has ever been. 

These cookies might just keep my weight stable for the rest of my life. They taste so decadent yet they have no butter or white sugar and come in at under 100 calories each. They are soft, chewy and quite sweet for the tiny amount of brown sugar that's in the dough. The addition of molasses and apple purree helps to sweeten them and also gives a flavour reminiscent to that of fig newtons, only with a super chocolatey base. 

Chocolate Date Cookie Recipe 

Preheat oven to 160C (320F) and prepare two cookie trays with baking paper. 

Mix the following ingredients in a bowl 

1 large 60g egg 
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste (or extract) 
1 Tbsp molasses 
2 Tbsp rice bran oil (flavourless oil) 
110g apple puree 
50g brown sugar  (1/4 cup)

Sift the following ingredients into a separate bowl. 

145g plain gluten free flour - orgran brand (1 & 1/4 cups) 
30g coconut flour  (1/4 cup) (If you don't have this just make the extra up with your gluten free flour. I add it in for a bit of extra nutrition for the kids and I love coconut.)
30g  cocoa (1/4 cup) Dutch processed if you have it. 
1 tsp baking powder 

Combine the dry ingredients into the wet until a dough consistency is reached.  

Stir through 40g chopped dates (1/4 cup). If you hate dates, use sultanas, your favourite nut or chocolate chips instead. 
 
Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. Using your hands or a teaspoon roll into 15 cookies, flatten them quite well (1/4 inch). Bake for 8 minutes. Store in an airtight container in the pantry, they keep for up to a week and become slightly softer after a few days. 

I have also made these using the Orgran self raising flour and they rose double the height in the the oven and were more soft and cake like. Both tasted great and had the same strong chocolate flavour and I really struggled to decide which version of the cookie to post. I finally chose the flatter more cookie like version. 

Do not worry if you love your dairy and sugar filled desserts because I will still be making them once a week. I might have joined a gym recently but I still need a treat on the weekend. If it hadn't been for Coles and Aldi having run out of mascarpone (is there a shortage I don't know about?) I would of already posted a tiramisu for you all. I've been craving one since I typed the word tiramisu during my last cake post. 

Mmmm Tiramisu.. 

If you prefer a butter filled gluten free cookie take a look at some of the links below.