The trick to getting through the holidays while staying on a gluten- and sugar-free diet it to make sure you have treats like these to indulge yourself. These sweet, rich cookies are a take on flourless chocolate cake, using ground walnuts as the flour.
Reader Peg H-S sent me this recipe asking, “Can you take the sugar out?” I’m so glad she did, as these are my new favorite cookie!
The original recipe is from Epicurious by Francois Payard.
The renovation: The recipe called for three cups of confectioner’s sugar, which is a fine, dry powder. Generally, you substitute 1/2-3/4 cup of agave syrup for sugar. But the challenge was to get the texture right, when swapping out a wet ingredient for a dry one. I removed the egg whites, and substituted flax seed as a binder. It took two tries to get these right, but they are amazing.
Kid tested and approved!
Suitable for:
vegan, gluten-free, low-sodium, reduced-sugar diets
Not for:
migraine diets
Flourless chocolate-walnut cookies
Ingredients
- 2-1/2 cups walnuts halves (280 g)
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder unsweetened (60 g)
- 3/4 cup agave syrup
- 1/4 tsp sea salt (omit for low-sodium diets)
- 4 tbsp flax seeds (ground)
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F/180C/gas mark 4.
- Cut parchment paper to fit two cookie sheets.
- Grind flax seeds in the blender to a fine meal and add to your mixing bowl.
- Add the agave syrup and stir.
- Working ½ C. at a time, add the walnuts and some of the cocoa powder to a blender or food processor. Pulse until you have a fine meal, then add to the mixing bowl. Put the last ½ C. of walnuts in a heavy-duty plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the mixing bowl, and mix until all is incorporated.
- Using a 1 T. measure, place on a cookie sheet, with about 2 inches between them. Take a piece of waxed paper and flatten each round. These will only spread a little.Bake for 12 minutes.
- Set the cookie sheet on a wire rack and let cool completely before moving with a thin metal spatula.
- Store in an airtight container up to a week.
Notes
- 106 calories
- 7 g fat
- 1 g saturated fat
- 0 g monounsaturated fat
- 0 g polyunsaturated fat
- 0 g trans fat
- 0 g cholesterol
- 24 mg sodium (1 mg sodium with salt omitted)
- 104 mg potassium
- 10 g carbohydrate
- 2 g fiber
- 7 g sugars
- 2 g protein
- 3 Weight Watchers Points Plus
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[…] by Recipe Renovator on July 27, 2012 Thanks to San Diego Living for having me on this morning to talk about Cookies for Cody. Click here for the recipe for the flourless chocolate walnut cookies. […]
[…] The trick to getting through the holidays while staying on a gluten- and sugar-free diet it to make sure you have treats like these to indulge yourself. These sweet, rich cookies are a take on flourless chocolate cake, using ground walnuts as the flour. Reader Peg H-S sent me this recipe asking, ” Can you take the sugar out? ” I’m so glad she did, as these are my new favorite cookie! The original recipe is from Epicurious by Francois Payard. The renovation: The recipe called for three cups of confectioner’s sugar, which is a fine, dry powder. Flourless chocolate-walnut cookies | Gluten-free, sugar-free […]
Hi, Stephanie — these cookies look fantastic! A perfect holiday treat! Happy Holiday’s!
Thanks Valentina! Happy holidays!
Kat, thanks so much. If you want to email the recipe to me, I can take a look. It's hard to answer without seeing the proportions. However, I am having good luck with maple sugar, which is a granulated product. So long as I don't over-indulge. I'll be happy to take a look at it.
soooo delicious! i've made them twice now :) i tired converting another cookie recipe to gluten free/sugar free. i used cane sugar, but it still upset my stomach :( no problem with the gluten free, just need help in how to replace the sugar. any tips or suggestions?
Yay Kat! Let me know how it goes. I'll post some more stuff in the next few weeks as I get into my baking mode. Just did traditional cookies to give away… 16 dozen and I didn't taste one. Weird, I know, but so many people love them.
this looks amazing!
its going to be my first year doing all my holiday baking gluten free/sugar free- will be interesting to say the least. i'm hoping to wow everyone who doesn't understand my diet- i CAN still eat yummy foods. can't wait to try these :)