cooking ala mel

healthy recipes and the occasional craft

facebook instagram pinterest RSS Feed email bloglovin' goodreads

Brownie Cookies (High Protein & Gluten Free)

I’ve been having some major brownie cravings lately.  On top of that, I’ve been really wanting to make cookies.  It just made sense to combine the two and make brownie cookies.  Because I’ve been having waayy too much fun with almond flour, I came up with a recipe that’s high protein and full of good-for-you things.

I loved these cookies.  A lot.  I took them for snacks when I had a busy day, and we crumbled them over banana soft serve that I made with some cocoa and chocolate protein powder.  They have the best chocolate flavor, and they’ve got nice crisp edges with a chewy center, just like a brownie!

With almond flour and white bean flour, they definitely pack a good bit of protein, so they’ll definitely keep you going on a long day.  A healthier way to eat a brownie.. but just as tasty!  I used half Swerve sweetener and half coconut sugar for these, just to lessen the sugar content a bit.  Either one will work for these!
And also.. I wanted to share some news!  You know how I mentioned a while ago about trying to find a friend for Tesla?  Well, we found a friend for him.  Her name is Nymeria.  Before anyone asks where I got the name.. it’s the name of Arya Stark’s direwolf in A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin.  She named her direwolf after the warrior queen, Nymeria, who brought ten thousand ships across the sea to conquer Dorne (I apologize if you aren’t interested in hearing this, haha).  My mind has pretty much lived in Westeros for the past few months as I’ve read the series every free moment I get (which isn’t too often), so it only seemed fitting to name her as such.  I think it fits her well; she’s the boldest kitten I’ve ever met!
She’s eight weeks old and such a little doll.  She’s extremely playful and cuddly.  So far, she and Tesla are still getting used to each other, but I think they’ll eventually be pretty good friends.  Tessy has already tried cleaning her a few times (he’s all about cleanliness), which is definitely a good sign!
Nymeria is slightly afraid of Tesla when he’s trying to play with her because he’s so huge in comparison to her little body, so that’s the biggest issue at this point.  Tessy doesn’t quite understand that he needs to be more gentle with her.
Anyway.  Here’s the recipe!!
Brownie Cookies
makes 2 dozen cookies
 
4 oz. dark chocolate (I used 95%)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup butter
1 T cocoa
1 T vanilla
1/2 T instant espresso
3/4 cup almond flour (make your own)
1/4 cup white bean flour (or chickpea flour)
3/4 t salt
1/4 t baking soda
1 cup coconut sugar (or Swerve sweetener)
2 eggs
In the microwave at 30-second intervals (or in a saucepan over medium heat), melt the dark chocolate, coconut oil, and butter together.  Once melted, stir in the cocoa, vanilla, and instant espresso.  Set aside to cool slightly.  In a small bowl, combine the almond flour, white bean flour, salt, baking soda, and sugar.  Beat in the eggs, and then pour in the chocolate mixture.  Stir until well mixed.  Drop the dough by the tablespoon onto a parchment lined baking sheet, spacing them about two inches apart.  Bake at 350ºF for 8-10 minutes.  Let cool on a wire rack.  Store in an airtight container.

High Protein Gluten Free Bread

Every morning, I usually have two slices of toast for breakfast – one slathered with some sort of nut butter and one slathered in coconut oil, truvia, and cinnamon.  Because I’ve been making my own greek yogurt lately, I haven’t needed to go to the grocery store nearly as often, which also means I run out of bread long before I go to the store again.  This means I’ve been making my own bread a lot more often.  I started with whole wheat, but I wanted to try my hand at a higher protein bread with almond flour.  I’m all about healthier choices!

This bread is lovely.  It’s surprisingly light for being made with almond flour (I’m always surprised by how light almond flour turns out, to be honest).  It has a nutty flavor that reminds me of the whole grain breads I usually use, probably from the flax in there.  The coconut oil lends it this sweetness that you can’t place if you don’t know there’s coconut oil in it.  The nutrition for this bread is outstanding, as well.  There are good fats of several varieties, primarily lauric acid (a medium chain triglyceride from coconut), alpha linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid from flax seed), and monounsaturated fats (from almond).  It’s also high in protein and fiber.  All three will work together in keeping you satisfied longer – in my case, it lasts long enough to get me through 2 hours of class and then an hour long insanity workout.  I am loving it!

So far, I’ve had this bread for my usual breakfast with nut butter and then with coconut oil, cinnamon, and truvia, but I’ve also been really enjoying incorporating it into my desserts.  Today, I slathered a piece with some dark chocolate peanut butter, added a few chunks of dark chocolate, toasted a few marshmallows on top, and topped it off with another slice.  It was like the most divine s’more-esque sandwich ever (this is how I get through studying, by the way).  I really ought to try a few more savory options – I’m sure they’d be great, as well.

One of my favorite things about this bread was how quickly it came together.  No yeast, no rising.. it’s the healthiest quick bread ever! 🙂
High Protein Gluten Free Bread
adapted from Elana’s Pantry

makes 1 loaf


1 1/2 cups almond flour (you can make your own!)
2 T coconut flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseeds
1/4 t salt
1 1/2 t baking soda
5 eggs
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 T honey
1 T apple cider vinegar

Pulse the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor.  Add in the eggs, coconut oil, honey, and vinegar, and pulse until a smooth batter forms.  Pour into a parchment lined (or well greased) loaf pan, and bake at 350ºF for 25-30 minutes, until deeply golden.  Remove from the pan, and cool on a wire rack.  Store well wrapped or in an airtight container.

Avocado Chocolate Mousse

Oh.  My.  Goodness.  I’ve seen a lot of chocolate avocado pudding/chocolate avocado mousse recipes floating around the blogosphere, but I never realized just how creamy it would be.  Had I known, I would’ve made this ages ago.  It’s that creamy.  And delicious.  So chocolatey.  Just how I like it.  And yes, it has avocados in it, but I bet nobody would know it if you didn’t tell them..

A couple summers ago, I had a slight love affair with avocados.  And then I ate too many, enough to make me feel sick.  I haven’t bought them often since, but I think this recipe has changed my ways.  The last time I bought an avocado was when I made this cake.  Alex’s mom brought us a couple of avocados over the weekend when we went out for lunch with her, so I decided to try this – it looked rather promising.  I’m all about squeezing in healthy fats and nutrients into desserts when I can. [Read more…]