These deliciously delicate chocolate lace cookies will be the hit of your next party – and they just so happen to be accidentally gluten-free!
Have you ever thought about trying a gluten-free diet?
Like Atkins in the 90s, the idea of “going gluten-free” has swept America (and beyond). If you haven’t tried a gluten-free diet, chances are you know at least one person who has.
There are people who adopt this diet out of necessity (Celiacs). And then there are those who try it simply because they’re curious. I have a friend who falls into the latter group: She’s been avoiding gluten for the past two months, and she swears it’s made her feel better.
I don’t know if my friend is really gluten-intolerant, or if it’s the placebo effect working the magic on her. But my job isn’t to judge; my job is just to be a supportive friend. And so I support her the best way I know: with lots of love… and food! (My Italian grandmother would be so proud.)
For more recipes: Over 100 Healthy Gluten Free Recipes
The following recipe is the definition of “experiment.”
I had absolutely no idea, when I threw a bunch of random ingredients together, what would come out of my oven!
Luckily, these gluten free cookies were a huge hit when I shared them this past Saturday night, and my gluten-free friend was so appreciative she wasn’t left out of dessert for once.
To be honest, the cookies aren’t my personal favorites. They turned out too crispy/chewy for my liking, and I much prefer softer cookies like my Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Cookies.
But some of my friends loved the flourless chocolate cookies so much that I’m posting the recipe anyway. If you like your cookies to be chewy (as opposed to soft), this is a recipe for you!
Chocolate Lace Cookies
Very loosely based on my Fudge Babies Recipe.
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- scant 1/4 tsp salt
- level 1/2 tsp baking soda
- packed 1/4 cup pitted dates (45g)
- 1 cup chocolate chips (170g)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp unrefined coconut oil
Blend first five ingredients until almonds and dates are finely pulverized. In a separate bowl, combine vanilla, oil, and 3/4 c of the chocolate chips. Melt (I microwaved 1 minute, then stirred). Pour the dry ingredients, as well as the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips, into the wet. Stir until evenly mixed, making sure to break up any big clumps. It’ll seem dry at first, but keep stirring until it all looks dark and shiny.
Bake at 355 F for 7-8 minutes. (Take out when still a bit undercooked, as these continue to cook as they cool.)
Link Of The Day:
Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookies
What do you think of the gluten-free trend?
I know this is a polarizing subject: some people believe everyone can benefit from adopting a gluten-free diet, while others think the idea of eating gluten-free by choice is ridiculous.
Personally, I don’t think I’m qualified to judge. I don’t have Celiac Disease and I’ve never tried a gluten-free diet (nor will I, unless it becomes medically necessary to do so). But I do think that if someone wants to give up gluten and thinks it helps him/her feel better, all the more power to that person. It’s really not my place—or anyone else’s—to tell others what diet works best for their bodies.
I know this from an old post, but I just made these! These are ridiculously good! Thank you!
I can’t stand the gluten free “trend”. Why? Because my son has Celiac Disease. We had his genetic testing done to figure out why he was having seizures EVERY DAY FOR FOUR YEARS.. He has a systemic immune response to gluten.Both his father and I are carriers of the gene responsible. I should be grateful for the trend I guess.. It has made a lot of gluten free products available to him but I get so pissed off when I hear people say they have a “gluten issue” or are “bothered by gluten”.. Really? Shut up and eat the pasta..You’re making the people who truly do have Celiac Disease look like tools too. That’s as bad as telling someone you can’t go swim because you have skin cancer when you really just don’t want to wear a bathing suit because you never lost that baby weight. TRUE Celiac Disease is awful. It’s not a trend, not a fad, not a gimmick..On a different note, I eat gluten free now because he does but boy do I miss my bread and pasta! I really enjoy the products available but sometimes there is nothing like the taste of a big squishy soft piece of white bread!
LeeAnn, I don’t mean to be disrespectful, and I’m sorry your son has the issues he has, but beyond that you don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m one of those people (and I think there are many many thousands of us, if not more), that has a “gluten issue”. I’m an older woman who was suffering from arthritis pain to the point where I was facing knee replacement surgery. Out of desperation I tried eliminating gluten from my diet and have experienced miraculous healing. Other health symptoms I was suffering from also disappeared. I never want to go back to feeling that way, and no, I won’t “shut up and eat the pasta”. I thank God daily that people are becoming more and more informed about the dangers of gluten!
LeeAnn I see where you can get upset with people who avoid gluten to “lose five pounds” and it ostrasizes people like your son who aboslutely need to avoid it for medical reasons.
There are some people (myself included) who are not celiac BUT do have real issues with gluten
http://life.nationalpost.com/2012/12/04/what-grains-mean-or-dont-mean-for-weight-loss/
I share your frustrations as a young, fit female and people who judge me for my eating habits when its a true medical need, however just because someone doesn’t have celiac disease and tests negative doesn’t mean they don’t have gluten sensitivity. You should consider seeing a Naturopathic Doctor to learn more about it
DJ, have you ever had the the genetic testing done? If you have experienced such drastic relief then you may very well have true Celiac Disease! Part of my sons ordeal included him suffering from symptoms of Juvenile Arthritis. That cleared up after we started him on the gf diet. People like you were not included in my rant. You have a legitimate reason for being gf. It works for you in a way that, to me at least, points towards you having CD. The testing is around a thousand and not usually covered by insurance so I know a lot of people can’t afford it but it is worth it to know if you have CD. Its not an allergy test so it doesn’t matter if you are eating gluten or not, it will register as you having the genes. to those who TRULY have an allergy or CD, my post is not directed at you guys!!! What aggravates me is the people who claim this disease and are nothing more than trend followers who do it because they heard about it in a magazine or saw it on Dr. So and so.
No, I haven’t been tested for Celiac Disease. I’ve eaten wheat my whole life (up until a year ago when I started my gluten free experiment). I know that if I started eating gluten again I would feel awful, gain weight, and my arthritis symptoms would return as well as my other health problems. I’m content to simply not eat it anymore and enjoy the health benefits. My diet (and my families diet), now consists of lots of whole, healthy, unprocessed foods and we’ve all experienced tremendous health benefits from eating this way. My personal belief is that gluten is probably not good for most people. Why do I believe this? It’s based on research I’ve done, and at least a dozen people I know personally who have given up eating it and have experienced some very dramatic improvements in their health and energy levels. I don’t think the current trend of people discovering they have a sensitivity to gluten is something that will go away. On the contrary, I believe that more and more people are going to discover it to be true for them.
I do agree that gluten is bad for most people. I think I just get irritated by the people who do something drastic with their health without fully understanding why they are doing it because its the “in” thing to do. When I say trend I mean trend as in “fashionable”. Being gluten free should be done with a thought to your whole body health and not just some “get skinny quick” gimmick. You would be amazed at how many people I have had ask me why my son has to be on a gf diet and they assume I’m “not feeding him properly”. I have had issues getting chefs to understand that gf means NO GLUTEN, NO CONTACT WITH GLUTEN.. its been a real journey and I don’t want the fad dieters giving gf products a bad name. We have enough on our hands just getting people to understand that this is a disease. Its not a game. I am really glad to hear how well your health has improved and I pray it continues.
I go gluten free almost exclusively and my diet has much more variety than the typical American diet. I don’t think most people realize that wheat has MANY TIMES more gluten now than it did generations ago due to the hybridizing of the grain. This has been done to make it cheaper for the manufactuers of wheat products because it is easier to work with when it contains lots of gluten.
This is why gluten problems are more prevalent these days.
Also, for a fast education on what’s being done to food, Google: Millions Against Monsanto.
Just started gluten free. Can’t wait to try these. Thanks Katie
Even though I do not follow a gluten-free diet, I am always watching my weight, so this recipe looks great!
I do have a question though. What would happen if I substituted canola oil in for the coconut oil? I don’t have coconut oil to begin with and I have mixed feelings about the health effects of coconut oil.
I think in this recipe it would be ok, but I honestly haven’t tried.
Hi again!
So I tried the recipe substituting canola oil for the coconut oil. It came out great! I also added in about another 1/4 cup of melted chocolate chips because I thought the batter wasn’t shiny enough. It turned out a little too oily, so I might reduce the tablespoons of canola oil next time.
Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for the recipe!
Gluten is one of my many allergens, so I am gluten-free. I don’t know that I think gluten-free is necessarily an objectively healthier diet, but I do think that WAY more people are sensitive to gluten than realize it, so I think many people could benefit from trying gluten-free. It’s amazing how many of our society’s common foods have gluten. I also think that grains in general (some exceptions), and wheat in particular, are not the healthiest foods, no matter what sensitivities you do or don’t have, so *if* the gluten-free trend is helping to facilitate a shift away from wheat, then I personally think that is a good thing.
That being said, although I think there’s more options now than there ever was before for us gluten-free folks, there’s still widespread misunderstanding of what it means to be “gluten-free.” I know someone who thought “gluten-free bread” was the same as “whole wheat bread” and someone else who thought that “gluten” was a type of sugar (I guess they were thinking of glucose?) and that “gluten-free” was similar to “sugar-free.”
I do have high hopes in this area; I think that as more and more people realize their gluten sensitivities, more people will understand gluten and more options will become available. The fact that consuming gluten actually hurts a lot of people makes me think that this is not a fad trend that will fade.
What could I use as a substitute for the almonds? I’m allergic to nute. Need to keep GF, too. I skimmed through all the comments and didn’t see this listed in them. Thanks in advance!
I have been gluten intolerant for several years now but it seems I’m getting worse. I have tried eating different breads and grains and mostly “grocery store products” that aren’t gluten free and I just can’t handle them. Do you know that most bread contains a chemical that they use in making rubber tires. I looked it up and it’s true!!!! It’s no wonder that people are having these autoimmune diseases. I love your website. It gives us ways of eating gluten free and enjoying it.
Thanks,
Ginger Lewis
I have been gluten free for about a month now. I find it so interesting that people think going gluten free is such a pain. There is certainly a learning curve, but a lot of people suffer from gluten intolerance and side effects from it without even knowing about it for years (I certainly did!) I had digestive issues, sore throats, head aches & more. Once I cut gluten out all these things went away, but I don’t have Celiac Disease. A gluten free diet can be very beneficial for a lot of people. Gluten can really do a lot of harm to the body as well. Check out the book Wheat Belly for more info.