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.
Katie,
Hi I just started reading your blog and have made a few of your recipes,I was even kind enough to share with my family. Rave reviews were received! Its been so much fun trying them out. I am always looking for ways to improve recipes and make them healthier to indulge upon especially chocolate yummyiness! Thanks for sharing!
Now for my question For this recipe what can I do in place of the almonds? I have a severe nut allergy.
Thanks!
Jen
Hi Jen,
I do have a similar recipe that doesn’t use nuts… but it’s not gluten-free. Does it need to be gluten-free?
I am just nut-free, but I can do gluten and I made these with soybean nuts and they were not as pretty as yours but they tasted ok I might try sunflower or pumpkin seeds next. Soybean nuts or soybean butter is my goto for anything that calls for nuts, but I am so bored of them. I look forward to your other recipe! Thanks for taking the time getting back to me. My challenge for tommorow is using 3 ripe avocados in a recipe and when I say use my hubby says he doesn’t like them but when he doesn’t know avocados are used he is OMG this is delicious LOL.
Chocolate pudding, maybe?
http://www.forgivingmartha.com/2011/06/avocado-chocolate-pudding.html
(Obviously, you will sub the nut milk for another dairy or non-dairy sub.)
PDW I have everything for the recipe and I will use soy milk or rice milk thank you! I just made myself a pumpkin pie smoothie itssssssssssss so yummy Thanks night !
Here’s the similar recipe that is nut-free (except for coconut oil. Is coconut oil considered nut-free?)
I was planning to give them one more test run before posting the recipe… if you try them out, please do let me know what you think :).
Hot Chocolate Cookies
1 cup spelt flour or all-purpose
2 T 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 1/2 to 4 T unrefined coconut oil (you can cut it down to 1 1/2 T pus 2 T water, but note that the cookies will be a bit drier)
Blend first six ingredients until dates are finely pulverized. (I used the Magic Bullet.) 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. (If using only 2 and 1/2 T oil, you can add 1 T water, but no more.) Bake at 355 F for 7-8 minutes. (Take out when still undercooked, as these continue to cook as they cool.)
This recipe worked out great, wonderful, and amazing Katie ! Just wondering do you use a certain brand of chocolate chips? I made a tray of chocolate chips today using raw cacao powder, coconut oil, and NuNaturals vanilla stevia.( I made them to top my banana ice cream or my choc bannana which is just frozen bannanas and a little water, maybe cocoa powder in the food processor) Wonder how my chips would work in your Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip Pizookie recipe. Only one way to find out LOL!
I’ve tried more than one brand in these. Once with a mix of Enjoy Life and Whole Foods dark chocolate chunks, and once with semi-sweet Ghirardelli.
Definitely let me know how the homemade chips work out when baked! I have a homemade chocolate bar recipe, but I’ve never baked with it because I assumed it would melt too much (since it’s coconut oil-based).
Thank you Katie!!!! I will let you know how they turn out. I am and have always been a coconut lover!!! Btw Here is the scoop on the Coconut, This is the definition from the library of congress “Coconuts are classified as a fibrous one-seeded drupe. A drupe is a fruit with a hard stony covering enclosing the seed (like a peach or olive) and comes from the word drupa meaning overripe olive. A coconut, and all drupes, have three layers: the exocarp (outer layer), the mesocarp (fleshy middle layer), and the endocarp (hard, woody layer that surrounds the seed). When you buy a coconut at the supermarket the exocarp and the mesocarp are removed and what you see is the endocarp.” Here are some cool Interesting Coconut Facts
•Every bit of the coconut is used. As a result, coconuts are called the “Tree of Life” and can produce drink, fiber, food, fuel, utensils, musical instruments, and much more.
•When intra-venous (IV) solution was in short supply, doctors during World War II and Vietnam used coconut water in substitution of IV solutions.
•Botanically, the coconut palm is not a tree since there is no bark, no branches, or secondary growth. A coconut palm is a woody perennial monocotyledon with the trunk being the stem.
•Possibly the oldest reference is from Cosmas, a 5th century AD Egyptian traveler. He wrote about the “Indian nut” or “nut of India” after visiting India and Ceylon, Some scholars believe Cosmas was describing a coconut.
•Soleyman, an Arab merchant, visited China in the 9th century and describes the use of coir fiber and toddy made from coconuts.
•In 16th century, Sir Francis Drake called coconut “nargils”, which was the common term used until the 1700’s when the word coconut was established.
•It takes 11 -12 months for the coconut to mature.
Again all of this info was obtained from the Library of Congress
Botanically, coconuts are not nuts, nor are cashews are almonds. But under culinary or food-labelling rules, they are. Coconuts tend to be processed on the same machinery as tree nuts, almonds, etc. so they can be cross-contaminated and you probably need to avoid them if you are nut allergic.
However, I expect that you could buy and process a whole, unopened coconut without fear of cross-contamination
I don’t know what kind of equipment coconut oil is processed on, and what the risk of cross-contamination is there. Any allergy-safe solid fat would work in the posted recipe – butter, palm oil, shortening, etc. Maybe even those avocados! A liquid fat could be used in smaller amounts and would change the consistency slightly.
I love trying new ingredients that I normally don’t cook with – like dates. I can’t wait to try this recipe, thanks!
These were awesome. You are a genius. I used almond flour instead of processing the almonds because I didn’t have enough raw almonds and used 3 medjool dates. YUM!!! Ate the entire batch for dinner.
Yum! Oh wow, that sounds like the perfect dinner!!
They are so pretty! 😀
these looks lovely.. i have to try them and then eat a couple of batches before i send them off in gift baskets..:):)..
One of my cousins went glutenfree several years back and no one in my family in India knew anything about it and thought he was a bit crazy eating rice all the time.:) he never used the term gf..it did help him though, so i do try make some items gf. though i havent figured out a gf bread yet.. an i really love breads!
I’m a mom (and nutritional counselor) of a boy on the autistic spectrum. He went gluten and casein free 5 years ago. I had suffered from severe depression my whole life but never really thought about what could be the cause. 3 years ago I took out gluten, milk and corn and my depression disappeared. I have since put corn back in intermittently with no problems. I also found that sugar triggers my depression, so I avoid it as well.
It has been found that only 1/3 of people with gluten sensitivities or allergies have GI issues to go with it. The other 2/3rds have other tissues effected as well as neurological issues and the brain directly. So things such as arthritis, brain fog, chronic fatigue, alzheimers and other ailments have been found to be linked to gluten sensitivities in some individuals.
That is just something to think about. If you are just curious, try it for a week. Gluten takes about 5 days to leave the system. It is a fun experiment if nothing else.
Hey Katie! I love your blog! And chocolate 🙂 yesterday I made your gluten free chocolate lace cookies and they were so good! I used half the almonds, and I baked them at a slightly higher temp. because I was making your flourless chocolate chip cookies too, and they all turned out great, except the lace cookies didn’t flatten out, they stayed in like a big ball shape haha. But do you think that’s because of the temp. I baked them at? Or should I have flattened them out?
Thanks!
Ps- I also made the rasperry cobbler bars, except I had to use strawberries. So yummy!!
Hmmm… maybe mine flattened out because they had more almond flour? I don’t think I tried to flatten mine… they just flattened on their own.
Strawberry cobbler bars sound delicious!
Hi Katie-
I had the same problem of my cookies staying in a ball shape. I ended up making them into cookie shapes before baking, but still not getting the lacey effect. I’m wondering if my dates are too dry? It’s my first time cooking with dates and/or coconut oil, but regardless, they taste amazing!!! I’m going to use the ingredients I have on hand to make them again today, but next time I’m going to use super high-quality dark chocolate! I love that I can give these to my preschool-age kids and feel really good about it!!! I’ll also be making the flourless chocolate chip cookies!
What do I think of the ‘gluten-free’ trend? Well, I have some experience with this – I’ve been totally gluten-free for about 5 years – from medical necessity. And I do mean ‘necessity’!
It’s VERY expensive, VERY VERY. Everything costs a lot – and I bake from scratch a lot. But even the flours are costly.
I’m not a baker by choice (I’m a cook by choice – making dinners and so on). Baking gluten-free quick breads and muffins is an especial PITA – many recipes have as many as 16 ingredients! I can make delicious quick breads, muffins, pancakes, waffles. Many of my favorite desserts – the tofu cheesecake type of thing – are gluten free naturally, fortunately.
I cannot make decent ‘yeast’ bread – have tried several recipes without success. I buy excellent whole-grain bread from samisbakery.com – also chips and bagels. All their products are excellent.
AND EXPENSIVE.
To me, it’s a *very costly nuisance*, and an *awful lot of work* – and seriously screws up eating out. I just cannot imagine why anyone who had a choice (i.e., wasn’t a celiac) would do this on a whim.
Pat
Hi. Great recipes! I tend to eat paleo, which is just about opposite vegan! But you still have some fabulous recipes that are both! If anyone wants to know more about gluten, celiac, or why there are more people having sensitivities to gluten, I suggest you read “Wheat Belly” by Dr. William Davis. It is VERY informative, and science based.
Thanks Katie. Love your blog. I found you looking for Lara bar recipes so I wouldn’t have to test my own. Fudge babies are beyond great– they passed the toughest test of all… my 3 super-picky kids! They liked them better than the samoas, although those didn’t last long either. Cashew cookies will be next!
Thanks, Kel! I am so so excited they like the Larabars :).