Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookie photo from Hemsley & Hemsley

For real! My friend Susan just turned me on to Hemsley & Hemsley, a U.K. Tumblr about "the art of eating well." So much to love—they are two lovely sisters whose Tumblr is full of amazing recipes "free of grain, gluten, high starch and sugar." Now I consider myself a heathly cook and eater, but one thing I can't turn my back on is baked goods. I love making and eating fresh-from-the-oven carbs too much. (Some things just aren't the same gluten-free, you know?) But I was intrigued by their almond meal/date/butter/chocolate cookie recipe. I love that there are only four ingredients—a cinch to make in a food processor. And I'll admit, the cookies are fabulous. They are not the same as old-fashioned chocolate chip cookies, but in this case, I actually don't miss the gluten so much.

Click here for their full recipe in British Vogue. I'm re-posting it below but with the measurements converted to U.S. as best I could.

Chocolate Chip Cookies by Hemsley & Hemsley

Ingredients (use organic ingredients where possible)
Makes 20-24 cookies

 —1/2 pound ground almonds (aka almond meal/almond flour)
—A pinch of sea salt
—½ teaspoon of baking soda
—6 tablespoons of room temperature butter (or coconut oil)
—100g of Medjool dates - about 11 of them
—**3.5 oz. (100 g.) bar of dark chocolate - Try Ombar or find the highest percentage of organic dark chocolate you can

(I used 3/4 cup of semisweet chocolate chips instead—all I had on hand—and I recommend it. Add them to the food processor last and pulse them just a little so some get slightly broken up for extra melty chocolate flavor.)

Cooking Instructions

The food processor way

• Put your bar of dark chocolate into the food processor and pulse with the "S" blade until the chocolate is roughly chopped into nuggets. Take out and tip into a bowl. (Skip this step if you're using chocolate chips like I did)
• Add your ground almonds, baking soda and dates into the processor and pulse until the dates are broken down (add your extract/other flavourings now if using).
• Put your butter in and pulse until a dough forms.
• Tip your chocolate nuggets back into the processor and pulse a few times until distributed - you don't want your chocolate blended right in - although they would still look and taste lovely!
• Scoop out 1 inch balls of the mixture, roll and flatten slighty into cookie shapes.
  
  By hand

• Stir the butter on a low heat until just melted. Don't let it get too hot it will be hard to shape your cookies and melt your chocolate chunks. If in doubt, let it cool a little first.
• Chop your dates (you could try raisins or date syrup instead) and place into a mixing bowl.
• Add your ground almonds and baking soda and stir to combine.
• Pour in your melted butter and mix well.
• Chop your chocolate into small chunks and stir into the mixture.
• Scoop out 1 inch balls of the mixture and form into cookie shapes as best you can. If it's too sloppy, chill the mixture for 10 minutes or so until it is more of a dough.
  
  Into the oven

• Pop the cookies onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper, leaving half an inch between each cookie.
• Bake at 350F for 10 to 15 minutes depending on size - they should be crisp and golden on the edges
• Remove from the oven and allow the tray to cool  - as tempting as they are (and the smell will drive you insane) they will be too soft to handle, and the molten chocolate will burn.  Allow them to cool for at least 10 minutes, during which time they'll crisp up, before moving them onto a plate/into your mouth!
• If the cookies last more than a few days you might find they soften up somewhat - just pop them back into the oven to crisp up again.
  
  hemsleyandhemsley.tumblr.com 

Listen: Dirty Projectors

The new Dirty Projectors record, Swing Lo Magellan, came out on Tuesday. Buy it here. Or stream it online at the New York Times first. Amber Coffman and Haley Dekle singing together is magic.

Such a great track: "Dance For You."

Strawberries, Hot & Cold

Melty homemade organic strawberry ice cream—yum!

The summer solstice has come and gone, but we are still waiting for it to really be summer in Portland. (My two-year-old keeps eyeing the rain out the window and asking me, "Is it summer yet?") But we can't really complain, because for the past 3 weeks we've had an abundance of that most perfect of summer fruits—strawberries! Last night, in our daily attempt to keep up with the harvest, we made strawberry ice cream from my dear friend Molly Moon's new cookbook. Molly Moon's Homemade Ice Cream stores have a cult following in Seattle, and if you go there, you'll know why. But I have to say, the recipes in the book bring you pretty close to the ice cream store experience. Also: I don't miss the eggs in ice cream at all. I'm a Philadelphia-style convert.

My other go-to cookbook this summer: Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson. Too many nutritious, delicious recipes in here to discuss, but since we're talking about strawberries, you must try her roasted strawberries. Luckily I found the recipe posted on Design*Sponge with permission, so I will re-post it here. Now go buy these books!!

Highly recommended for the summer!

Heidi Swanson's Roasted Strawberries (Photo credit: Heidi Swanson © 2011)

Roasted Strawberries

8 ounces / 225 g small to medium strawberries, hulled
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 tablespoon port wine
A few drops balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350F / 180C with a rack in the middle of the oven.

It is important to use a rimmed baking sheet or large baking dish for this recipe—you don’t want the juices running off the sheet onto the floor of your oven. If you are using a baking sheet, line it with parchment paper.

Cut each strawberry in half. If your strawberries are on the large side, cut them into quarters or sixths. Add the berries to a mixing bowl. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, olive oil, and salt. Pour this over the strawberries and very gently toss to coat the berries. Arrange the strawberries in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.

Roast for about 40 minutes, just long enough for the berry juices to thicken, but not long enough for the juices to burn. Watch the edges of the pan in particular.

While still warm, scrape the berries and juices from the pan into a small bowl. Stir in the port and balsamic vinegar. Use immediately or let cool and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

makes about 1/2 cup / 5 oz / 140 g

Reprinted with permission from Super Natural Every Day: Well-Loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen by Heidi Swanson, copyright © 2011. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.”  Photo credit: Heidi Swanson © 2011

Listen: Crocodiles

Two music posts in one week...I know. But I've been listening this song by Crocodiles for a month (thanks, Sirius XMU), and their new album Endless Flowers is finally out this week. Watch the video below and then buy the record. Does anyone still buy records?

Music Monday

I can't get this new Major Lazer song with Amber Coffman (of Dirty Projectors) out of my head. If you haven't heard "Get Free" yet, I highly recommend:

Totally Watching This

Probably because I'm tall myself. "Tall Girls: A Story of Giants." Thanks, Anya!

Another Panda to Love

Panda "Monroe" sunglasses in Natural, $120

Besides giant pandas and Panda Bear, that is. My husband just brought these home with him from tour: Panda sunglasses made of bamboo and recycled polycarbonates. They are so lightweight! They're so comfortable to wear...why didn't someone think of this sooner? Black sunglasses are timeless (and they make those too), but I love the visible woodgrain of the "Natural" frames. Besides the aesthetic, they're so obviously not plastic that people might notice and maybe start to realize that, yes, there are viable alternatives to plastic out there! It just requires a bit of ingenuity. One more thing to love: for every pair of Panda glasses you purchase, they'll donate an eye exam and a pair of prescription glasses to someone in need, in collaboration with TOMA (Tribal Outreach Medical Assistance) Foundation. See their full collection here and start shopping!