A few weeks ago, I told you how I loved David’s Cookies as a little girl. Well, that walk down memory lane spawned an intense craving for melty, gooey, chocolate-chunky deliciousness…minus the gluten and refined flour. After a ton of recipe testing, my Best Ever Chocolate Chunk Cookies were born.

About Date Sugar

I’ve already expounded on the virtues of almond flour in previous posts. So the real news here is that I used date sugar in these gluten free chocolate chunk cookies. I’ve been really conscious lately about how much sugar James is eating. From the vitamins he takes to the applesauce he begs for, “kid food” is notoriously sweet. And while we do save dessert as a reward for good behavior, I don’t think that means it needs to be a traditional, sugar-laden treat. That’s why I started experimenting with date sugar. Here’s what I’ve learned while working on my Best Ever Chocolate Chunk Cookies:

• Date sugar isn’t a refined sugar; it’s finely ground, dried dates.
• Like whole dates, it contains magnesium, potassium, fiber, and antioxidants.
• It has about half the sugar as coconut or table sugar.
• The cookie clumps, so you need to sift it.
• It doesn’t caramelize like regular or coconut sugar.
• Because it doesn’t caramelize, cookies don’t spread.

At first, I was a little taken aback by the lack of spread. So I baked and baked, trying different fats, and playing with ingredient ratios until my kitchen counters were heaped with dozens of chocolate chunk cookies. Then I recruited Scott as a taste tester. Not only did he agree that this recipe was the clear winner, he ate nine of these cookies in one sitting. NINE! If that’s not an endorsement, I don’t know what is! And with that, I’ll give you the recipe. Bake at your own risk: you may end up eating the whole batch!

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Best Ever Gluten-Free Chocolate Chunk Cookies

TThese perfectly crisp chocolate chunk cookies pack all the melt-in-your-mouth goodness with half as much sugar and zero gluten. One batch and they’ll be a family favorite!

• Author: Christine Tusher
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 12 minutes
• Total Time: 22 minutes
• Yield: 12 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1/4c +2 tsp room temp ghee or coconut oil (I prefer the flavor of ghee)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1c + 2tbsp superfine almond flour
• 1/2 c date sugar (sifted)
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2/3 c chocolate chunks

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Use a whisk to cream together the ghee or coconut oil, vanilla extract, and egg.
3. Add all dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined.
4. Fold in chocolate chunks until they’re evenly dispersed throughout the dough.
5. Scoop into rounded tablespoons, then flatten into 1/2 inch thick discs and place on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes, then remove from oven and let sit on baking sheet for 5-10 min before cooling on a wire rack.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 12
• Calories: 102.59
• Sugar: 10.74 gm
• Sodium: 99.87 mg
• Fat: 5.59 gm
• Saturated Fat: 3.29 gm
• Carbohydrates: 11.79 gm
• Fiber: 0.47 gm
• Protein: 1.50 gm
• Cholesterol: 19.48 gm