Tigernut Chocolate Chip Cookies

When I started creating recipes for a new healthy spot (coming summer 2018 to the beachy town of York, Maine), I knew there would be a chocolate chip cookie. But not just any old chocolate chip cookie - I wanted it to stand out, to be special in some way.

Tigernut flour.

As outlined in my blog post all about tigernuts, tigernut flour is a gluten-free alternative that also happens to be nut-free, and full of beneficial properties like being high in fiber, a prebiotic, antioxidant rich, antibacterial, and a great source of vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats. 

It has a nice nutty flavor, and denseness to it that works perfectly in desserts. In this recipe, I included gluten-free oats, but you could also try the tigernut flour on its own, mixed with tapioca flour for lighter fluffier consistency, or experiment by combining with other gluten-free flours.

These cookies are:

• Dense and filling
• Nutty and sweet
• Quick and simple 

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Tigernut Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/3 cup coconut sugar
1/4 coconut oil, melted
1 flax egg (1 TBSP ground flax + 3 TBSP warm water)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup tigernut flour
1 cup gluten-free oats
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
Make the flax egg by combining 1 TBSP ground flax with 3 TBSP warm water, and let it sit for a few minutes until it's gelatinous. 
Gently melt the coconut oil.
In a food processor, grind the oats to a flour, then add the tigernut flour, baking soda, and sea salt to combine.
Add the coconut sugar, coconut oil, flax egg, and vanilla and pulse until fully combined.
The resulting batter will be crumbly but should stick to itself - if too dry, you may need to add 1/2 TBSP of water.
Fold in the chocolate chips (I pulse them in with the food processor).
Create cookies using either your hands, two spoons, or an ice cream scoop like I used (1 oz scoop). Shape and flatten the cookies. Finish by placing a few additional chocolate chips on top and sprinkling with a bit of maldon sea salt if desired.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until barely golden on the edges. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet, and enjoy!

Notes:
-I made these cookies in a large mixing bowl as well. They were a bit fluffier, so if you like more of a muffin-like cookie, you could skip the food processor.
-I used a 1 oz. ice cream scoop, scooped and leveled each cookie, and this made 12-13 cookies per batch
-This cookie dough is totally safe to eat raw... just saying!

Photos by Amber Clair | www.amberclair.com