Method
Pre-heat the oven to 175C/350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Combine the flaxseed and water in a bowl and set aside.
Place the walnuts into a food processor and process for 2 to 3 minutes or until they start to become moist and a bit oily – almost like walnut butter. Add the almond flour and pulse a few times to combine the two ingredients.
Place the ground nuts in a bowl and add the cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
Place the pitted dates into the food processor and pulse until they are in very small pieces. They should start to come together in a ball, but not be paste-like. Next add the vanilla and chocolate extracts, along with the reserved dry mixture to the date mixture in the food processor. Pulse for just a few turns to combine.
Scrape the mixture back into the mixing bowl. Add the chopped nuts, followed by the chopped chocolate pieces.
Now add the flax and water mix to the food processor and blend for a minute or so.
Lastly, add the flax mixture to the cookie mixture and fold the ingredients together.
Let the mixture sit for a few minutes before forming. Roll them into balls and then flatten – the cookies will not spread during baking. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes. The cookies should hold together, yet still be moist in the middle.
Let cool for a few minutes on the baking tray and then carefully remove them and allow them to cool.
Andy’s Sugar Safe® Tips
Try experimenting with these cookies by adding different nuts and or dried fruits, or playing around with the spices and adding a bit of ground ginger, for example. When buying cocoa powder, chocolate extract and dark chocolate, make sure you read the labels to see what the sugar content is – and try to find ones with low sugar content or ones that are substituted with nutritive sweeteners.
If you are in the US, this blog has some good suggestions for ‘better’ chocolate choices. If you are in the UK, iQ Chocolate is a good choice as it is sweetened with coconut blossom sugar, which hasn’t been refined and has a low glycemic load. A 35g bar contains 7g sugars, which is just under two teaspoons worth. This still counts towards your daily limit though (which is 6 teaspoons per day according to the World Health Organisation). Likewise, Loving Earth chocolate is sweetened with coconut nectar.
Additionally, keep in mind that dates are a source of fructose. These chocolate brownie cookies should be eaten in moderation given that they are a sweet treat.
