I love making cookies, especially chocolate cookies of any kind. Today, I tried something that I have never done before—an orange chocolate cookie. I’ve made orange chocolate truffles before, but not cookies, and they were even better than I’d imagined. Orange is the perfect seasonal flavor to welcome spring and complements the rich chocolate so well. If you like chocolate (who doesn’t?) you are going to absolutely love these gluten-free Chocolate Orange Truffle Cookies. 

These Chocolate Orange Truffle Cookies are simply the best. They are almost like brownies, with an intense chocolate flavor. Rich and fudgy with a touch of citrus, these will satisfy any chocolate craving.

For the orange juice that gives these cookies their delicious citrus flavor, I choose Florida’s Natural Orange Juice. Florida’s Natural comes from pure Florida oranges. There are no artificial flavors or ingredients, and Florida’s Natural only uses oranges hand-picked from their grower-owned orange groves in Florida. Plus, Florida’s Natural orange juice is full of vitamins and minerals like potassium and vitamin C.

This recipe calls for two types of chocolate, which gives the cookies their sensational brownie flavor. I wanted to keep my cookies strictly orange and chocolate so the flavors would really stand out, but you can also include add-ons to the recipe, such as walnuts or pecans that will add just a little bit of crunch.

These Chocolate Orange Truffle Cookies are decadent, exceptionally tasty and perfect for any chocolate lover. If you are looking for a cookie with a rich, fudgy texture and intense chocolate flavor, this is your recipe.

Enjoy!

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Chocolate orange truffle cookies

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 24 cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp Florida’s Natural^® Orange Juice
• 12 oz dark chocolate chips
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour or gluten-free flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened or Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Celtic salt
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons orange zest
• Flaky sea salt, optional

Directions:

Melt 8oz of the chocolate chips in a double boiler or in the microwave. If using the microwave, cook in 20-second increments, stirring after each until the chocolate is completely melted. Set aside to slightly cool.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and remaining 4oz of chocolate chips together. Set aside.

Transfer the melted chocolate to a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the eggs and orange zest and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add the coconut oil and mix for another minute or so on medium speed, until combined. Add dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.

Transfer the dough to the refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to two hours.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper.

Spoon the dough onto baking sheets, using approximately 2 tbsp of dough for each cookie, placed 3 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges appear set. The centers will look a little soft.

Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. If desired, top cookies with a pinch of flaky sea salt.

 

 

 

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The recipe actually comes from these other banana chocolate chip cookies I made a while back. These only have 4 ingredients, have no oil, no added sugar, no eggs, no flour and are vegan, and gluten free.

On top of that they are only 60 calories each, what else could you ask for?

For this double chocolate banana chunk cookie version I just added 2 tbsp of cocoa powder extra and use chocolate chunk pieces instead of the chocolate chips. I forgot how good these cookies were. Perfect when craving something sweet and healthy at the same time.

While I used the unsweetened shredded coconut, you don’t have to add it if you don’t like. I just love coconut so much so I thought to keep it in the recipe.

I have been wanting to bake for a while but since these cookies are easy and super fast to put together I went for it. I really want to get more creative and bake something more elaborate. Hopefully soon.

By the way, the Eat Good 4 Life app is coming mighty nice, it is a lot of work because I have to put every single recipe also in Spanish, which is a lot of work. So far I don’t know how many recipes I will add but I will try my best to add as many as possible.

I am so excited about it. Generating a shopping list for the recipes you choose to make from the app will be a lot easier once you decide to do your grocery shopping. It will be easier for me to since there are a lot of recipes I do make from my blog quite often!

Anyways, I leave you with these amazing easy and yummy cookies that I hope you get to make soon. Don’t eat them all at once!

Enjoy!

Double chocolate banana chunk cookies - Gluten free and vegan

Yield: 12-14 cookies

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup bananas, ripe and mashed, about 2 large bananas
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, vegan
• 1 cup gluten free rolled oats
• 2 tbp cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, optional

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375F. Line two cookie sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl add all the ingredients and mix well. With a medium cookie scoop drop cookie batter onto the lined cookie sheets a few inches apart. Flatten them slightly with the palm of your hand and bake for 10 minutes.

Let them cool on the baking sheet for five minutes. Store in an air tight container for up to 2 days.

The post Double chocolate banana chunk cookies – Gluten free and vegan appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

I made this whole wheat chocolate chip pancakes after attempting to make a gluten free version that had to be tossed in the trash…that’s right, I even get to waste recipes from time to time when I experiment with them. It comes with the territory.

I was able to use MELT® Organic for my pancakes. It is like butter but better because it is made by the perfect blend of “good fats” like virgin coconut and flax deed oils. Being a dietitian and caring so much about what I feed my family and myself, what I like the most about MELT Organic spreads is that they are lactose free, dairy free, soy free, trans-fat free, and gluten free. Each variety is certified organic, kosher, and Non GMO (Non GMO Project Verified).

For more information and where to find it in your area click here.

I used dark chocolate chips for my pancakes but you can use fresh fruit if you like. I have used fresh blueberries as well as sliced bananas before and they both work really well. This is the perfect whole wheat pancake batter that you can alter as you like make it your own.

I have also doubled the batch several occasions, since I don’t make pancakes too often, and freeze them in foil paper. They will last for up to three months so if your family enjoys pancakes once in a while this is a great way to save time when someone decides they want to eat pancakes.

I hope you like this recipe, my kids sure enjoyed these whole wheat chocolate chip pancakes, and using MELT Organic made them creamier and tastier.

Enjoy!

You can add some extra melted chocolate over the pancakes like I did. Instead of using maple syrup or honey we just drizzled tons of melted chocolate over the pancakes. A win win situation!

Whole wheat chocolate chip pancakes

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 9 pancakes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour pastry flour
• 1 tsp aluminum free baking soda
• 1/2 tsp aluminum free baking powder
• 2 tablespoons of unrefined sugar
• 1 organic egg
• 2 tbs MELT® Organic
• 1 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• More MELT Organic for pancake pan

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl mix flours, baking powder, baking soda and sugar. Make a well in the center and add the egg, milk, and MELT Organic. Combine ingredients until you obtain a smooth batter. Carefully fold in the chocolate chips. In a skillet over medium to low heat drop 1 tablespoon of MELT Organic.

For each pancake place about 1/4 cup of the batter onto the skillet. Cook for a few minutes until you see bubbles appear on the surface. Turn pancake over and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Repeat this step until all the batter is finished making sure you add more MELT Organic spread in between cooking the pancakes.

Serve pancakes while still warm with melted chocolate and fresh fruit or as desired.

NOTE: To get the perfect shaped pancake I used a 4.5 inch large cookie cutter previously greased.

MELT® Organic is a line of luscious, organic spreads made from healthy oils for butter lovers seeking a much healthier alternative, available in Rich & Creamy (original), Honey, and NEW Chocolate.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of MELT Organic. The opinions and text are all mine.

The post Whole wheat chocolate chip pancakes appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

These cowboy cookies turned out chunky, soft and extremely flavorful. My family was really pleased when they got to try them. My husband loves when I make desserts that are gluten free so he was delighted when I told him I made these. Not only I was able to keep the cookie recipe gluten free but I was able to  decrease the sugar content by using Truvia® Brown Sugar Blend. It was my first time using it and I was not disappointed. For those that are on a sugar reduced diet, this would be a better alternative so I hope you get to try it soon. Let me know what you think if you do.

I have partner with Truvia to bring you some recipe alternatives for those looking to reduce sugar in their diets. I have already brain stormed some sensational unique recipes so stay tuned. I can’t wait to share them with you!

Truvia Baking Star event was also yesterday. They crowned the Truvia Baking Star winner which was Kristi Webb, a chef and baker from Sacramento, CA. It was a context Truvia held in the fall where three finalists were chosen and flown to New York for the final. It was truly a fun event. To red more about it you can visit their site.

When using Truvia® Brown Sugar Blend  keep in mind that while baking you must use ½ cup of Truvia® Brown Sugar Blend in place of 1 cup of brown sugar. Just for your information note that ½ cup has 210 calories and provides the same sweetness as one cup of brown sugar that has 830 calories. A win win in my book. There is nothing better than decreasing the calorie content of a cookie while you can still be able to enjoy the regular texture and flavor.

My 4 year old daughter loves making cookies so of course she was first in line to help make these gluten free cowboy cookies. I am glad I was able to healthfy this recipe because when they came out of the oven I ate three of them all at once! I hate doing this but sometimes I just can’t resist myself.

If you don’t have any brown rice flour note that you can still use regular whole wheat pastry flour or regular flour. They will not be gluten free anymore but never the less still really good.

I hope you like this cookie. Until my next recipe,

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Truvia. All opinions are my own and I speak from personal experience. The end :-)

Gluten free cowboy cookies

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 16 cookies

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1 organic egg
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
• 3/4 cup regular oats, gluten free
• 1/3 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup Truvia® Brown Sugar Blend
• 1/2 tsp aluminum free baking soda
• 1/2 tsp aluminum free baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Himalayan salt

 

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350F. Lined two cookie sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, with a wire whisk, you can also use a stand mixer, add the egg, sugar blend, coconut oil and beat until combine. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and with a spatula, mix through.

With a large cookie scoop, scoop cookie batter onto the baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly with the back of a spoon. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Cool cookies on the baking pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

The post Gluten free cowboy cookies appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

You really need to make these gluten free pumpkin bars. Not only they are gluten but you can make them vegan but replacing the honey with maple syrup if you like. I am sure they will turn out as good.

I have actually made different variations of these bars. The combinations are endless. I tend to make these quite a bit. I normally double the batch and individually wrap them and freeze them. My kids take them to school for a snack and I always pack my bag w/ a couple for when I go to school too.

These bars are truly the bomb. I hope you get to make them. They are super easy, delicious and healthy.

For the gluten free pumpkin bars recipe go to my friends Nuts.com. Make sure you check out their products. They really have top notch nuts and dried fruits!

Enjoy!

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I can’t get enough of these banana chocolate chip cookies. I ate 6 the first time they came out of the oven. Thank goodness these cookies are not so bad for you.

I know I was suppose to post other recipes before this one but I promise I will after this banana chocolate chip cookie. I just felt I had to post these cookies since they are that good.

Not only these banana chocolate chip cookies are vegan but they are also gluten free. When making these cookies you must use ripe bananas. They should be able to be mashed easily with a fork. These cookies won’t look like much at first but once you bake them they will dry out and look like a real cookie.

My cookies didn’t last a day because we ate them all within the first our. I wouldn’t anticipate these cookies lasting too long in your kitchen counter though. I think they will spoil after two days. Perhaps keeping them in the fridge maybe better.

I hope you like these cookies. They are truly the bomb.

Enjoy!

Banana chocolate chip cookies

Yield: 13 cookies

Total Time: 20 minutes max!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup bananas, ripe and mashed, about 2 large bananas
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, vegan
• 1 cup gluten free rolled oats
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, optional

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375F. Line two cookie sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl add all the ingredients and mix well. With a medium cookie scoop drop cookie batter onto the lined cookie sheets a few inches apart. Flatten them slightly with the palm of your hand and bake for 10 minutes.

Let them cool on the baking sheet for five minutes. Store in an air tight container for up to 2 days.

The post Banana chocolate chip cookies- Vegan and gluten free appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.