We call our oldest son, Asher, our cookie monster. His first word was cookie – not many kids can boast that. Of course, he has an endless appetite for all things cookie. It is truly shocking how many cookies the Little Guy can consume if allowed!
We can assume Gideon will take after his big brother and be a cookie monster, too. During my pregnancy with him, I craved lots of healthy foods, but required a pick-me-up in the form of a sweet treat. God forbid the pregnant lady didn’t get a luscious muffin or soft breakfast cookie with her piping hot coffee!
I’ve noticed each of my kids enjoy foods I ate frequently when carrying them. Naomi, for example, can eat an entire avocado, bar of super dark chocolate or pound of salmon (foods I ate often when she was a mere twinkle in my eyes) without blinking.
This recipe is one I have been tweaking and am excited to share. The gluten-free, dairy-free cookies are light and fluffy and have a nutty, slightly sweet flavor from the chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour and finely processed sugar in the raw (turbinado sugar).
As my daughter Naomi said, “Well, I guess we could just make them vanilla cookies, but that would be silly.” So, in go the chocolate chips for the kids – and some salty, roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) for a bit of crunch, flavor and healthy fats to boot.
Watching cookies cool is not any of our strong suits. Of course, mom and the older kids had to taste test. Obviously, devouring a soft crumb and oozing, warm chocolate isn’t exactly torture. Especially with a glass of cinnamon-dusted, cold, creamy vanilla soy milk.
All three kids have been sick at one time or another the past few weeks. It has been that type of winter. They need all of the company they can get – preferably in the form of a special, sweet treat.
Little Gideon Lev is sick with quite the cold and cough. Poor guy… sick babies break my heart. My friend’s baby is also sick and was recently released from the hospital. RSV is going around her in New Mexico and is dangerous for infants. A mother’s worst nightmare!
We made some extra cookies and dinner for their family yesterday. Of course, Asher chimed in “Don’t give away too many cookies! I love your cookies!” So, the three-year-old Cookie Monster has a bit of work to do on generosity and sharing.
The fun thing about these cookies is that they are filled with ingredients that taste fantastic and are not generally consumed on a daily basis. Wheat, butter, yes, there is a long of that floating around. But soymilk, garbanzo beans, seeds? It’s great to have a varied diet, filled with nutritious, fun foods.
You can absolutely leave the seeds out, which we have done to appease picky (err, developing) palates. Adding a fibrous, healthy dried fruit like apricots, cranberries, cherries, dates, figs is a great idea. Of course, you could skip the chocolate chips. But, really, why would anyone do that? We like to add an extra splash of vanilla, regardless of the day, for a bit of decadence.
Oh, and for the record, you can get a sunburn from sledding, no matter how cold and how much snow accumulates, as the above pictures demonstrate. It’s always sunscreen season in sunny New Mexico!
Speaking of sledding, this is the perfect treat to refuel little bodies, along with a glass of their favorite drink. Naomi loves almond milk, Asher loves soymilk (and Mom prefers a piping hot soy cafe con leche) with her cookies.
Make sure to finely grind your sugar in the raw in the food processor before starting the recipe. The sugar has an earthy richness to it that pairs well with hearty bean flour. I swear, these taste just like peanut butter chocolate chip cookies; the flour is so nutty.
Asher’s school doesn’t allow peanuts due to a child’s allergies, and my son is a lover of all things nuts. These cookies are a nice compromise – safe to pack in the lunch box and pleasing to his “nutty” taste buds. Speaking of nut allergies, new research on the subject is fascinating. Here’s something to “chew on.”
Asher’s No Grain Grazers
Yield: 2 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups garbanzo bean (chickpea) flour, slightly packed
2 Tablespoons flax seeds
1 teaspoon cardamom
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup sunflower oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup vanilla soy milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar in the raw, finely ground in the food processor (measure after the sugar is ground)
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds, toasted lightly in the oven
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
coconut oil spray, for the cookie sheets
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350•F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Spray generously with coconut oil cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients (the garbanzo bean flour through the salt).
In a standing mixer, beat the wet ingredients (the eggs through the vanilla extract) on medium-high speed until the batter is smooth. Add the sugar and mix at the same speed until incorporated.
Add the chocolate chips and pumpkin seeds. Beat on low-speed just until incorporated.
The batter will be slightly runny. Place in a medium size bowl in the refrigerator or freezer until very firm.
Use a melon ball scooper to place twelve balls of cookie on each prepared sheet. Bake for about 8 minutes, just until set. The cookies will not brown on top, but will brown slightly on the bottom.
Allow to cool, then use a spatula to remove the cookies from the pans.
©Shanna Koenigsdorf Ward, shannaward.com (2013-2015), unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without expressed and written permission from this blog’s author, Shanna Koenigsdorf Ward, and/or owner is strictly and completely prohibited.
Curls and carrots 
These look awesome. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you!
What a beautiful post! Thanks for sharing these nice atoms of your family life.
Thank you, Silva!
Yummy and nutritious, Shanna! Cookies are great pair with milk/soy. My youngest is sick too and has a fever. I’m glad they have no school today, so he can rest. I hope your little angel will get well soon. Take care! Thanks for sharing your awesome recipe. 🙂
Thanks, Anna!
My pleasure, Shanna! 🙂
What fun! Great musings, great photos, great cookies. What a last few months you’ve had. Hope everyone stays healthy.
Thank you, Liz!
I think your kids like your baking!
You may be correct! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Wow, those beautiful blue eyes… they distracted me from the rest of the post!
Thanks, Lily! You’re very kind.
Those are great cookies and the children are adorable. I love seeing them enjoying the cookies. The baby is so so cute and geting big!!
You always leave the sweetest comments, and I appreciate you stopping by. 🙂
Shanna those cookies look divine! Love the photos of your children enjoying the freshly baked cookies and baby Gideon waiting for his turn (soon!).
He’ll get there soon enough, right? Thanks for your warm note, Kiyo!
Could I join the cookie monster club? 😉
You are now induced and an honorary member, Rosa. 🙂
Wow, these cookies look fantastic! I can see why the kids love them!
Thank you, Linda! I bet they’d love those apple pumpkin muffins you posted. They look fantastic! Will have to get baking this week. 🙂
These look wonderful, definitely something my boys would munch on all day given the chance. Hopefully all the kiddos are feeling well now. It certainly isn’t a good time for you I know. Our youngest had a mild case of RSV his first Christmas at only three months old. It was painful giving him breathing treatments, oh how he hated that. They grow so quickly and eat so much!
Thank you so much, Gretchen, for your warm comment. Naomi also had RSV when she was a baby, just around Christmas (she was born during Chanukah!). I certainly feel your pain there – and am glad it’s behind you. Yes, those sons of ours sure can eat – the Curls and Carrots and My 3 Sons crews alike.
I have some chickpea flour, but haven’t made anything with it yet. Maybe these cookies will be what I try first. I have never put pepitas in cookies before, but I’m sure they would be wonderful. Your little one is adorable, as are your two older children; they are lucky to have such a wonderful mom! I just read another article about feeding peanut butter to young children; it would be great to prevent peanut allergies.
Oh, isn’t chickpea flour so fun! I tried these, too, very scrumptious: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/soccas-with-kale-and-raisins.html
Thanks for stopping by – and I agree with you on the peanut issue. It’s becoming a serious public health issue that may be preventable.
Yummy cookies for gorgeous children! Gideon sure has grown, and considering he is under the weather, he looks content and happy baby. You have thought and created a very refreshing cookie here of all the health beneficial ingredients. Good on you!
May I join the next batch of cooking that you will make??? I can even devour an avocado with Naomi if you want! Gideon is super cute, love the way he is dressed up, especially the hat!
I would love that. We are moving to the North in June… We could have a bloggers rendezvous. Your food makes my knees week! Thanks for your kind words!
When my girls were growing up, I rarely made sweets, but when I did, or had to for school or some such, they were extremely healthy. Whynot? Other parents would claim that their kids wouldn’t eat my food, but of course they did! Pumpkin muffins? Of course!
Mimi, your daughters are lucky girls. Their mom must love them very much (and happen to be able to whip up healthy and amazing treats in a pinch!). Your granddaughter will be similarly spoiled, I hope. They day you posted this, I had actually made a batch of pumpkin muffins (which the kids devoured in a day). Thank you for sharing your wonderful memories! 🙂
These look fantastic, I love the fact that you’ve added chickpea flour into the mix for added nutrients! Your kids are beautiful Shanna and it’s great that you’re seeing their individual pathways in life, food and otherwise! Weirdly enough, I’ve never thought about sunburn in snow season! We don’t get snow where I live… haha. Interesting stuff!
Don’t you guys have some good skiing out in Australia, though during our “summer”? 🙂 I am really in love with chickpea flour and baking. It does so well in muffins and cookies! 🙂 Thanks, Laura, for your kind comments.
Lovely photos of your cool kids! i loved the look of these tasty cookies & that is why, I made them! They were superb! xxx