My favourite chocolate chip cookies...that just happen to be healthy!

I love my glass dome and cake plate.  I bought it a couple of years ago when I started to regularly bake.  I love having food out on display; it's kind of like having my own mini-cafe at home.  

The only problem is that you walk past the thing so many times in a day that any deliciousness sitting under the dome can entice your eyes and stomach much more than it could if was sitting tucked away in a container in the cupboard.

That's why I love making these Chocolate Chip and Almond Cookies.  They are delicious and are a good choice for an afternoon snack.  I have no guilt about grabbing one or two of these as I walk past the dome in the afternoon and yet they are completely comparable to cookies filled with sugar and butter.  I love my choc, oat and nut butter cookies but they are not sweet enough for my husband to be a favourite.  But these ones, although they look similar, he'd be happy if I made them every week, or every second day based on the rate they are consumed!

I made this batch with flaked almonds, but I just as commonly use natural almonds instead. If I am feeling particularly inspired I will even roast the almonds first!  I grind up old-fashioned oats in my coffee grinder to make the oat flour.  A food processor will also work.

I've replaced sugar with xylitol, feel free to replace it right back.  I've used chocolate chips with 51% cocoa.  If you want to feel even better about these as a snack, use chocolate with 70% cocoa.

These really do work best if you follow the cookie baking rule of sitting the dough in the fridge for at least an hour or better still overnight.  I really do the overnight bit, but I always do at least one hour.   A pre-heated oven will also give better results, but they thankfully they still work beautifully plonked straight in a cold oven. I've taken to using an ice-cream scoop to make the cookies - give it a try. 

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Recipe: Chocolate Chip and Almond Cookies

adapted from Martha Stewart's Choc-Chunk Cookies with Almonds

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• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup rice malt syrup
• 1/4 cup xylitol (or 1/2 cup granulated sugar)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 cup oat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips 
• 1/2 cup flaked almonds (or natural or roasted, coarsely chopped)
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1. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, rice syrup, xylitol, egg, water, and vanilla until completely blended.
2. Stir the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt) into the wet ingredients; fold in the chocolate and nuts. 
3. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour or as long as overnight.
4. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop the dough onto the baking sheets, spacing them 5cm apart. Bake until light golden brown, 10 to 13 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through.
5. Cool cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. 

Linking up with Lauren at Create Bake Make & Lucy at Bake Play Smile for 'fabulous foodie friday'.

Happy baking
Dani