Sugar-Free Treats

The day after I decided to kick all the sugar in my life to the curb, the Girlie Girl Army newsletter arrived in my inbox containing a recipe for sugar-free chocolate chip cookies, vegan of course.* What perfect timing. Even better was that I already had all the ingredients at home except for the chocolate chips.Above is what I used. I love that the bag claims grain sweetened to be "a kinder, gentler, sweetness" when what they really mean is "will remind you of normal, sugary, chocolate chips... kind of".

The main sweetener these cookies use is brown rice syrup and I used Lundberg's because it's awesome. Still, it's not as sweet as sugar, so I was happy to see this recipe also called for a mashed banana. I like things sweet (hello, sugar fiend here) after all. In any case, you can't really tell from picture, but the dough was super-duper sticky because of all that syrup, so don't try to get it from bowl to baking tray with your fingers. Messy.

In the end, I think I would tinker with this recipe a bit if I made it again - maybe add some vanilla, use applesauce instead of the mashed banana, or try part brown rice syrup, part agave or yacon syrup. They are tasty, don't get me wrong, but they have a grainy, malty taste that I think can be taken down a notch without resorting to using sugar. There are some delicious agave-sweetened chocolate bars out there these days and maybe I would even chop one up and use that instead of the chips. The possibilities are endless! Of course, this is really only relevant because:
As the poster above informs you, the next vegan bake sale is coming!!! I will be making the infamous white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies as I did last time, but I am thinking about also trying this sugar-free recipe again. Not all people dig on the sugar, so it might make for a nice addition to the plethora of baked goods that will be offered. I won't be able to be there in the flesh (Valentine's weekend in Napa, what what?!) but will be delivering my contributions the day before so go, get your fix, and then get some more for your loved ones. All the money goes to charity, after all.

Dining at some old faves this weekend, so stay tuned to make sure they didn't change it up and start sucking. Happy Friday night, everyone!

*Sugar-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Just because you are going sans sugar, doesn’t mean you need to lose out on tasty treaters! Sugar-free chocolate chip cookies made with natural brown rice syrup for a sweet taste. Shop for brown rice syrup and sugar-free chocolate chips at a natural foods store to try these sugar-free chocolate chip cookies.



Ingredients:

1 banana, mashed

3/4 cup brown rice syrup

1/4 cup soy milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 cups sugar-free dark chocolate chips

Preparation:
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Combine the banana, brown rice syrup, soy milk and vegetable oil and whisk until well combined. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add to banana mixture, stirring well to combine. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden brown.