No-Bake Peanut Butter Chia Chocolate Chip Cookies {Gluten-Free & Heart Healthy 2013}

No Bake Peanut Butter Chia Chocolate Chip Cookies @carascravings

Along with a bunch of other fabulous gluten-free bloggers, today I am kicking off a fun event we came up with to honor one of the most important organs in your body, the heart. What better time to celebrate than during this month of love!

Being preggers has turned me into somewhat of a cookie monster. After all, celebrations call for cookies and every day you feel that little miracle kicking within is a reason to celebrate, right? That’s what I keep telling myself. But this week I made cookies for another kind of celebration. Today, I’m kicking off a week of Gluten-Free and Heart Healthy recipes in honor of American Heart Month. Unfortunately, 715,000 Americans have a heart attack each year and 600,000 die from heart disease*. To raise awareness and encourage good choices, we are offering up delicious gluten-free recipe packed with heart-healthy ingredients. So, read on and take to heart that you can have your cookies and eat them too! * Source: http://www.cdc.gov/features/heartmonth/

heart-healthy-gluten-free-2013-pink-large

Thank you Lexie for the beautiful badge!

Starring in these cookies is one of my favorite heart-healthy foods, the chia seed. Chia seeds are actually an ancient food making a comeback, and while some might deem them “trendy”, my not-so-humble opinion is that when even more folks start eating them, chia seeds will again become a staple in our diets. Hey, I hope so anyway. Chia seeds a jam-packed with essential omega-3 fatty acid, even moreso than other plant-based sources. We’ve probably all heard the buzz that omega-3’s contribute to reducing cholesterol and preventing heart disease, which is why I chose to feature the mighty chia seed in this recipe.

What else is there to love? These chewy little cookies have plenty of heart-protective, fiber-rich oats and they are held together with peanut butter. Natural peanut butter (read: the kind that only contains peanuts) contains high amounts of oleic acid, a type of fat known to increase your good cholesterol and lower the bad kind, and it’s another great source of fiber as well.

Now I’m not going to try to convince you that the only reason to eat a cookie is for your health, so I’ll also throw in that these ones are so easy that you won’t even need an oven, they’re the perfect sweetness for either breakfast or dessert, and studded with mini chocolate chips so you’re sure to get some of the good stuff in every bite. I hope that convinces you to try them out on your sweetie!

Peanut Butter Choco Chip Chia Cookies @carascravings

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No-Bake Peanut Butter Chia Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: 18-20, depending on size

Chewy, no-bake peanut butter chocolate chip cookies made with healthy chia seeds and oats.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups gluten-free plain oats
10 tablespoons ground chia seeds*
1/3 cup miniature chocolate chips
1/2 cup creamy, all natural peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/4 cup peanut flour, such as PB2 (protein powder or cocoa powder would probably work too)

Directions:

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, mix together oats, ground chia seeds, and chocolate chips.

In a small food processor, blend together the peanut butter, honey, almond milk and peanut flour until smooth. Pour the mixture over the dry ingredients in the bowl and mix well with a spoon or spatula.

Using a medium cookie scoop, drop balls of the cookie dough onto the parchment. Moisten fingertips and press down lightly on cookies. Refrigerate for several hours, then transfer to an air-tight container and keep refrigerated.

Cara Lyons, www.carascravings.com

*Grinding your chia seeds ensures that your body can absorb even more of the omega-3’s, fiber and antioxidants contained in these powerful little seeds. However, my favorite brand of chia seeds comes pre-ground, and contains even more nutrients than others on the markets. If you’d like to learn more, please visit my Mila page!

This recipe is shared with Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, February 12th edition.

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19 Responses to “No-Bake Peanut Butter Chia Chocolate Chip Cookies {Gluten-Free & Heart Healthy 2013}”

  1. Pingback: Peanut Butter Chia Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe | All Day I Dream About Food

  2. Pingback: Gluten-Free & Heart Healthy 2013: PB Chia Choco Chip Cookies | The Spicy RD

  3. 3

    Laureen king — February 10, 2013 @ 11:22 am Reply

    I love chia seed, these look so tasty!

  4. 4

    christine — February 10, 2013 @ 11:48 am Reply

    I’ve just managed to track down some chia seeds and was wondering what to use them for – now I know:)

  5. 5

    narf7 — February 10, 2013 @ 2:00 pm Reply

    I use 1tbs of chia seed in my breakfast green smoothies but as they cost a fortune here in Tasmania Australia, I am just going to grow my own in a plot in my veggie garden. I also plan on growing quinoa and amaranth :). Isn’t it amazing that when you bought chia for chia pets back in the day it was cheap as chips…now it has hipster value it is through the roof! 😉

  6. Pingback: Peanut Butter Chia Choco Chip Cookies {Gluten-Free and Heart Healthy 2013}

  7. 6

    Rochelle @ WheatlessRochelle.com — February 10, 2013 @ 2:36 pm Reply

    I love no-bake cookies and these look great! Chia seed is so easy to sneak into things, like cookies. Thanks for sharing!

  8. 7

    Kate — February 10, 2013 @ 9:09 pm Reply

    Every year I forget that Heart month is in the same month as Valentine’s Day. And every year I’m struck by the cleverness of it.

  9. 8

    Joanne — February 10, 2013 @ 11:09 pm Reply

    I have become quite the cookie monster as well (and I don’t even have a miracle growing inside me!) and I could use a healthier cookie in my repertoire. These sound wonderful!

  10. 9

    Melissa — February 11, 2013 @ 5:11 am Reply

    Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe. I’m always on the lookout for a healthy, easy no bake cookie. This one surely will hit the spot.

  11. 10

    Chris — February 11, 2013 @ 7:13 am Reply

    Yummy! Any substitution for the oats? Can I use coconut flour?

    • 10.1

      Cara — February 11, 2013 @ 7:52 am

      Hi Chris,
      I’ve only tried these with oats but I suspect that coconut flour might make them too dense. I think quinoa flakes would be a safe bet; almond flour might work too.

  12. Pingback: Recipe for Gluten Free, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free Gluten-Free One Bite Brownies

  13. 11

    C.M. Cole — February 11, 2013 @ 11:09 am Reply

    Thanks for telling me that PB2 is peanut flour.
    OK, I’ve probably been living under a rock – but I bought some a while back thinking I would make wonderful dips with it and sour cream, yogurt, cream cheese, ricotta, or whatever – and have not done so. Now I have something to use it for, without chastising myself for wasting money.

    • 11.1

      Cara — February 11, 2013 @ 11:15 am

      You should also use it for just what you said! I like blending it with cottage cheese and stevia for a peanut butter “cheesecake” mousse 🙂

  14. 12

    grace — February 12, 2013 @ 4:45 pm Reply

    the texture of these would be amazing! any doubters that gluten-free diets can be delicious would quickly change their tune. 🙂

  15. 13

    Kate — July 17, 2013 @ 1:32 pm Reply

    Is 10 tablespoons chia seeds correct or is it a type o? Ten seems high. Thanks! These look awesome!,

    • 13.1

      Cara — July 17, 2013 @ 7:40 pm

      10 tablespoons ground chia is correct. We love our chia!

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