So all you agave haters gather round. These gluten free chocolate chip cookies are completely free of agave, I have used yacon instead.
What is yacon? It is a perennial root, composed primarily of water and Fructooligosaccharide (FOS). These short chain sugars have a lower caloric value (as they are digested anaerobically) and high fiber content. FOS is a prebiotic that is extremely helpful with digestion.
I use yacon as my “brown sugar” or “molasses” in my recipes. For example, in my book, The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook, I use yacon in my recipes for Gingerbread Men and S’mores.
Chocolate Chip Cookies with Yacon
Ingredients
- 2½ cups blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
- ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup grapeseed oil or palm shortening
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup yacon syrup
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl
- Stir together wet ingredients in a small bowl
- Mix wet ingredients into dry
- Form ½-inch balls and press onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet
- Bake at 350°F for 7-10 minutes
- Cool and serve
So, for those of you that are agave averse, what is your favorite substitution for this ingredient in my recipes? I’ve heard of people using everything from apple sauce and stevia to honey. If you have a formula or a favorite recipe that replaces agave with another ingredient, be sure to leave it in the comments section!
One of my favorite bloggers, Chris from Celiac Handbook is featuring me on his Facebook page this week. Chris is an amazing guy who does so much to spread awareness of celiac disease and is always selflessly promoting other bloggers in our community. He is fabulous.
marsha hubner says
I substitute honey for agave nectar in all your recipes. And I have used probably 30 to 40 of them. It works wonderfully.
Mia says
Hello Elana!
I love your website. I have been inspired by your dessert recipes, since I’ve changed my diet to support my health.
I mainly use Xylitol (www.globalsweet.com), Navitas Natural Yacon Syrup, dates, and will be trying organic brown rice syrup soon.
Love,
Mia
Lorinda says
Hi Elana!
I have been doing the same thing with the yacon in this recipe so little Matteo can have cookies. The only difference is that I used yacon because I thought the yacon would be the substitute for brown sugar and then I sprinkle about a tablespoon of xylitol to add the sweetness flavor of the “white” sugar.
They are a hit in my house, since now that Matteo (2 years old) is diabetic, we all have given up eating sugar and use very little agave.
Thank you!
Lorinda
Megan says
Darn. I thought perhaps yacon was a bacon substitute. I can tell that I’m hungry when bacon chocolate chip cookies sound amazing!
Nicole Thomas says
I tend to substitute yacon syrup in anything that calls for agave, but if it’s something that I think demands a higher level of sweetness, I use raw coconut nectar (http://www.coconutsecret.com/nectar2.html) — a low-glycemic sweetener with much more potent sweet taste than yacon’s mellow butterscotchy flavour.
I have been hearing a lot about Jerusalem artichoke syrup as an amazing low-glycemic sweetener, but have yet to try it. I use stevia a lot as well, especially the Sweetleaf flavored liquids, which provide a bit of a boost for recipes that call for chocolate, lemon or what have you.
gfe-gluten free easily says
I still use some agave, Elana. And, guess what … I have yacon syrup on hand because I just got it from iHerb to try because you used it before. :-) And, I have all the other ingredients in this recipe–woohoo! We’re going camping this weekend with Son and a bunch of his friends, so several batches of healthy cookies are in order (last time they ate 8 dozen in a few hours!). Thanks so much for this one!
Hugsss,
Shirley
Jenny says
Some fun subs I made which turned out amazing! (Also, all I had in my kitchen ;)
1/2 T vanilla 1/2 T almond extract
1/4 cup coconut + 1/4 cup dried cranberries instead of chocolate chips
3/4 cup yacon + 1 1/2 T raw honey
Yum!!! Thanks Elana : )
Vickie says
Finally, a cookie recipe using yacon! I have been using agave, but have recently become sensitive to it. Hot tip: http://www.vitacost.com has a larger yacon syrup, 11.5 oz for a only a few cents more than the 8.8 oz that iHerb.com sells. And for a short time only, there is free shipping at Vita Cost over $79. The manufacturer of this product has been out for some time. So I was thrilled to see it was back in.
Karen says
Not all of us hate agave… just sometimes agave isn’t so fond of us :-)
Charmaine says
I haven’t tried yacon syrup yet, but from day one of making your recipes, I have always substituted agave with coconut palm sugar by making a syrup out of it. This was posted on the forum, and that’s how I got the idea and have always had great results:
Coconut Palm Sugar Syrup
* 1 ½ cups palm sugar
* ½ cup water.
1. To make the syrup, bring the coconut palm sugar and water to a boil in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Stop stirring and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 3 minutes. Keep warm if to be used immediately. Or, let it cool and keep refrigerated to use later on.
Also, I buy the Navitas Naturals brand of palm sugar (same brand as the yacon syrup) from iherb.com, and a 1 lb. bag will yield about 12 oz. of syrup. So, if the yacon is pricey for some, for about half the price you get more ounces of palm sugar syrup than you do yacon syrup.
laura balsley says
I chuckled when I saw “all you agave haters!” This is the first I have seen since Dr.Mercola made that announcement ( long ago) I have dropped agave nectar like hot cakes since I am a prediabetic. Just wanted to say “yay” for that comment you made!
Smiling..
Carrie says
What a great idea. Thanks.