Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Gluten free everything seems to be all the rage these days.  Every aisle I turn down in the supermarket, I’m spotting gluten free this and gluten free that.  I even noticed in Target the other day that there was a separate freezer section for gluten free foods.  So, of course I started thinking I needed to hop on the bandwagon because surely I was missing something.  When I was replenishing my flour, I noticed a gluten free option for double the price next to the regular version but I rationalized my costly purchase thinking it was the “healthier” choice.  I was even excited about all the gluten free things I could make for my family: pancakes, muffins, breads, and cookies.  I was convinced this was the new and improved direction I should be taking.  I mean, if Gwyneth is gluten free, shouldn’t we all be?

Until, that is, I did a little digging and quickly realized that while a gluten free diet is beneficial to those with a gluten intolerance or in severe cases, celiac disease, the rest of us should not opt for a gluten free lifestyle after all.  While gluten on its’own doesn’t contain specific nutritional benefits, the many whole grains that contain gluten do. They’re loaded with a plethora of vitamins and minerals, such as B vitamins and iron in addition to fiber.  In fact, according to the Mayo Clinic, a gluten-free diet may lead to lower levels of iron, calcium, fiber, folate, thiamin, riboflavin and niacin.  Whole grain foods, when coupled with a healthy well-balanced diet, may help lower the risk of heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and some forms of cancer.

I’m certainly not trying to get all preachy here but I was definitely convinced gluten free equals healthy living.  At the end of the day, eating well boils down to common sense.  If it’s not natural, it’s probably not the best thing for you.  So, load up on the good stuff (and no, pizza isn’t one of the five food groups…although I wish it was) and enjoy the not so good stuff in moderation . My grandmother, who lived until she was 95, ate meat, a starch and a vegetable most nights her whole life (and she smoked too although I’m not encouraging that).

So, you’re probably wondering….after all that, what’s with these gluten free chocolate chip cookies?  Well, I still have that big bag of flour so until I get through it, our house will be eating gluten free desserts.  And I must say, these are pretty darn good!  I adapted this recipe but altered it slightly by using this flour in lieu of quinoa flour, adding two tablespoons of ground flax seed and I swapped out coconut oil for canola oil.  If you’re not gluten intolerant or not baking for someone who is, you can just replace the special flour with whole wheat flour and you’ve got yourself one healthy chocolate chip cookie…if there’s really such a thing.  I’m sure there’s probably a paleo version out there somewhere but a world without dairy sounds rather bleek…wouldn’t you agree?

*You can find a traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe here.