I won’t lie. I love cookies. Some people have the odd impression that dietitians only ever eat healthy foods… How wrong that is! I hope these Low FODMAP Double Chocolate Cranberry Pecan Cookies help to dispel that myth.
I’m not trying to say that I eat tons of cookies, cakes, and other treats every single day. But I do let myself eat treats regularly. It makes me sad when people feel bad and guilty whenever they have a treat. I am a big fan of something called the “80-20” guideline. The basic theory is that if around 80% of the foods you eat are nutritious (like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, fish, etc.) then it’s okay if the other 20% of the foods are less nutritious (like cookies). I believe that striving to have a “100% perfect diet” is unhealthy and unattainable, and likely to lead to negative food behaviours such as bingeing.
It’s important to remember that this is a guideline, not a rule. If you have a day where you eat more than 20% treats, that’s okay and you don’t have to feel bad. Every day is a new day.
My key message is a balanced diet includes occasional treats!
Back to the cookies! I absolutely love these low FODMAP Double Chocolate Cranberry Pecan Cookies. When I started my blog, I knew this would be the first cookie recipe I posted.
This week I actually plan on posting THREE holiday cookie recipes, so check back again tomorrow and Thursday!
The recipe I have here is for soft gooey melt-in-your-mouth cookies. However, sometimes I crave a crunchier cookie that I can dip into my tea. If you prefer crispy cookies, increase the temperature to 375˚F, bake for 8-10 minutes, and grease the baking sheet instead of using parchment paper.
These cookies are great for those with OR without food intolerances. The cocoa, chocolate and cranberries are all small servings that are low FODMAP (unless you eat more than 3 cookies at a time, which I don’t really recommend for anyone). The pecans are yummy but optional, and can be omitted if you have a nut allergy. The flour mix is gluten-free and low in fructans. If you have a 1-to-1 gluten free flour blend (that does not contain bean flour) you could also try that in place of the flours to simplify the recipe (3/4 cup + 2 tbsp total flour). If the blend contains xantham gum, skip adding it in. I have used the 1-to-1 gluten free flour blends from both Food Basics (Irresistibles brand) and Bulk Barn successfully in this recipe.
This recipe was adapted from the chocolate chip drop cookies in Joy of Cooking.
I hope you fit these cookies into your 20%!
Double Chocolate Cranberry Pecan Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter salted
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup white rice flour
- 3 tbsp sweet rice flour
- 3 tbsp tapioca starch
- 1/2 tsp xantham gum
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries optional
- 1/2 cup pecans chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cream the butter and sugars together in a large bowl using a fork until well combined. Beat in the egg, salt and vanilla.
- In a second bowl whisk together the flours, xantham gum, cocoa powder and baking soda. Slowly mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips, cranberries and pecans.
- Chill the dough in fridge or freezer at least 20 minutes.
- Drop spoonfuls of the dough onto the baking sheet. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes. The cookies should be firm on the edges and soft in the middle. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the sheet.
Notes
- These cookies are low FODMAP at 3 cookies or less per serving. 4+ cookies with have a moderate FODMAP level from the dried cranberries.
- If you do not need to eat low FODMAP or gluten free foods, you can replace the flours and xantham gum with 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp all purpose white flour.
Want more low FODMAP snack ideas? My Quick and Easy Snacks E-Book has 12 delicious recipes that are simple to make. All of the recipes are low FODMAP and gluten-free. Included is a helpful guide to making healthy and filling low FODMAP snacks. As a bonus, there is also a printable list of 54 snack ideas – you can print it off and keep it in your kitchen! The list is divided into four sections: sweet snacks, sweet n’ salty snacks, savoury snacks and crunchy snacks. Click here for more details!
Let me know if you try out the cookies!
Hi Lauren, I baked these cookies the other day. They have an absolutely delicious flavour.
My cookies ended up very thin running into each other, but still soft in the middle. I used 350° oven and parchment paper for 12minutes. I was expecting them to look like the picture. Any suggestions?
Thanks, Nora
Hi Nora. I’m sad to hear these didn’t turn out right for you. I just looked at the recipe and added the step for chilling the dough in the fridge or freezer, this can help prevent them spreading out too much. The xantham gum is also very very important for helping them to not spread out. I have tested this recipe with the flours listed and the Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 flour; I cannot guarantee it will work the exact same if other flour blends are used. I hope that’s helpful!
Hi Lauren, I just made these again. As suggested I put them in the fridge for more than 30mins. They didn’t spread, like the first time. They now look like the picture.
Thanks for that tip.
Nora
PS: they are just as yummy!!!
Wonderful! Happy New Year!
Are the dried cranberries sweetened?
Yes I use regular sweetened dried cranberries