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Writer's picturePaola Carnevale

Tigernut chocolate chip cookies

Updated: Jan 17

My go-to gluten-, refined sugar-, lactose-free cookies


This month’s post is a quickie! And you can jump straight to the recipe!

I recently discovered and fell in love with tigernut flour. And these cookies have become my go-to quick and easy recipe for refined sugar-, gluten-, lactose- and almost casein- free cookies!

For most people, they are blood sugar-safe too. Of course, the glycemic response is individual, so make sure they work for you in case you have blood sugar regulation challenges.

What are tiger nuts?



Tiger nuts, tigernut flour, tigernut nutritional properties, tigernut chocolate chips cookies




Tiger nuts are small tubers, approximately the size of chickpeas, of the Cyperus esculentus plant, a weed plant originally from tropical and Mediterranean regions [1].








Commonly consumed in ancient Egypt and introduced in Southern Europe in the Middle Ages by the Arabs, tiger nuts have been cultivated for several centuries, mainly in the Valencia area in Spain and in Sicily. They are now cultivated in other European areas, as well as in Africa, and both North and South America [1].

The tubers have a taste reminding of hazelnuts and coconut (to me!). They are an excellent source of prebiotic resistant starch and unsaturated fatty acids.

More nutritional details.

Macronutrient-wise:

  • they are rich in insoluble fibres, resistant starch prebiotic fibres, relatively low in sugars

  • they are a good source of good fats such as oleic acid – the fatty acid composition of oil from tiger nuts is similar to that of olive oil! [2]

  • they contain a moderate amount of protein, but the protein content might go up to 9.7% in some varieties [3]

Micronutrient-wise:

  • they are rich in minerals such as phosphorus, sodium, calcium and potassium and contain also some iron, magnesium, zinc [3]

  • they are rich in vitamins E (which has important antioxidant functions!) and C and they contain folate and other B-vitamins as well.


Tiger nuts contain some anti-nutrients such as phytates, oxalates and saponins whose content can be decreased by soaking or roasting [3,4,5].

Good to know: They are low in FODMAPs (according to Monash University) [6].

Did you already know tigernuts?


And here the recipe!


Tigernut chocolate chip cookies refined sugar-free gluten-free lactose-free


Ingredients

For about 20 cookies

  • 200 g tigernut flour

  • 40 g ground roasted hazelnuts / chestnut flour / a mix of chestnut flour and potato starch (I am pretty sure other nut flours or even banana flour will work too!)

  • 1 egg

  • 100 g ghee

  • 1 tsp of baking soda and ½ tsp cream of tartar (or gluten- and aluminum- free baking powder)

  • 1 pinch sea salt

  • optional: 1 tbsp raw honey or maple syrup (personally, I don’t find it is needed!)

  • 50 g 70%+ chocolate


Instructions:

  1. Heat the oven up to 185°C and line the baking tray with parchment paper or a silicon mat

  2. Whisk together tigernut flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and the pinch of salt

  3. Beat the egg

  4. Add ghee, the beaten egg and the honey/maple syrup (if desired) to the dry ingredients and mix the dough with your hands

  5. Cut the chocolate into small chips and mix them up into the dough

  6. Portion the dough and roll it into small balls in your hands, place them on the baking tray and slightly flatten them with your fingers

  7. Bake for 17-20 minutes

  8. Cool down before eating!

Enjoy!

Now, I’d like to hear from you! Do you have favourite recipes with tigernut flour? And what are your go-to guilt-free cookie recipes, of course sugar-, gluten- and dairy- free?

Let me know in the comments below!






References

[1] Sánchez‐Zapata, E., Fernández‐López, J. and Angel Pérez‐Alvarez, J. Tiger Nut (Cyperus esculentus) Commercialization: Health Aspects, Composition, Properties, and Food Applications. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 11: 366-377, 2012

[2] Jozef P.H. Linssen, Gabe M. Kielman, Jan L. Cozijnsen, Walter Pilnik. Comparison of chufa and olive oils, Food Chemistry, Volume 28: 279-285, Issue 4, 1988

[3] Gambo A, Da’u A. Tiger Nut (Cyperus Esculentus): Composition, Products, Uses and Health Benefits - A Review, Bayero Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences, Vol. 7 No. 1, 2014

[4] Adekanmi, Oladele & Osundahunsi, Oluwatooyin & Yemisi, Adebowale. Influence of Processing Techniques on the Nutrients and Antinutrients of Tigernut (Cyperus esculentus L.). World Journal of Dairy & Food Sciences 4 (2): 88-93, 2009

[5] Ekeanyanwu, Chukwuma & Njoku, Obioma & Christopher, Ononogbu. (2010). The Phytochemical Composition and Some Biochemical Effects of Nigerian Tigernut (Cyperus esculentus L.) Tuber. Pakistan Journal of Nutrition 9: 709-715, 2010




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