Can I turn these avocado cookies into energy balls?
As these oatmeal cookies are flourless and prepared with ingredients that can be eaten raw, you can certainly enjoy them as energy balls.
Oats, avocado, chia seeds, and Goji berries don't need cooking so this recipe is great to make power bites.
Just remove the baking powder from the ingredient list and skip the baking step. Then, simply roll the cookie dough into balls, leave them to set in the fridge, and you're good to go.
Check out our vegan white chocolate balls, chocolate truffles, cashew bites, or blueberry almond balls for extra tips or inspiration.
What makes these avocado cookies so healthy?
These wholesome biscuits as incredibly healthy as they pack raw plant-based ingredients and are prepared without eggs, butter, or refined sugars.
Each cookie packs fibres from oats, proteins from chia and pumpkin seeds, unsaturated fats from avocado and hazelnuts, and antioxidants from Goji berries. A single serving has only 120 calories and provides 15% of your RDI for fibres, less than 2% of your RD for sugars, and only 5 grams of fats.
Without having to give up on taste, this recipe helps you prepare nutritious cookies from scratch that will satisfy your sweet tooth and make you feel full for long without energy crushes.
What can I use instead of erythritol?
To keep this recipe sugar-free, we have used zero-calorie erythritol, but you can swap it with other sweeteners. You can replace it with the same amount of maple syrup, coconut sugar, or raw honey - if you aren't vegan.
Below we have also listed other excellent sugar substitutes for preparing low-sugar baked goods like cookies, muffins, and cakes.
Applesauce - as in our gluten-free digestives
Blended date paste - check out these gooey rosemary brownies
Mashed bananas - as in our mango coconut cookies
Chopped dried fruit such as cranberries, raisins, or apricots as in these sweet potatoes cookies.
How can I make these cookies low-carb and keto?
In this recipe, we have used jumbo rolled oats which are a fantastic gluten-free replacement to wheat flour in baked goods.
However, if you're following a ketogenic diet or cutting down on carbs, you can swap oats with the same amount of almond meal or coconut flour. These low-carb flours add richness and flavour to the cookies. However, you might need to add a splash of milk, like almond milk, to get the right dough consistency.
Check out keto pecan sandies, "cream cheese" cookies, or pumpkin scones to see how we've used these tasty keto-friendly flours
What does avocado do in baking?
As avocados are 70% fats - good unsaturated fats -, they're perfect for replacing butter when baking vegan desserts and sweet treats. You can use mashed avocados in ratio 2:3, so if the recipe calls for 300g of butter, use 200g of ripe avocado.
Thanks to their fat and water content, they keep the dough moist and less crumbly. It's not only about the flavour but also about the nutritional value.
Avocados have no cholesterol and fewer fats and calories than butter. So you'll have deliciously chewy cookies with three times fewer saturated fats and fewer calories compared to all-butter ones.
What can I add to the cookie dough?
In this recipe, we have boosted the avocado cookies with Goji berries, hazelnuts, and pumpkin seeds, but you can use other dried fruits, nuts, or seeds.
Great alternatives include raisins, as in these applesauce cookies, or dried cranberries as in these avocado muffins, or dried mangos as in these cookies.
Alternatively, you can transform these biscuits into a chocolatey heaven, adding melted chocolate, cacao powder, or chocolate chips.
