A cookie to nourish menopause…..and it’s gluten free? Am I dreaming? Is this a joke? No, it does exist!
My name is Tara and I’m an acupuncturist. When people think of acupuncture, they think of tiny little needles that heal pain. While this is true, acupuncturists receive training in many other areas of holistic healing, all of which are part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Most of us have formal training in herbal medicine, work with vitamins and nutritional supplements, and offer lifestyle counseling and nutrition advice.
In TCM there is this gem of nutritional healing that the masses don’t know about. It’s called Chinese Dietary Therapy. All food has energetic properties, just like herbs, and when combined in a particular way can be healing. Think about it, we eat 3 meals a day and using the food we eat to actually nourish our health can be quite powerful.
I five Yin Yang Diet programs based on Chinese Dietary Therapy to help balance the body and return you to vibrant health. These meals are modern, delicious, gluten free, and very easy to make.
Today, I’ve decided to feature a recipe that is nourishing for women going through menopause. A common syndrome in menopause is the combination of Kidney Yin and Yang deficiency. This is when an individual may experience hot flashes, insomnia, anxiety, night sweating, as well as a sore lower back, knees, low libido, and excessive urination leading to possible urinary incontinence.
If this sounds like you, check our our QUIZ to find your Yin Yang Diet
The ingredients in these cookies have healing properties to help nourish you and therefore put the body back into balance..] Teff flour is a highly nourishing gluten free grain that has a rich concentration of minerals, especially iron. This, along with the eggs and butter, strongly nourishes Yin while the pure cacao powder is very good at nourishing Yang. Combine these together with the additional ingredients and we have the perfect treat to help balance and nourish the body, while delighting your taste buds.
Menopause Nourishing Chocolate Cookies – gluten free
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Dry:
1 cup teff flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill Teff flour)
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup high quality cacao powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
Wet:
1/2 cup organic unsalted butter
2 organic eggs
1 cup coconut palm sugar (or organic sugar)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp ground chia seeds + 3 tbsp hot water (combine hot water and chia, whisk and let sit for a few minutes)
1/2 cup organic icing sugar
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Preheat Oven 350 degrees
Mixing Bowl:
Combine teff flour, tapioca flour, cacao powder, baking powder, and sea salt together.
Mixing Bowl 2:
Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add in one egg at a time and mix until combined. Pour in the vanilla and ground chia mixture.
Slowly pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and stir until combined.
Small Bowl:
Pour icing sugar into a small bowl. Roll the cookie dough into balls, slightly larger than golf ball sized. If the dough is too sticky to handle, chill it in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Toss the cookie dough balls into the bowl of icing sugar and coat with a light dusting of sugar.
Place the cookie dough balls onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and gently press the ball down into the shape of a puck.
Bake in the oven for 12-14 minutes. This recipe will yield 2 dozen. Enjoy with a hot cup of green tea.
Should you eat the whole 2 dozen at once? Just kidding – what a great website and thanks for the recipe.
Amazing cookies and equally amazing website. So excited to try some of your other recipes and share them with my patients! Thank you for your hard work 🙂