All of my adult life I've been obsessed with food.  It's no secret.  I'm constantly planning meals for the next day whilst eating my breakfast.  I read cookbooks curled up in bed, and I find nothing better than roaming around food shops, reading labels...yep, I'm that sad!

That being said, the one thing I no longer obsess about is snacking.  Having spent the last few months getting  rid of sugar cravings....I feel free!  What a brilliant feeling it is!

This time last year I would do the panic run to the shop at lunchtime, just to make sure I had something in my desk draw to snack on "if" I got hungry.  Problem was, whether I was hungry or not, I knew the treat was in my draw so it inevitably got eaten.

You may then wonder why I've gone ahead and baked cookies?

.....because I'm obsessed with baking....and I eat them with my real food.

Just like a little cherry sitting proudly on top of a delicious meal.

Lemon Chia Seed Cookies

(recipe from My Darling Lemon Thyme Website)

165g almond meal | 30g brown rice flour | 1 heaped tbsp rice malt syrup (or 115g raw sugar) | finely grated zest of 1 lemon | 2 tablespoons chia seeds | 2 organic eggs, separated 

Makes 20-25 Cookie

1. Preheat oven to 140 and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
2. Place almond meal, brown rice flour, lemon zest and chia seeds into a medium bowl and mix to fully combine.
3. Whisk together the egg yolks and rice malt syrup then mix vigorously into the dry ingredients (I find using my hands to be the easiest method)
4. In a separate clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then fold into the almond mixture.
5. Using your hands,, place rounded spoonfuls of mixture onto the baking tray about 2cm apart and bake for approximately 25 minutes or until golden around the edges.
6. Cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
7. Store airtight for 2-3 days.

These little cookies are surprisingly light in texture, due to the whisked egg whites.  They're also very low on the sweetness scale (if using the rice malt syrup), but have a lovely fresh flavour which comes from the lemon, making it the perfect match to an "after lunch" cup of tea.  However, be warned - you'll find those pesky little chia seeds popping in your mouth hours after.