Credit: Lucy Burney, DipION | lucyburney.co.uk | @lucyburneynutrition 

Lucy says: "I have been doing lots of research into fun ways of bringing more probiotic foods into the kitchen to support our gut health. These cookies were a rather messy triumph! A delicious combination of sweet and salty made from only natural ingredients. They can be adapted for any dietary preference and are simply delicious. 

"Probiotics (beneficial bacteria) can be found in lots of foods. Common sources are ‘live’ yoghurt, kefir, buttermilk, blue cheeses, cottage cheese, sour cream, miso, kimchi, water kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, fermented vegetables, tempeh and plant based ‘live’ yoghurts. A healthy microbiome is known to aid digestion and support our immune health, mental health and overall wellbeing."

Gluten-free, sugar-free and vegetarian

Makes 20-24 cookies

Ingredients

• 200g almonds, ground in a food processor (can use ground almonds but fresher tastes better)
• 5 pitted medjool dates (100g)
• 2 level tsps white miso paste
• 1 large egg (or to make vegan: a flax/chia egg made of 1 tbsp seeds to 3 tbsps water and left to sit for 15 minutes)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 100g buckwheat flour (or other wholegrain flour)
• 50g coconut butter or butter, melted
• Half a tsp baking powder
• 75g dark chocolate (70-85%), melted 

Method

1. Heat the oven to 160C.
2. Grind the almonds in a food processor (very noisy I’m afraid!).
3. Add all the other ingredients to the food processor and blitz to form a dough.
4. Form small balls in the palm of your hand and place on a baking sheet.
5. Flatten with a fork to form a crisscross pattern.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes until turning golden brown. Do not allow to burn.
7. Place on a rack to cool.
8. Drizzle with melted 70-85% dark chocolate.
9. Allow to set and place in a cookie jar.

Lucy is a qualified nutritional therapist, author and food writer. She trained at the Institute for Optimum Nutrition, the Institute for Functional Medicine and The Chelsea Physic Garden. She is the author of four books on children's health and nutrition and is currently working on her next one.

Visit Lucy's Instagram page for family friendly recipe inspiration as well as nutritional hints and tips.