Paleo Cookies

I called Mom tonight to tell her about these cookies I made.  She had already looked at the picture and said they didn't look good.  Which they don't! But surprise, surprise, they ARE!

Now are these as good as decadent, butter laden, oil added, sugary chocolate chip cookies? Heck no.  Heccccckkkkk no.  BUT, they do hit the spot and do taste like a legit cookie and are SOOO much better for you nutrition wise.

These cookies have coconut oil in them.  Have you ever used coconut oil before? I hadn't either! Coconut oil has many health benefits such as helping thyroid function, boosting metabolism, improving heart health, is an anti-inflammatory, etc.  It really is a super food IF you buy the right kind of coconut oil.

When you you go to the grocery store you will notice many different types of coconut oils.  I have done the research for you so you know what to buy!

You want to buy USDA organic unrefined coconut oil.  The "USDA" organic part ensures it was grown without pesticides and the unrefined part means it's in a pure form.  The other thing you want to look for is either centrifuge extracted, cold pressed or expellar pressed.  You most likely will find USDA organic unrefined expellar pressed at your grocery store.  Whether it says virgin or extra virgin has no influence on the health aspect of it and does not matter.

The other odd ingredient in this recipe is almond flour.  SOOO much healthier than all purpose flour.  It is literally blanched almonds that have been ground up into flour.  It IS expensive but worth it in my book.  The healthy fats in this flour are amazing. 

Okay, so now that we've got some information out of the way let's get down to the recipe!

Paleo Cookies
Makes 11 cookies

1 1/4 c. almond flour
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. baking soda
1/4 c. coconut oil (do not melt)
1/4 c. honey
1 t. vanilla
3 T. chocolate chips plus 11 more to dot on top of each one

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a bowl combine flour, salt and baking soda.  Mix.  In a separate bowl mix together coconut oil, honey and vanilla.  You do not want to microwave the coconut oil.  To really mix it in well I smashed it a bunch with a fork to incorporate everything together and make it as smooth as I could.  Combine the wet and dry mixtures and mix well.  Add in the 3 T. chocolate chips.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and scoop out cookies.  Place one chocolate chip on top of each one (I did this because the mixture is hard to mix so I wanted to ensure every cookie got chocolate).  My cookies were very chocolate-y so you could get away with 2 T. chocolate chips and then dotting each one with a chip.  Bake 7-8 minutes.  It is fine if the edges get brown.  They didn't taste burnt.  Make sure to really let these set up before eating.  They are much better that way.  Enjoy!

For a decadent treat you could do a small scoop of vanilla ice-cream or frozen yogurt, a drizzle of carmel and a paleo cookie.  YUM.   

I really enjoyed these cookies because they are moist and really taste like coconut (which I love).  And by the way, Happy National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day!