SALTED CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Anyone who knows me knows that chocolate chip cookies are my ultimate comfort food. I LOVE them. LOVE. I haven't had or even attempted to make cookies in about nine months despite the fact that the Internet is loaded with lots of paleo/paleo-esque cookie recipes. Why? Truth be told, cookies have been a gateway drug for me. Bars? Nope. Brownies? Not so much. Cookies? YES, especially if they are chocolate chip. So, if these were to work, would I be back to having cookies in my house all the time, I wondered? I gave that a serious thought before I whipped out my Kitchen Aid. I realized that I have been eating clean for almost a year now. Enough time has passed and I have things pretty much under control. Therefore, with the holidays around the corner, I thought that it was time to test and experiment for my friends over at The 30 Clean (www.the30clean.com) in an effort to build a treat that would be tasty, healthier, and more gut-friendly than not. My son will be ecstatic - he gets his chocolate chip cookie gene from me and will be glad not to have to endure more of this:

So, I began my cookie test with this tasty no-flour recipe by Delighted Momma found here: www.delightedmomma.com - Salted Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. These are super easy, super quick, and the result is a soft, moist, chewy cookie. Straight up.

Then, using Delighted Momma's recipe as a base, I tried another batch and added coconut flour, almond flour, and cinnamon in an effort to mix things up. The result was decent but the texture seemed compromised - possibly a result of mixing the flours, although I'm not sure. These cookies were a little on the drier/more crumbly side.

I kept thinking that the altered recipe above either needed less flour or more moisture so I started playing with coconut oil and combining recipes on my own. Plus, the cinnamon left me thinking. It was a departure from the traditional type of chocolate chip cookie that I liked so I decided to skip it for the next batch. The result (below) was pretty awesome. Flavorful and reminiscent of the real thing: golden, sweet, salty, AND savory. FaBOOlous, right!? Most definitely. Even my sweet (toothed) husband loved them!! Further, a funny side note -- my husband and I went out to a great dinner at Hopscotch in Oakland tonight. If you live in the area and haven't been, go. You won't be disappointed. When we got home, he said - where did you put those awesome cookies!!?? I said, "What do you mean? They are on the counter." We both looked and our jaws dropped. The container had been scootched over but not pulled onto the floor and all the cookies were gone! GONE! We then realized they must have been left too close to the edge because both of our dogs were smiling. There wasn't one crumb left. Not. One. Yes, I know chocolate is uber dangerous for dogs so we've got our eyes glued to these puppers. So far, so good. Since EVERYONE has now weighed in, these tasty little gems will also be making a comeback at Thanksgiving and Christmas too. Keep scrolling....my recipe is below!

PS, I can hear my mom saying, "But I don't have coconut sugar or almond flour!". You may not, but they are worth the investment. They both can be found at Whole Foods and come in small bags so are not a full-time commitment! If you are reading this post, you are likely to have one of these ingredients already. Almond flour comes in handy as a binding agent - particularly if you are baking or need a little dredge on fish, chicken, or pork before sauteeing or popping in the oven. IE, You WILL find a way to use it. Coconut sugar, however, was a new purchase for ME and I'm glad I tried it. I'm always looking for healthier options and this is a winner! So what's the difference between coconut sugar and regular sugar? "Regular table sugar doesn't contain any vital nutrients and therefore supplies “empty” calories. However, coconut sugar does retain quite a bit of the nutrients found in the coconut palm. There isn’t a lot of data on this, but according to the Phillipine Department of Agriculture, coconut sugar contains several nutrients. Most notable of these are the minerals Iron, Zinc, Calcium and Potassium, along with some short chain fatty acids, polyphenols and antioxidants that may also provide some health benefits." Source: authoritynutrition.com. Better than the alternative? Indeed.

FaBOOlous Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies - 'Toll'tally Delicious!

Makes - 24 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of room temperature coconut oil (ex. Dr. Bronner's Fresh Pressed Virgin Coconut Oil)

• 1/2 cup of organic coconut sugar (ex. Big Tree Farms Organic - Blonde)

• 1/2 cup of almond butter (ex. MaraNatha All Natural Raw Almond Butter - Creamy)

• 1 egg

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1/2 tsp of baking soda

• 1/2 tsp of kosher salt + a little extra for light sprinkling on top (ex. Maldon Sea Flakes)

• 1 1/2 cups of almond flour (ex. Bob's Red Mill - finely ground)

• 1/2 cup of Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix together: coconut oil and coconut sugar.

3. Add in the almond butter. Mix thoroughly.

4. Add the egg and vanilla (if using), scraping down sides as needed.

5. In a separate bowl, mix baking soda, salt, and almond flour together.

6. Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients.

7. Add in the chocolate chips.

8. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drop small rounded size cookies onto the sheet.

9. Sprinkle a tiny bit of sea salt on top of the cookies. I used Maldon flakes on top.

10. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes or until cookie edges are golden brown.

11. Let cookies cool and enjoy!

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