Tag Archive: cookie

Nuts for cookies: paleo cookie recipe

As one of the first 30 days challenges I intend to take in 2012, I decided to eat paleo for the entire month of January. My biggest difficulty was to find a little sweet something to replace my usual very sugary desserts and cravings. These entirely fruit-sweetened cookies are my saviours!

I know that to achieve weigh loss, it is best to limit the consumption of fruits and cookies – even if they’re very clean and paleo. However, I find it best to go slowly when attempting to make permanent beneficial lifestyle changes. Cutting all refined sugar was a big step for me, so for now I’m not restraining myself too much with these cookies. After 2 weeks though, I can already say that my urge for sugar – natural or refined – as dropped considerably. Usually, when I attempt that kind of experiment, I tend to dream about cake and ice cream, but this time I feel surprisingly clear-headed and sane and I have no fantasy about giant dancing anthropomorphic chocolate truffles. Yay!

These paleo cookies are made with coconut or almond flour, which pack them with nutrients, but also make them really, really filling. I’m pretty sure the elves used nut flours for their lembas bread

Ingredients

  • 2 bananas
  • 3/4 cup almond butter
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/3 cup raw walnuts
  • 1 apple, peeled
  • 1/3 cup coconut milk
  • 1/3 cup coconut flour
Can’t find coconut flour? This recipe can be made with almond flour (or almond meal), which I think is a bit easier to find in grocery stores. Keep the same measurement, but skip the coconut milk. Coconut flour soak liquids like crazy, this is why it is often necessary to add coconut milk to it to adjust the texture. Cookies made with almond flour will have a different taste, texture and nutrients, but they will be just as good! I tried it!

Instructions

Preheat the oven at 350°F.

In a mixing bowl, mash the banana with a fork to purée consistency.

Add the almond butter, the cinnamon, and the baking soda and mix well.

Put the apple, the walnut and the milk in a blender, and chop to oatmeal consistency.

Add the mixture to the mixing bowl.

Incorporate the coconut flour and mix well.

Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper – these tend to stick a bit more than cookies made with huge amount of butter.

With your hand or a spoon, place cookie dough on the baking sheet. Give them roughly the shape you want them to be, because they won’t budge in the oven. What you see there is what you’ll get.

Bake for 25  minutes.

Makes about 16 cookies. Or more. Or less. Depending on the size, you know.

These should be stored in the fridge and make an awesome breakfast, collation or dessert!

Use whatever food processor you have to get to a similar consistency. I only have a blender, so the coconut milk really help. Adapt accordingly to your tools…

You do not want a complete purée. Small bits give texture to the cookie. In a good way.

If you used almond flour, your mix will be more liquid. That’s why it’s not necessary to add the coconut milk.

I have found that both the coconut flour and almond flour version do not spread much in the oven, contrary to other cookies mix. Keep in mind when shaping your dough!

Adapted from Everyday Paleo, an awesome resources for… you guessed it… paleo recipes.