Super Nutty Chocolate Chip Cookies
These easy-to-make cookies have so few ingredients and taste so damn good, everyone will love them. Plus, they are gluten-free and paleo and, if you choose the Enjoy Life brand of chocolate chips, they will be vegan, too. If you want to get crazy, place a scoop of vanilla ice cream between two cookies and make an exquisite chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich.
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups almond meal*
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1/3 cup unrefined coconut oil you can choose unrefined if you don’t love the coconut flavor, melted and slightly cooled
- 1/4 cup maple syrup at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons water tepid
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips and/or chunks I use the Enjoy Life brand as they are dairy/soy/nut/allergen free—either mini chips or chunks—and even chop the chunks up a bit so they are more manageable in the cookies
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
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In a large bowl, combine the almond meal, salt and soda and stir well to combine.
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In another bowl, add the melted and cooled coconut oil, maple syrup, water and vanilla extract or paste. Whisk or stir to combine thoroughly.
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Pour the liquid over the dry almond mixture and stir until everything is completely incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips or chunks until they are evenly distributed.
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Using your hands, make a golf-size (or smaller) ball of dough and roll it in the palm of your hands until it is round and even. Place on the baking sheet and continue making dough balls until the dough is gone—you will get about 16-20 cookies, depending on size of the dough balls. Ideally, the cookies are similar in size so they bake evenly.
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Using the palm of your hand or a few fingers, flatten the cookies as they will not spread too much during the baking process. Some cookies may crack on the edges when you flatten them, so just use your fingers to reshape a bit.
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Bake 16-20 minutes, rotating the pans at the halfway mark or so. Once the cookies are slightly golden, remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.
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Serve warm or let cool completely on a wire rack before storing in an air-tight container or freezer.
