Dare I... Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yes, indeed. I do dare. I am sitting here in Steamboat. Dear old Jake is out racing his bike and I have just finished a blog post for the BTC. What else is there to do but keep the keyboard juices flowing and punch out another post? And besides, this one will be accompanied with the baking of cookies! Now I must admit, I went on a bit of a rant in a previous post about those people who think they are Paleo but really just eat the same food with different ingredients. Technically, these cookies make me quite a hypocrite, for they are just that. Cave men did not eat cookies. It doesn't matter that they are made with almond flour, honey, and coconut oil. They are still COOKIES and thus their consumption should not be taken lightly or even considered in line with the traditional Paleo philosophy. But I am an athlete who works my butt off and as you all know, I think a little indulgence now and then is healthy. Really these are a treat for Jake, since he is the one racing. But he cannot eat 24 cookies alone. So let the fun begin!

This recipe was found on Paleoplan.com -
Chocolate Chip Cookies (trial recipe, see finalized recipe below)
3 cups almond flour
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup honey
2 eggs
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix dry ingredients in a big bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together honey, vanilla, and eggs. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredient. Melt coconut oil in the microwave and add to mixture. Stir well to make sure everything is evenly moist. Add the chocolate chips. Spoon out by the tablespoon onto the lined baking sheet. Cook for 8-12 minutes, until the edges are slightly brown. Remove from oven and remove parchment paper from tray, leaving cookies on it. Place a new piece of parchment paper on tray and repeat dropping the dough. Let the baked cookies cool for a bit before removing them from the paper. Reuse the paper for the next batch to go in the oven.

Ok, so this was an interesting venture. Overall, the cookies turned out great! But they are super fragile. Like literally about to fall apart when you pick one up. So be extra careful with them. I may try altering the recipe slightly, just to see if I can make them even better. Until the, happy baking!

Above is the batter from the original recipe and below is the batter using 1/2 almond flour, 1/2 coconut flour. Quite the difference as you may notice. And I also included pictures of the cookies of the tray.



9/7/12 Update: I tried making the cookies with half coconut flour and half almond flour. Nich-geet. They were little balls that did not flatten out. They were still very fragile and very dry. I think the original recipe is superior. I may try another alteration in the future, but for now Jake and I have had our fill of Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies!



10/25/12 Update: I have created an amazing recipe for Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies! They turned out great!!!

Ingredients:
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2tbsp water
2 eggs
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all the dry ingredients together and set aside. Mix all the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl. Combine the two mixtures and stir until no lumps remain. Add chocolate chips. Roll 2inch balls and flatten slightly before placing about an inch apart on the parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Makes about 17 cookies and they are 135 calories each.