Supreme Grain-free Chocolate Chip Cookies

The other night I was cutting a batch of my raw brownies, and while Nick impatiently waited for them he grabbed a bag of chocolate chips and started snacking.

"Really?  It'll take me another minute to have these SUPER CHOCOLATY brownies cut!"

"No problem.  Chocolate chips are delicious.  So are chocolate chip cookies..."

Now, I've been down the chocolate on chocolate road before, however my raw brownies are chocolaty to the extreme.  This was Nick's subtle hint that I haven't made cookies in awhile. And he's not the only one who's been gently nudging me to bake!  My mom, dad, and brother have all been prodding for cookies.  The past few weeks I have been super busy with projects and haven't had much time to bake.  So yesterday I threw some christmas music on Pandora (Mariah Carey holiday station of course), and got to work.  The only thing missing was snow as I spun around the kitchen belting out "All I want for christmas is you".  You can't get everything you want.  However, I did make some delicious cookies!

I decided to go grain-free with these cookies and choose to use cashew flour as the base.  If you have been following my blog for some time, you know I usually use coconut flour when baking grain-free. It's true I love coconut flour more than nut flours when making light baked goods such as cakes and muffins, however to achieve a chewy cookie texture, denser nut flour works much better.  I choose cashew flour over almond flour because cashews have a more neutral flavor and I wanted the classic chocolate chip cookie taste to shine.  With my secret ingredients of ground ginger and maple syrup, these cookies turned out better than I could have imagined.  Or as Nick put it "I'm going to eat the sh*t out of these cookies!"  Yes, that good :)

These cookies are a wonderful way to share the season joy with friends and family.  Not many people think "yum!" when they hear cookies are made without flour and refined sugar and fat, but it just takes one bite to be convinced that they are indeed a tasty treat!  Spread some love, in the form of cookies :)

Looking for more cookie recipes?  Check these out!

Almond Citrus Biscotti
Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Cookies
Sugar Cookies


Supreme Grain-free Chocolate Chip Cookies

yield: about 20 2-3" cookies

1 1/2 c + 2 Tbsp cashew meal/flour (can sup almond meal/flour)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground ginger

2 Tbsp coconut oil, softened
2 Tbsp pasture-raised butter (or more coconut oil), softened
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 Tbsp pure maple syrup, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg, room temperature

3/4 c semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup toasted walnut pieces, optional

Directions:
1.  Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2.  Whisk together the cashew meal, baking soda, salt, and ground ginger.
3.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, butter, maple syrup, vanilla, and egg.  Beat well for about a minute, or until a thin carmel texture is achieved.
4.  Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and walnut pieces (if using).
5.  Drop tablespoon-sized balls of batter on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2" between each dough ball.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, depending on how you like your cookies.  If you're a fan of soft, chewy cookies remove after 10 minutes.  If you're a crispy cookie fan, leave in 12 minutes or longer until desired crispiness is achieved.  Keep in mind they will  continue to harden as they cool.