These soft and gluten-free almond meal cacao chip cookies with pecans and coconut flakes are a mouthful of deliciousness and very easy to make! Don't have a huge sweet tooth? These cookies are bitter and sweet, delightfully balanced with a coconut pecan crunch, and naturally sweetened with dates. Included in the recipe are options to make vegetarian or vegan, and homemade almond meal.

How to Make

Gather the ingredients- one small bowl, one large bowl, whisk, cutting board and knife, baking sheet, spoon and spatula.

Wash your hands.

Set the mood - Inhale deep into your belly three times. Visualize a plant or tree roots sprouting from the bottom of your feet and into the floor beneath you and into the soil.

Prepare chia or flax ‘egg’ in a small bowl.

Process homemade almond meal (optional, directions below).

How to Make Homemade Almond Meal

Why make homemade almond meal? It’s the freshest option for baking and very easy and fun to make. I recommend processing the almonds in a food processor. Or try a cleaned out coffee grinder. Note - A clean coffee grinder, typically used for coffee, may add the taste of coffee to your cookies. First, add the same amount of almonds you want for almond meal. For this recipe, 1 1/4 C or a 1:1 ratio for future recipes. Then, process on high until almonds are fine/ground mostly into tiny bits of partially sticky powder, and before it turns into almond butter. And, Voila! Now, add to large bowl.

Heat

In a small sauce pan add butter/ghee for vegetarian and coconut oil/Miyoko’s cashew butter for vegan, heat over medium-low. Melting completely, this helps soften the dates when mixing, and pour into small bowl with chia/flax. *Browned butter (optional) - heat butter until it begins to smell toasty/nutty, remove from heat, cool until warm when mixing with chicken egg.

Mix Ingredients

Next, add all the dry ingredients into the large bowl with homemade almond meal or add store bought almond meal, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, coconut flakes, chocolate chips, pecans. Whisk until just combined.

Pit and dice dates into small bowl with chia/flax and butter/oil, stir to combine. Now, stir in vanilla bean paste/extract. Then, drizzle over dry ingredients, mixing with a spoon.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Bake

Heat oven to 375. Ball chilled cookie dough into golf ball sized discs and gently flatten. Makes about 14 cookies. Bake for 8-11 minutes, continue baking for two minutes more for a crunchier cookie. Enjoy!

This recipe is inspired by sweet moments with family. To read the full story behind the inspiration for the Comfort Cookies, I invite you to this link.

Recipe

Organic ingredients

Makes about 14 small cookies

Prep 45 min (30min refrigeration time)

Cook 9-11 minutes

Total 55 minutes

Almond Meal Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut and Pecans

• 1 1/4 C Homemade Almond Meal / Store bought

• 7 Medjool Dates, pitted and diced

• 1/4 C Unsweetened finely shredded coconut flakes

• 1/4 C mini Chocolate Chips / 100% Cacao Chips / Cacao Nibs

• 1/4 C Finely Chopped Pecans (optional)

• 3/4 tsp Baking Powder

• 1/2 tsp Natural Sea Salt

• 1/4 tsp Cinnamon, ground

• 1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste, preferred, or Vanilla Extract

• 6 TBS Browned Butter/Coconut Oil/Ghee/Miyoko’s cashew vegan butter

• 1 Egg / Chia/Flax ‘Egg’ to make vegan

Directions

1. If using chia / flax for egg substitute begin making that first (recipe link).

2. Next, add store bought almond meal to medium bowl or 1 1/4 cup almonds to food processor or coffee grinder and process until almonds are finely ground mostly into tiny bits of partially sticky powder, and before it turns into almond butter.

3. Add all ingredients except last three into medium size bowl. Whisk ingredients until combined.

4. Melt coconut oil/ghee/Miyoko’s butter until warm. For browned butter, heat butter until it begins to smell toasty/nutty, remove from heat, cool until warm when mixing with chicken egg. Add egg to small mixing bowl and whisk until doubled in size. If using chia ‘egg’ add melted coconut oil/butter/ghee and vanilla bean paste to the bowl or add those ingredients to whisked egg, whisk until combined.

5. Pit, dice dates, add to small bowl with chia/flax/egg and butter/oil.

6. Add liquid ingredients to dry and stir to combine, mold into a large ball with your hands. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

7. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll chilled dough into dollar sized coin balls, add to baking sheet and flatten to silver dollar size.

8. Bake 9-11 minutes for soft cookie. Want a crunchier cookie? Cook for two minutes more. Enjoy!

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These nutrition facts were created with coconut oil and flax meal.

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