Paleo Chocolate Chip Nutty Cookies

This recipe is adapted from Sarah Fragoso's Everyday Paleo cookbook.  I didn't follow the recipe exactly, and I needed to make enough for my son's 3rd grade class, which has 30 kids (way too many kids in one class).  I tripled the recipe and added my own spin.  The cool thing is this batter has no eggs or dairy, no grains or starches.  I could've used 85% dark chocolate or used unsweetened chocolate, but that would've taken more work than to open a bag of chocolate chips than to grate or cut the chocolate.

Oh, I do not know the nutritional facts, but each cookie has about 4g sugar.  That does seem a little high and maybe next time I will use unsweetened dark chocolate, as that would make each cookie about 2g sugar.  However, these cookies are filled with fiber & protein and has good fats.  So, they are nutritionally good, but still taste yummy.  And, you're not going to sit and each 10 cookies, as 1-2 are quite satisfying.

These seem to be a big hit with my son's class, and adults.  All 75 cookies were gone pretty quickly.  These cookies are pretty heavy eating with all the nut butters.

Makes 75 cookies.

Ingredients:

• 6 bananas, very ripe
• 1 cup coconut flour (Bob's Red Mill has this, but I buy in bulk at Sprouts)
• 1.5 cups roasted, unsalted almond butter (you can make, if you have a high powered blender, but I got this at Sprouts)
• 0.75 cup sunflower seed butter (you can get at Trader Joe's or make your own, if you have a VitaMix)
• 0.25 cup ground flaxseed (I buy in bulk at Sprouts)
• 0.75 cup whey protein (you can use plain, vanilla or chocolate) - (I buy in bulk plain at Sprouts)
• 1.5 tspn baking soda
• 1 cup raw walnuts, coarsely chopped (Costco has the best prices I've found for 3 lbs)
• 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, finely diced
• 1.25 cup coconut milk (Trader Joe's has a great price on this)
• 3 Tbspns cinnamon, ground
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 
  

Equipment:

• Kitchen Aid Mixer (if you don't have this, then another big bowl and wooden spoon & muscle)
• Food Processor (not blender)
• Large Stainless Steel Bowl
• Vegetable Peeler
• Apple Corer (if you don't have this, then just use the knife)
• Large Sharp Knife
• Baking Sheets
• Parchment Paper (if you don't have this, use olive oil spray or butter)
• Wire Rack
• Spatula
• Tablespoon
• Teaspoon
• Measuring Cup (at least 1 cup)

Directions:

Most the ingredients except I forgot whey protein .  Oh, I used 3 apples.  And, I added sunflower butter.

• I didn't follow the directions as directed by Sarah in her cookbook.  This is the first time I've made cookies in the past couple months.  I made some other cookies in my first month of Paleo and they didn't turn out real well.  These turned out amazing.
• Combine coconut flour, almond butter, sunflower seed butter, ground flaxseed, whey protein, baking soda in the Kitchen-Aid mixer.  If you don't have one of these mixers, then you can combine in a large bowl with a wooden spoon, or you can use a hand mixer, but you may need to do this in batches so as to not break your electric hand mixer.  Combine until mixture is smooth.

Coconut Flour, Nut Butters, Ground Flaxseed, Baking Soda (I forgot the Whey Protein)

Mixture all mixed (including bananas) by Kitchen Aid Mixer

• In a large stainless steel bowl (you can use glass, too), the coarsely chopped walnuts, finely diced apples, coconut milk, and cinnamon.  I used the food processor to chop the walnuts and finely dice the apples (not at the same time, but separately.

Used an apple corer to make these wedges after peeling them.

It's easier to put in a food processor on pulse to finely dice

Finely chopped Granny Smith apples

Chopping Walnuts - You can use any nuts you want

Apples & Walnuts chopped

Apples, Walnuts, Cinnamon, Coconut Milk

• Once this is mixed and combined by hand (the nuts & apple mixture), begin adding by 1/4 of the mixture into the batter in the Kitchen Aid mixing bowl while the mixer is running on slow.  I used the batter mixture device and not the whisk on the Kitchen Aid.  This is a thick, heavy batter.

Everything except the chocolate chips are mixed (on low speed)

• Once all the ingredients are mixed, if you want to add chocolate chips, you can.  Mix on slow on the Kitchen Aid only until everything is mixed.  Do not over mix.

Mixing in the semi-sweet chocolate chips (used the whole small bag)

• Loosely cover Mixer Bowl with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for about 1 hour to harden some.  My batter was too moist to really handle real well.
• 15 min. before taking the batter out, preheat oven to 350° F.
• Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  If you don't have this, then spray the baking sheets with olive oil or use butter.
• Remove batter from freezer and drop by tablespoonfuls onto the parchment paper lined baking sheets.

These cookies do not really spread out, so I really could've saved time & put them closer together.

• Bake for 25 min.

These are baked, and you can see they didn't spread much.

• Remove cookies and put on wire racks to cool.
• Store when cooled in sealed container AFTER cooled.