Long before gluten free became common, I figured out that wheat was what put weight on me. And it's everywhere! I once reviewed my meals for the week only to find wheat in every single one of them. That's when I made the conscious decision to cut down on it even if I didn't eliminate it completely.

When making changes to your diet, start by finding healthy substitutes for what you already eat. This cookie recipe is one of my favorites for its simplicity and its use of any combination of dried fruit, nuts, and seeds.

I called it a breakfast cookie to remind you that it's probably a little higher in calories than your regular cookie, and with the almond flour, more expensive. I sometimes call them my adult cookies. Seriously, save it for yourself. You're probably done growing unlike children who still need high carbs.

Breakfast Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2-1/2 cups (625 mL) almond meal or almond flour
• 1/4 teaspoon (2 mL) salt
• 1/4 teaspoon (2 mL) baking soda
• 1/2 cup (120 mL) butter, coconut oil or vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup (120 mL) honey or maple syrup
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) vanilla
• 2 cups (500 mL) any combination of nuts, dried fruit, and seeds

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180 C).
2. Combine all the dry ingredients using a spoon.
3. Add the wet ingredients and stir.
4. Drop onto a greased cookie sheet using a tablespoon. You may want to squeeze them a bit so they're not too loose.
5. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

Makes just over 2 dozen cookies

I suspect they freeze well but I have never had them around long enough to experiment.

Options:

We have all used one of those recipes where ours didn't turn out like the original because of unwritten changes so here is exactly what I made today and my other usual favourite.

Today, among the options I chose almond flour and 1/2 cup (250 mL) each of butter, maple syrup, shredded coconut, sunflower seeds, raisins, and crushed peanuts.

I often make them with almond meal and 1/2 cup (250 mL) each of butter, honey, shredded coconut, sunflower seeds, cherry raisins, crushed cashews, and cinnamon.

References

Almond Meal vs Almond Flour in Baking

Images

Photos from the iPad of @kansuze.

Enjoy!
@kansuze