Date and Hemp Cookies -- nut free, gluten free, yummy little bits of naughtiness

Any of you who follow my blog or even just check in regularly know that not only do I love peanut butter not wisely but too well, I bake with almond flour a whole heck of a lot. In other words, yes I am nuts. About nuts. I love 'em. I do. I eat nuts every single day.

With kindergarten looming on the horizon for my little big man, I realize I'm going to have to toe the no-nuts kindie line, and start making snacks for my kid that don't involve nuts of any kind. Gulp.

And I figure some of my readers out there might appreciate it too, since I do know some people have school aged kids.

Over the past while I've also cultivated a leaning towards shredded coconut, which can slide delightfully into many concoctions without screaming about its coconutty alliances. I grew up in a coconut hating household. And while I am not a coconut lover (sorry -- don't hate me) -- I find of its own the flavour to be stultifying and unappealing -- I love what can happen when things like coconut oil (extra virgin of course), shredded coconut, coconut butter, and coconut flour come into play. Sigh, and coconut milk in the green curry of my day dreams ...

There is something that happens in these cookies that -- while not quite on the level of alchemy -- transcends math and chemistry, my friends. Perhaps it's romance, perhaps it is philosophy, but I will tell you something unexpected happens when the flavours of hemp, coconut, date, vanilla, and sesame jump on the same bandwagon and take a ride around the town together.

Last week I did it with a raw concoction that rocked beyond beyond, and rang a note of white chocolate for me in the date and hemp energy bars. This week, it is these gluten free, grain free, sugar free, dairy free, nut free cookies. Yes, I know what you're thinking. Snoring. Why bother? But somehow they are not boring. They are not devastatingly sweet. But they are mellow and tasty, and pleasingly sweet. (Oh, and do try the date and hemp energy bars. Those frighten me. In a good way. While you're at it, try this green curry (and this one. Soooooo good.) 

ingredients:

1 cup raw pumpkin seeds, ground

1 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup flax meal

1/2 cup hemp protein flour

1/2  tsp sea salt

2 tsp ground vanilla bean

1/4 cup ground chia seeds

1/4 cup ground sesame seeds

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup pitted honey dates

2 eggs

1/4 cup coconut oil

directions:

preheat the oven to 345

1. in your food processor, process the coconut and pumpkin seeds

2. add the flax meal, hemp protein powder, sea salt, vanilla bean, ground chia seeds, and ground sesame seeds and baking soda

3. put the processed seeds into another bowl

4. in your food processor, process the dates and eggs, then add the coconut oil and process again

5. mix the two batches together

6. put spoonfuls onto lined baking sheets, and shape and flatten with a wet fork

7. bake at 345 for 14 minutes
8. whisper kind wishes on the wind ...

makes 4 dozen cookies

store in an airtight container once cool

Offer your adorable husband some with his tea.