Everything Cookies with a little bit of this and that -- gluten free, good tasting, good for you cookies

I got a little carried away, ingredients-wise, with these tasty little treats. These are dairy free, contain eggs, have no grain, and are full of nuts and seeds. I have some pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds on order from my organic supplier, so something nut-free is on the books for next week. Stay tuned!

I wanted something tasty that would fill the belly but still be a sweet little treat. A little coconut sugar and coconut nectar -- and the naturally sweet nature of carob -- get a touch of help from some wild crafted stevia leaf. This offsets the compelling dark and dirty personality quirks of raw cacao. The buttery mouthfeel of hemp seeds harmonizes with the slight chewiness of shredded coconut, while pecan meal and almond meal give substance to my concoction. Unusually for me, (but successfully, I believe) I used a little almond butter, and the resulting cookie has nothing of the hair-shirt about it. Ascetics beware -- these are definitely not for you.

ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
2 tbsp almond butter (roasted, unsalted)
2 tbsp water
1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp coconut nectar
2 tbsp coconut sugar
1 egg

1/2 tsp ceylon cinnamon
1/2 tsp korintje cinnamon
1/2 tsp saigon cinnamon
(or just use regular cinnamon totally 1 1/2 tsp)
1 tsp ground vanilla bean
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp green leaf stevia powder
black pepper

1/2 cup flax meal
2 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp hemp seeds (no shell)
1/2 cup shredded coconut (organic, unsweetened)
2 tbsp raw cacao
2 tbsp carob powder

1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup pecan meal


directions:

preheat oven to 345

1. combine the warm water with coconut oil and almond butter.
2. add the coconut nectar and coconut sugar
3. add the apple cider vinegar
4. make sure the mixture is not warm when you add the egg, and mix well
5. add the cinnamons, vanilla, sea salt, stevia, and a little freshly ground black pepper
6. mix in the hemp seeds, chia seeds, and flax meal
7. stir in the raw cacao and carob powder
8. mix in the shredded coconut
9. stir in the baking soda
10. mix in the almond meal and pecan meal
11. drop by heaping teaspoon onto a lined baking sheet, and flatten each ball with a wet fork
12. bake for 14 minutes

makes 2 dozen cookies

They store well in an airtight container in the fridge, and go well with tea, with tired toddlers, with hungry friends, with mayhem and chaos, with rainy mornings, and with sunny afternoons.