Almond Meal Coconut Cacao Cookies

Today was my first day home for spring break, so of course, what did I want to do the most? Bake something. I figured as a good sister I should make something for my little sister to eat when she came home from school. These almond meal cookies with coconut and cacao nibs from my Sprouted Kitchen cookbook caught my eye. They looked quick, were gluten free, and I had all the ingredients (almost), so I went for it.

My mom, sister, and I all tried these cookies and agreed they were delicious. If my sister likes something that is remotely healthy, then I know I have hit the jackpot. These melt in your mouth straight from the oven and are perfect with a cup of coffee.

The only replacement I made in this recipe was for the muscovado sugar the original recipe called for. It called for 1/3 cup, which I replaced with coconut sugar and agave because I didn't have any muscovado. Muscovado is unrefined brown sugar and gives the cookies moisture along with a caramelly taste. Feel free to also replace it with brown sugar if you do not have any of the above ingredients.

Recipe makes 18-24 cookies, depending on size. I made 22: 90 calories per cookie.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups almond meal
1/4 cup cacao nibs
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 Tablespoon agave nectar
1 egg
3 Tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Stir together almond meal, cacao nibs, coconut, baking powder, salt, and sugar.

2. In another bowl beat egg until it has doubled in size and is all one color. Whisk in the melted coconut oil, vanilla extract, and agave.

3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix until just combined. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes, or up to a day.

4. Preheat oven to 375 F. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place on baking sheet with no parchment paper on it. Gently press on tops of cookes to flatten a little.

5. Bake for 6-8 minutes, until edges are barely brown.