Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Almond Cookies

My bakers assistant for our gluten-free chocolate chip cookie mission was Chef Fox, a master baker already at two and always perfecting his art. He even insists on grinding his almonds down first to make the almond meal for these cookies. 

When not using wheat flour the challenge is controlling the melt. You can either wind up with cookies that melt into noting into the cookie sheet or stand up like bricks and also sit that way in your stomach.

We finally managed to whip up a healthy alternative to the oh-so-good but nutritionally empty chocolate chip cookie. By adding almond meal and coconut to the cookie, you now have a cookie that won't make you jump off the walls after accidently eating ten. And since we've replaced regular sugar with coconut sugar (and used about half the normal amount), these cookies have a lower glycemic index, about half that of refined sugar. Feel free to also replace the sugar with agave, brown rice syrup, or maple syrup. But coconut sugar works the best. 

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Almond Cookies

• 1 1/2 cup gluten-free flour (I like Bob's Red Mill)
• 3/4 cup almond meal
• 2 tsp xanthan gum or 2 tbs combined ground flax and chia seed + 2 tbs water 
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 sticks (1 cup) butter (you can also sub with cococonut oil)
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar 
• 2 eggs (substitute 2 tbs flax seed blended until frothy with 6 tbs water for egg-free version)
• 1 tbs vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/3 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven at 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Grab a medium sized bowl and sift all the dry ingredients together. Almond meal makes sifting slow but it will work. 

Add in chips, crushed walnuts, and coconut, mix until just combined. Grease baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes or until just browned. Eat and share with your family! Yumm!

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