CHUNKY MONKEY COOKIES

More cookie recipes! These chunky cookies are loaded with so much goodness and are the perfect afternoon treat or healthy post-dinner dessert. Made without refined sugar or gluten, you will not have a sugar crash or feel the need to eat tons of these. You should feel satisfied with just 1 or 2 cookies.

They are also totally guilt-free. I love to have something sweet on hand but also something that has fiber and nutrients, and these cookies are just that. You might already have all the ingredients in the pantry!

INGREDIENTS – makes about 24 cookies

• 1 cup old fashioned oats (I like Bob’s red mill)
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans/walnuts mixture (raw, no salt or oil added)
• 1/4 cup ground flax
• 1/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries or chopped mejool dates
• 1/2 cup or less applesauce
• 1-2 tbsp almond butter
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut flakes (optional)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 whole egg
• 1 small mashed banana (optional)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of pink salt or sea salt

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Grab a baking sheet and place parchment paper on top.
3. Grab a large mixing bowl and put all the dry ingredients inside except chocolate chips and stir together.
4. In a medium sized bowl add your wet ingredients: egg, maple syrup, applesauce, almond butter, mashed banana if using, and vanilla. Stir well and make sure egg is whisked.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and lastly fold in the chocolate chips.
6. Using a spoon, spoon the mixture carefully onto the baking sheet, about 4 cookies per row. They don’t expand too much so the cookies can be relatively close.
7. Bake at 325 for 15-18 minutes, until the top of the cookie doesn’t give much when you press on it.
8. Let cool 5-10 minutes before touching! Store these cookies in the fridge up to 5 days.

NOTES:

• If you omit the applesauce, do a touch more of the almond butter. If you omit the banana, do a touch more applesauce or maple syrup. The applesauce is great to use as a replacement for fat/butter/oil since it keeps the cookies really moist which is why I add it!
• Feel free to use peanut butter or cashew butter instead of almond butter
• You can try to omit the almond flour and use 1/2 cup protein powder instead but I am not sure exactly how they will turn out but you could give that at try and see!

If you made this recipe and enjoyed it, please let me know! If you swapped something out, let me know how that turned out!