Gooey Goodness

This week I had one of those days where I wanted a treat. In fact, I needed a treat and only a chocolate chip cookie could squelch my desire. I searched one of my favorite gluten-free sites knowing that Elana would inspire me. I came away with lots of ideas, but decided to create a cookie based on her Double Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe. In typical MulberryMary fashion I could not follow the recipe 100% as I believe recipes are really just a guide or a road map to get one started. So I made a few changes. This isn't always a good thing, but this time it worked out pretty well even for someone who doesn't spend much time baking. Who am I kidding? I do not spend any time baking for a reason. When I was younger I had CRAZY sugar cravings and I would sometimes polish off way more of whatever I had made, usually homemade brownies. I considered baking to be a very dangerous hobby so I  stopped. Many of you know that curbing sugar cravings is one of my favorite healthy topics and specialty. Now that I don't turn into the cookie monster every time I eat something sweet I figured I could handle baking a bit more. That doesn't mean I don't have something sweet daily - fruit, smoothie, made up dessert - it just means I usually only make enough for a single serving.

Not so classic chocolate chip cookie recipe:
2.5 cups of almond flour
1/2 tsp pink himalayan sea salt
1/2 teaspoon aluminum free baking soda
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1/2 cup vanilla agave nectar
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (I use the Enjoy brand as they are dairy, nut & soy free)
1/2 cup goji berries (also known as wolfberries)
1/4 cup of shredded coconut

Here is where I tried my best to follow Elana's directions. However, my cookies did NOT yield 3 doz. My cookies turned out pretty big so I had one dozen cookies. Also, my cookies were really soft and chewy and not firm and hard. I could have added a bit more flour, but I was totally okay with this. You can also see that the outsides of the cookie look burnt, but they actually weren't.

Instructions per Elana:

1. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt and baking soda
2. In a medium bowl combine grapeseed oil, agave and vanilla
3. Stir wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined
4. Fold in chocolate chips, goji berries and shredded coconut(try adding sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds and a bit of cinnamon)
5. Spoon dough 1 heaping tablespoon at a time onto a parchment lined baking sheet, pressing down with palm of your hand to flatten
6. Bake at 350 for 7 to 10 minutes, until lightly golden (Mine took about 12 minutes to bake - I checked often)
7. Cool cookies on the baking sheets for 20 minutes, then serve

Enjoy!

Have you ever been stung?

Stung by bees I mean. I have been stung on a few occasions in my lifetime. I do not appreciate it and it hurts. I would also say that when bees decide to come and hang out with me outside and dine on whatever I am having I am none too pleased. However, I respect bees for their ability to pollinate our world. 

We enjoy many foods because of the bee population. My favorite food that is directly linked with bees is raw honey for all its fantastic health properties. Raw honey is a great sweetener that is pretty versatile. The best honey to choose is a local brand. Local bees mean local pollen. One of the tricks I use when I am feeling my sweet tooth starting to take hold is I heat up some water, put a few tbsps of Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar with a single tbsp (or less) of honey in it. I drink it in about 8-12 oz. of water. It is a nice substitute for tea and its a bit of sweet and sour. In my experience it helps me curb the need for other sweets. It is a great drink before bed.

Bee pollen is also touted to have extremely positive benefits to the body. Whether that is to reducing allergic reactions, enhancing energy, and what I found out today while doing a bit a research sexual health. I think I will go for that drink once I wrap up this post...

The reason I decided to talk about bees & honey today is that although many of us have been stung and may have a fear of bees. We need to know that bees are disappearing. What does this mean for our food supply? There is a documentary that is called The Vanishing of Bees. Check it out. It only takes a minute.