Prep time: 15 minutes (end to end)

Bake time: 10+ minutes

Clean up time: 5 minutes (can be done while cookies are baking)

Makes: 10-12

Becoming plant-based doesn’t mean you have to miss out on delicious snacks and sweets. This recipe is a perfect example of how easy making plant-based treats can be. The cookies contain only 7 ingredients, can be made in one bowl, and take 10 minutes to bake - that’s my kind of cooking! This is probably the most popular snack recipe we make at home. I always double the recipe, but even then they don’t last more than a few days. The toddler is a fan as well, which is great as the cookies are a good way to get some healthy fats, fibre and minerals into him.

The recipe comes from the now defunct Whole Pantry App, but is just too good not to share. The founder of the app lied about her health conditions and used them as leverage to build a social media platform and life-style app. I was so disappointed when I found this out as I was a really big fan, and the app had some great recipes and advice in it. A timely reminder not to believe everything you read on the internet. Right on to these amazing cookies!

Vanilla & Almond Choc-Chip Cookies

Ingredients

130 grams almond meal (ground sunflower seeds can be used for a nut free version)
21/2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
30 grams cacao nibs (3 tbs)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt flakes
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Preparation

1.Preheat oven to 170°C/340° F.

2. If making your own meal, add one heaped cup of almonds (or sunflower seeds) to a processor and process on high until crumbly texture is achieved. This yields 11/2 cups.

3. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

4. On a lined baking tray, measure and roll out 1 tablespoon of batter and press lightly in centre.

5. Bake for 13-15 minutes until golden. They will be soft when removed from oven but will firm up as they cool. Centres will stay soft and fudgy when cool, if preferred crunchy, place back in oven for a further 3-5 minutes.

6. Store in a sealed container for up to 5 days.

To make into double choc-cookies, add 1 tbs of cacao powder, if you don’t have cacao nibs you could use 1/4 cup dark chocolate, roughly chopped.

Ingredient Tips:

- I always double this recipe as otherwise the cookies would probably only last an afternoon. I don’t double the salt though. A double batch will make 6 small toddler sized cookies and 20 tbs sized cookies.

- I stopped making these cookies for awhile because almond meal was just so expensive. It is starting to come down in price now again though (hooray!), and I can usually get two double batches from a packet. I don’t make my own almond meal because, well, dishes. That would mean having to clean up the food processor too, and I’m all about minimal dishes!

- I haven’t tried the recipe with sunflower seeds, but I can imagine the cookies would be a bit denser and quite rich. I’ll have to try it and let you know.

- Maple syrup can be expensive (at least it is in NZ), but I think any liquid sweeter would work in this recipe. If you do want to use maple syrup make sure it’s not a flavoured syrup (ingredients on the back should be 99+% maple syrup). The flavoured versions are a lot cheaper but don’t have the mineral content and health benefits of the real thing.

Preparation and Clean Up Tips:

- When melting the coconut oil I spoon out the rough amount into a mug then microwave it for about 45 seconds. When it is liquid I use a measuring spoon to add it to the mixture.

- I add all the dry ingredients to the bowl first (almond meal, cacao nibs, baking powder, salt), then add the wet ingredients (maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla extract) and mix together. The mixture should be like regular cookie dough and stick together easily when rolled into a ball. If it is too dry you could try adding a little more oil.

- These cookies burn easily since they don’t need to be baked for long. If your oven is anything like mine (temperamental to say the least), keep an eye on them toward the end of the baking time, checking at least every minute. I’ve found in my oven that 150°C on fan bake for 10-11 minutes is the perfect baking time.

- If you use high quality baking paper clean up should be a breeze with just one bowl, measuring cup, mug, and a few spoons to clean.

Nourishment:

These cookies are little nutritional powerhouses! Almonds are a great source of fibre, protein, Vitamin E, magnesium, antioxidants as well as heart healthy monounsaturated fats. Cacao nibs are the most natural and least processed from of chocolate and are also a great source of antioxidants, flavonoids, fibre, magnesium, and iron. Although cacao doesn’t contain caffeine it does contain stimulating compounds, so may not be suitable for very small children. It could easily be substituted with carob chips and still be delicious.

I hope you enjoy these amazing cookies as much as we do. Be warned you may need to issue a daily allowance so they all don’t get eaten in one evening. The current ration in our house is four cookies a day (for the grown ups), and I’m making one-two batches a week!