My girl and I wanted some cookies. Well… I was craving some cookies and she is always down to bake ;). I’m always trying to get creative whenever I make any type of desert because the thought of using white sugar makes me cringe BUT I want to make it sweet enough that my kids will like it and eat it. My go to is almost always maple syrup. Maple syrup is full of goodness… it contains several minerals (manganese, iron, potassium, zinc and calcium) and is also an antioxidant! It also adds a caramel, nutty flavor to whatever you add it to. I had to make two batches of these because the first batch crumbled apart as soon as we picked them up :-/. I made some minor tweaks for the second batch and they were super yummy AND didn’t fall apart! Success! My kids loved them and my husband and I loved them as well :). I don’t bake very often (or I should say I don’t bake things I like very often) because any time I have something like these in the house I cannot. stop. eating!! These were no exception…I ate the batter, licked the spoon and ate so many once they were baked! I have no self control! But it is nice knowing they are grain free and free from processed sugar so at least I don’t end up feeling too guilty about it. My typical substitutions for white flour are either coconut flour or almond flour. Almond flour is my preference but coconut flour is pretty great too. Almond flour is high in protein, manganese, vitamin E, monounsaturated fats, low in carbs and contains fiber. You will substitute it part for part for white flour, so if a recipe calls for 1/2 cup white flour you would use 1/2 cup almond flour. I like that it adds a bit of texture to whatever I am baking and I feel like it also fills me up faster. For the chocolate chips I used cacao nibs. Cacao nibs are small pieces of crushed cacao beans — or cocoa beans — that have a bitter, chocolatey flavor. They are a good source of fiber, protein, and healthy fats and are naturally low in sugar. Alternatively you could use dark chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips. If I had had any walnuts those would have gone in for sure too… next time!

• two cups almond flour
• 1/2 stick of real butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup maple syrup (you can use less or more depending on how sweet you want these)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon course sea salt
• 1/2 cup cacao nibs or chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 and grease cookie sheet. In a medium mixing bowl add softened butter, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla and sea salt. Using an electric mixer mix it up well. Add in almond flour and baking powder than mix again. Stir in chocolate chips and mix well. Put in fridge for 1/2 hour to harden up the dough a bit than place rounded spoon fulls of dough on cookie sheet. Bake for 9 minutes. Top with sprinkles of course sea salt.