Paleo Chocolate-Almond Cookies

Happy Valentine's Day friends! How is your day going so far? Any super romantical things happening out there? Tell me all your stories! I'm still in my PJ's, 2 cups of coffee into the day, and trying to wrap my head around getting outside to enjoy what seems to be a warm, sunshiney day out there. But first, I wanted to share this cookie recipe with you. There are some things about this recipe that are not often seen in my kitchen. First off, they have ZERO added sugar. There is a touch of honey but that is all. Second, these are Paleo AND gluten free! WHAT.

I was a little nervous when I first made these because the combination of ingredients did not equate cookie success. Without butter, sugar, and flour I thought they would for sure be a failure. But, because I was intensely determined, I went ahead and tossed everything in a bowl and gave it my all! I'm happy to report that they make the house smell delicious, just as any other cookie might.

A couple things to note before I send you off to make these for your GF, Paleo diet sweetheart:

• The dough will seem VERY dry when you roll it out. Placing it between two pieces of parchment after pressing it together with your hands will help.

• Depending on the consistency of your nut butter (I used almond but you could also use peanut) you may want to zap it in the microwave for about 10 seconds to loosen it up a bit so it is easier to stir with the honey.
• Do NOT- I repeat, do NOT- roll the dough out too thin. The cookies will absolutely crumble to pieces if they are to thin. Somewhere around 1/4inch and 1/3 inch is just about perfect.

The last tip I have for you is this: these cookies are best made with a tiny human who stole your heart the moment he entered this world...

Or with your bestie. Or while jamming out to your very favorite music. Whatever you do, make sure you have a happy heart and remember love in all it's forms. It's pretty great.

Paleo Chocolate-Almond Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup almond flour
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2/3 cup almond butter or peanut butter (Natural, unsweetened)
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon almond milk
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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the almond flour with the cocoa powder.
3. In another medium bowl, stir the almond butter, honey and almond milk together until smooth. If the nut butter seems to stiff, microwave it for 10 seconds to loosen it up and make it easier to stir.
4. Add the almond flour mixture to the nut butter and stir until combined.
5. Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment laid out on a work surface. Press the dough together with your hands and flatten it into a disc.
6. Cover the dough with another piece of parchment paper and roll the dough to about 1/3 of an inch but no thinner than 1/4 inch.
7. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
8. Remove the dough from the fridge and cut it into shapes with a cookie cutter.
9. Carefully transfer the cut cookies to a parchment lined baking sheet.
10. Bake 8-10 minutes or until just beginning to turn golden brown.
11. Cool completely on the baking sheet then transfer to the refrigerator again for another 30 minutes before eating.

Flourless Chocolate Cookies

Last week, while the snow was falling outside my kitchen window, I made cookies. As I measured, stirred, shaped, and baked, I thought of Minnesota mornings when I was growing up. I would wake up and the light coming through my bedroom window would be different. It was a cleaner, softer white than that of a sunny fall morning. This was before the time of smart phones and before I cared much about watching the weather forecast on TV, so I never knew what I would wake up to. The morning after the first substantial snow of the season was filled with feeling of joy and excitement that is difficult to replicate as an adult. From there, my mind went to making snow men in the yard, drinking hot chocolate with mini marshmallows floating on the top and slowly turning to foam, and the smell of firewood coming from the fireplace. It's been a long time since I've experienced a snow like those of my childhood, but last week was pretty close.

There is something endlessly magical about waking up to a world where the usual street noise is muted and everything is covered in white. For me, it is comforting and makes me feel at home. I know a lot of people (perhaps some of you who are reading this right now) despise the snow and cold and driving in all of the winter weather. I wish I could help you remember what it is you loved about the snow as a child. If you didn't grow up with snow, perhaps you can think back to the first time you saw it. So much beauty. So much peace. So much joy.

These cookies make me think of the first snow. Deep, dark chocolate dough is shaped into a ball and tossed in some powdered sugar. As the cookies bake, they spread ever so slowly, revealing cracks that peak through the bright white surface. It's a little like the grass that barely peaks through the fresh snow as it piles up that first time.

I think we should all make these cookies. Let's bake them for our friends, neighbors, children, parents...and as we bake, let's think about what gave us joy as children that we tend to overlook as adults. It can't hurt, right?

Flourless Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients

• 4 oz dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 3 egg whites
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. Put the dark chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Working in 20 second intervals, melt the chocolate. Stir after each 20 seconds until the chocolate is smooth.
4. Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
5. With the mixer running on low, slowly add 1 cup of the powdered sugar. Beat until combined.
6. In a separate bowl, whisk the cocoa powder, corn starch, salt and another cup of the powdered sugar.
7. Gradually add the cocoa mixture to the egg whites with the mixer running on low. Beat until combined.
8. Fold in the melted chocolate until incorporated. The dough will be dry and stiff but that's a good thing.
9. Place the remaining powdered sugar on a small plate.
10. Roll the dough into balls about 1 inch in diameter. Roll in the powdered sugar and place on your parchment lined baking sheet. Place the dough balls 2 inches apart.
11. Bake until the cookies begin to crack on the top, 8-10 minutes.
12. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool slightly on the baking sheet.
13. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Snickerdoodle Cookies

The past week has been intense. We have seen shocking images from Boulder and surrounding areas that are literally under water. Every body of water near us is overflowing and rushing at a scary pace. Fortunately, our area hasn't seen much damage from all the rain. We had some serious street flooding the first day the storm system came to our area, but since then it has just been wet. It's a helpless feeling watching rain continue to fall knowing that there has been way too much already and that every drop that falls just adds to the destruction. It's an especially confusing feeling when all you've done is pray for rain to fall in the midst of a drought.

Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough :: Set the Table

I don't have the answers to why natural disasters happen or how to cope with the aftermath, but I do know that I almost always turn to baking. In Japan we didn't have a proper oven, so after the earthquake and tsunami, I made pancakes. We didn't know what was happening with the power plant in Fukushima and it seemed like every 5 minutes brought another aftershock. But I knew how to make pancakes. It was something certain. Something steady and reliable. It helped immensely to keep me calm and focused. Mostly.

Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe :: Set the Table

Yesterday, while the rain fell steadily outside for the 6th day in a row, I made snickerdoodles. This might be my favorite cookie, which is strange to say because I don't make them very often. Every time I do, I remember how I love the way they melt in my mouth. How every bite is a perfect combination of crispy and chewy. And, oh, the cinnamon-sugar coating... Yum.

This recipe is from my absolute favorite baking book: Baking Illustrated. If you don't have this book in your collection, you need it. Now. Just do yourself a favor: head to the Cook's Illustrated site (click here) and order it. They even have a section outlining how to cook in high altitudes which is based on their testing experience in Golden, Colorado.

While you bake these cookies, your kitchen will fill with the lovely smell of cinnamon, sugar and butter. It's wonderfully comforting.

So if you're at a loss for what to do this week, just bake some cookies. It'll help.

Snickerdoodles

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, plus 3 tablespoons for rolling the dough
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon for rolling the dough

Instructions

1. Move your oven racks to the upper and lower middle positions. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
3. Whisk the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
4. Cream the butter, shortening and 1 1/2 cups of sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer set to medium speed. This should take about 1 minute. Add the eggs and beat until combined, about 30 seconds.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and beat on low until just combined, about 20 seconds.
6. Combine the 3 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Take a heaping tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball. Toss in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and place on your prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, placing the balls about 2 inches apart.
7. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the edges are just starting to turn golden and the center is soft and puffy. Halfway through baking, switch the baking sheets from top to bottom. Let the cookies cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire cooling rack.
8. Best enjoyed with a big glass of milk or hot apple cider.