Some thing came up in conversation with my mom that reminded us of these cookies I used to make as a kid. Remember the chocolate oatmeal and peanut butter cookies you'd just drop on a cookie sheet and a short time later they were ready to eat without ever stepping foot in the oven? I sure do! I dug around for the recipe and realized about half the ingredients aren't allowed in my body. I thought about how I could change this recipe, I needed something with structure to replace the oats and nuts weren't exciting me. The recipe sat on the counter for a couple days and then got put away.
A few weeks ago I was in the mood for fudge or something of that consistency. I got on Pinterest and looked at my Dessert Inspiration Board, (a board full of dessert ideas that I want to try to healthify) which is the board with the most pins, go figure!!! I had pinned, not once, but twice this picture of these no-bake chocolate drop cookies. It was almost the exact same recipe as the one I just spoke of! Into the kitchen I went...and out I came 5 lbs heavier...at least I felt like that! Needless to say, I loved these and have made them a couple more times since.
These have become my go to sweet treat, they have replaced my daily serving of one of my dairy free ice creams up until now. These are delicious and full of healthy fats from butter (optional), coconut oil and almonds. I make mine with a natural sugar alternative, Swerve (erythritol), so they are sugar free as well! I love using Swerve in my recipes!!! It is basically fermented glucose so the sugars have been removed. For those of you that eat fermented foods, such as kraut, kombucha, etc, same concept in terms of the sugar being removed. Erythritol also naturally occurs in many fruits and vegetables like melons, grapes, asparagus as well as fermented foods. It does not affect blood glucose levels and will not upset your stomach. I love it and use it for all of my recipes that call for granulated sugar (I use palm sugar here and there to get a brown sugar, caramel taste at times). Swerve now has a confectioners sugar (powdered sugar) that I am going to try for some holiday baking. I have used Wholesome Sweeteners erythritol in the past and its great, but I think this is better! The Whole Foods at Southglenn, for you locals, sells it, but the best price is on the Swerve website. If you buy 3 packages, you save on the product and get free shipping! Stick around for some more news on Swerve, I just found out they are offering another deal for holiday baking, buy 2 packages of Confectioner (powdered) Swerve get on e free!!!!!! This is a great deal and can also be found at their website the month of November or simply click here!!!
Recipe: Chocolate Drop Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used So Delicious no sugar vanilla coconut milk)
- 1/4 cup grassfed butter or virgin coconut oil (I used a combo of both. I prefer virgin oil over expeller pressed oil so that you get more coconut tones)
- 3/4-1 cup granulated sweetener (I used 1 cup of Swerve, Start with less palm sugar)
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 3/4 cup shredded coconut
- 3/4 cup almond butter*
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- dash of sea salt
Instructions
- In a medium size sauce pan, combine the butter/oil, cocoa, sugar and milk
- Bring to a boil, let boil for 1-2 minutes
- Remove from heat and add in the almond butter, coconut, vanilla and salt. Stir until combined
- Place spoonfuls of the mixture on parchment lined cookie sheet or plates
- Place in the freezer to for 30 minutes to set
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator
Variations
*Any nut or seed butter would work here. You could also try coconut butter, but I am not sure I would do 3/4 cup, so start with less, the cookies will still turn out. The original recipe calls for peanut butter. Feel free to use it, but I would start with 1/2 cup. Almond butter isn't as pronounced as peanut butter in taste, therefore I used more of it than the original recipe called for (original called for peanut butter).
If you want to try Swerve or need to order more, use coupon code KATE10 for a 10% discount. Swerve is my favorite sugar replacement. It is the only sugar alcohol that will not cause tummy troubles and it does not raise blood glucose levels.
If you are an Amazon shopper, would you be so kind to use my affiliate link to make your purchases. It is at no cost to you, it does provide a tiny kickback to Kate’s Healthy Cupboard. This allows me to continue making and testing recipes for free. Thanks so much!!
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