Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ok, let's get it all out on the table, it's time to confess. I REALLY like sweets, no seriously, SERIOUSLY!!! I can plow through sweets at an alarming rate and I'm not ashamed to have food on my face, hands, or jowels (that's excess fat around the jaw line--HA I'm hilarious). But let's get back to being serious. I like to bake. And I like to eat the dough/batter/paste in the process (I'll eat anything). So when this Paleo shenanigans swooped me up and took away my cookie dough, you can imagine my anguish.

Sweets are a happy place for me and many other (incredibly intelligent) people....you know why, because they ARE AWESOME!! I can hear you now, "But Juli, that isn't actually paleo. Baking paleo treats defeats the purpose of eating clean." Well, I personally don't give a crap what you think. I would much rather consume a paleo baked good compared to a normal one that is filled with lectins waiting to eat away at my intestinal lining. I ENJOY having sweets, and I feel better knowing what is exactly going into my body, because I made it. Even though I know my body is being sent on a roller coaster ride with the insulin spike I'm forcing on it, I still am able to control the amounts of sugar and fat I am shoving in my face.

Do I think paleo baked goods are good for you? No. Do I think they are better than grain-infested baked goods? Yes. Do I recommend you eating them on a weekly basis? No. Should you eat them to soothe your soul and make a lonely Friday night 10x better. Duh. If you want to lose weight, don't eat cookies...of ANY kind. If you want to maintain your weight and maintain your sanity, hell yes, make them!

I found this recipe on Stacey's Paleo Kitchen! Awesome blog with some inspiring recipes! The main reason I love it so much is because the batter tastes pretty dang close to regular cookie dough. I usually eat half the dough before I get them on a baking sheet. Stop judging me. Judger. Just make them. And eat the dough.

What you need:

• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup honey, raw
• 1/4 cup coconut butter**  (check out this link for a cheaper way to make your own coconut butter)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, warmed
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup coconut flour, sifted
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life—they are soy and dairy free! And flippin delicious)

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. If you are making coconut butter my way, follow the link and make your coconut butter before you walk through the rest of the step.
3. In a medium bowl add the eggs, honey, coconut butter (break up the butter with a whisk or fork, if needed), oil and vanilla. Whisk until thoroughly combined. 
4. Add shredded coconut, coconut flour, almond flour, baking soda and salt. Mix together until everything is combined and stir in chocolate chips.
5. Use a spoon to drop little dollops onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. I like mine a little darker on the bottoms so check at 15 minutes. Let them rest on the cookie sheet before removing to cool completely.

**The coconut butter is hard to get out of the jar, it is really solid, unlike coconut oil, so when I add the coconut butter to the other ingredients I break it up with a whisk into tiny bits. You can also heat it in the microwave to get it more of a liquid texture. If you use my way, you won't really run into this problem.