cookies

Happy Hanukkah to those that celebrate! We celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah here at Casa de EBF… I like to call it Chrismakah.

Today Isaac and I are headed to North Carolina to spend some time with his family at the beach. We’re both off work for the holidays now (my last day was yesterday) and going to the beach for a few days will be a nice chance to relax.

Today I have yet another cookie recipe to share with you all. I know I said the 12 Days of Holiday Cookies Series was over, but these cookies are too good not to post right away. They’re quite different from any other cookie recipe I’ve made and I LOVE them! Not only are they super easy to whip up, but they’re also flour-less. The almond butter and espresso make for a fabulous flavor and the ground espresso beans add a nice little crunch.

Almond Butter Espresso Freezer Cookies

This recipe is great for those that are avoiding gluten. Just make sure your vanilla is gluten free. They can also be made vegan quite easily by using chia seeds or flaxseeds as an egg replacement. I’ve made two batches over the past few weeks, 1 batch with an real egg and 1 with a chia seed egg. To make the chia seed egg, just mix 1 T chia seeds + 3 T warm water and let it “gel-up” for 5-10 minutes before using it in the recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 cup creamy almond butter
• 3/4 cup sucanat or other organic raw sugar
• 1 Tablespoon ground espresso powder (finely ground coffee should work as well)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg or chia seed/flaxseed egg

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375° degrees. Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix all ingredients together by hand until well blended. Shape dough into small balls. Use the back of a fork to press balls lightly, both vertically and horizontally to make the traditional peanut butter cookie crisscross pattern.
3. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool on pan for at least 10-20 minutes. Gently remove cookies from cookie sheet with a spatula, place them on a plate/serving tray (not on top of one another) and put the tray in the freezer for a few hours so the cookies can harden up a bit.
4. Once they’ve hardened up, you can take them out and place them in a sealed container or freezer bags. At this point it’s okay to put them on top of one another. Store the container or freezer bags full of cookies in the freezer.

I named the cookies freezer cookies because they’re meant to be stored and eaten straight from the freezer. You don’t necessary have to freeze them, however I’ve found they can be a little fragile and crumble easily when at room temperature. In addition, they taste really good straight from the freezer and I like the fact that they’re not sitting out on the counter tempting me all day!

Pair the almond butter freezer cookies with some healthy no bake cookies and you’ll have the perfect cookie platter.

Both of these cookie recipes were part of my feature in the Tone It Up Holiday Plan, a special edition of the Tone It Up Nutrition Plan that was sent to all TIU members on Monday of this week. The plan includes holiday treats, cocktails, tips and a New Years Guide. As I mentioned in my last post, I contributed to the plan with 12 tips for keeping healthy and sane during the holidays, healthy cookie recipes, my favorite seasonal salad recipes and a few sweet (but not sinful) breakfast options. One of my favorite ladies, Sarah of Sarah Fit, also contributed to this special edition with delicious cocktail recipes including her Naughty Minty-Chocolatini, which looks and sounds amazing. Pretty sure I’ll be making those soon.

If you were thinking of buying the TIU plan, now is a great time because you’ll get the regular plan and the holiday special!!

Enjoy your Wednesday and let me know what you think of the freezer cookies if you get a chance to try them!

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