Healthy Chocolate Cookies

So I have been somewhat obsessed with baking more "healthy" cookies. I started with the Paleo cookie, which is much more of a breakfast cookie or mid-day snack. This cookie, however, will satisfy the need for a sweet, dessert cookie. It's flour-less, egg-less, sugar-less, and butter-less. And somehow it's AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS! I promise!

The recipe comes from 101 Cookbooks. It's a great blog that features tons of delicious recipes, including many gluten-free and dairy-free baking recipes. The almond meal in the recipe is just ground almonds; you can buy it or grind your own using a food processor. I recommend buying your own. Even with the holy of holies Cuisinart Food Processor I've not been able to get almonds into a fine meal texture.

If you're dedicated to baking with healthy oils, I also recommend splurging on a jar of coconut oil. It's what makes this a "healthy" cookie. And it's light flavor works better than olive oil. Since it's solid at room temperature, warm it in the mircowave for a few seconds until it liquefies.

Ingredients

• 3 large, ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, barely warm - so it isn't solid (or alternately, olive oil)
• 2 cups rolled quick oats
• 2/3 cup almond meal
  
• 1/3 cup coconut, finely shredded & unsweetened
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 6 - 7 ounces chocolate chips or dark chocolate bar chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, racks in the top third.

In a large bowl combine the bananas, vanilla extract, and coconut oil. Set aside. In another bowl whisk together the oats, almond meal, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks/chips.The dough is a bit looser than a standard cookie dough, don't worry about it. Drop dollops of the dough, each about 2 teaspoons in size, an inch apart, onto a parchment (or Silpat) lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes. I baked these as long as possible without burning the bottoms and they were perfect - just shy of 20 minutes seems to be about right in my oven.

Makes about 3 dozen bite-sized cookies.