As I was prepping all of the goodies for the giant Sandy Hook “Battle of the Sexes” fundraiser at the gym tomorrow I was thinking to myself, what should be the FIRST legit post?  I mean, this is a pretty big decision.  It’s a giant commitment!  It’s the first thing anyone who picks up a business card at the event, or sharks my Facebook, or Googles the name will see.  Gee, no pressure, right?!?  I had originally thought I would post the recipe for my Oreo Balls.  I had made promises to people that that particular recipe would be the launch recipe….and I SWEAR to you, it’s coming.  That being said, I’m not quite ready to part with that one yet…..they are kind of my pet project, my babies (that phrase just conjured a really bizarre mental image….and I’m sorry for that).

So then I got to thinking, what better to start with than a staple? Something for your arsenal.  Yeah, that’s the ticket!  Everyone has a chocolate chip cookie recipe.  EVERYONE!  Chances are, they are your grandma’s recipe from way back in the day…which most likely came from the back of a package of chocolate chips at some point along the line.  So what makes mine awesome? What makes mine so special?  Well, have you ever had a gluten-free chocolate chip cookie?  The majority of them that I’ve experienced are either rock hard or SUPER crumbly.  They are lacking that chewy mouth feel (eeeww….) that fresh baked cookies are supposed to have!

Naturally, I got to thinking….if GF chocolate chip cookies generally suck, there is NO WAY a Paleo version is going to suck any less, in fact, it’s probably going to suck a LOT more.  HOLY CRAP, I was wrong!!!  Which is very, VERY rare.  So these things should really be titled, “The best freaking chewy delicious Chocolate Chunk cookie you’ve ever had, you’ll never believe it’s Paleo!”….but that’s a bit of a mouthful.  So here it is!  Enjoy.

As a random sidenote, I’m really not that into sweets and desserts.  They generally make me feel kind of icky…..I would choose salt and crunch over sweets ANY day.  But the masses LOVE sweets! I like to make people happy, and most people respond much better to me gifting them treats of some sort than epic guacamole or side dishes. 🙂

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

• 5 cups almond flour
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup coconut oil (melted)
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup raw honey (warmed up so it pours/mixes easier)
• 1 package Enjoy Life chocolate chunks (10 oz.)

1. Combine dry ingredients (almond flour, salt, baking soda) in a large bowl.
2. In a smaller bowl, stir together the wet ingredients (coconut oil, vanilla, honey).
3. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.  Get some elbow grease going!
4. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (This step can be skipped, but it is MUCH easier to form the dough if it stiffens up some)
5. While dough is setting, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
6. Roll dough into walnut size balls and flatten onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, placing them a couple of inches apart.  Do not flatten to less than 1/2 inch thick.
7. Bake for about 10 minutes. (Depending on your oven/cookie sheets I would start with 8 minutes on the first batch and play with it from there. You want them to brown a little bit.)
8. LET THEM COOL! Seriously, do it.  Let them cool…..otherwise you will burn your mouth and they will fall apart because they need a chance to REset.  I promise you, they will not get hard and crumbly if you let them sit….they stay chewy.
9. Devour.  Try not to eat them all in one sitting….unless it’s one of those days, in which case, live your life!  I’m not gonna judge.

**This dough can be made a day or so in advance and can hang out in the fridge until you are ready to bake.  It is also REALLY awesome if eating cookie dough is your style since there are no raw eggs in the dough!  This recipe should make about 3 dozen cookies….but I’m never too sure, because I always end up eating some of the dough before it’s baked.  It’s pretty much a guessing game as to how many cookies actually come out of the oven!**

Every gal needs an amazing little black dress and a kick ass chocolate chip cookie recipe!  For real, consider this one yours!

-Meister