Apparently, I shouldn’t go on vacation. Ever since I got back from Austin, I have been getting gradually sicker and sicker. It sucks, pretty hardcore. I finally caved and am taking the day off tomorrow, mostly to sleep…because I haven’t been doing any of that lately.
In other news, because of said sickness, I have watched several random movies this evening. I NEVER just sit on my couch and watch movies, like ever. I get all sorts of antsy, so I’m usually reading or working on some sort of project. So naturally, I started baking these cookies tonight while watching movies. I figured, hell, I pay for all of these channels, might as well watch some! So far tonight, I’ve watched “Friends with Benefits” “Apollo 13” and now I’m watching “The Other Boleyn Girl”. This movie is nuts! Henry VIII was NUTS! But Eric Bana is pretty to look at….so this movie is watchable.
On a slightly sadder note, I think I’m gonna hang up my baking mitts for a while. Starting Monday, I’m beginning what I’m dubbing the “Cancun Challenge”. I’m 99% sure I’m going to Cancun in July and I want to look as amazing as possible in the swimsuit I just bought. Therefore, starting Monday, I’ll be officially doing another Whole30…..which will actually be more like a Whole90. No more paleo treats for me…..but have no fear, I’ll continue to bring you deliciousness. It just means I’m going to have to rely heavily on taste testers!
Without further ado, here are these tasty little devils!
Orange Pecan Cookies with Orange Coconut Butter Drizzle
For the Cookies (makes about 5 dozen):
- 5 cups almond flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons vanilla
- 3/4 cup raw honey
- zest and juice (about 1/2 cup) from 2 oranges
- 2 cups chopped pecans (I used dry roasted, unsalted ones)
- In a large bowl, mix together all dry ingredients. Mix in your pecans with the dry mix!
- In a smaller bowl, mix together all of your wet ingredients, including the orange juice and the zest from both oranges. (Seriously, invest in a microplane or a zester, the are AWESOME!!)
- Mix your wet ingredients into your dry, combining thoroughly.
- At this point, I usually refrigerate the cookie dough for at least an hour. This makes it WAY easier to roll later.
- When you are ready to bake your cookies, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Roll your dough into walnut sized balls (about 1″) and slightly flatten them.
- Place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 7-10 minutes. I let mine go for just under 10 minutes and the were perfection!
- LET THEM COOL!!! For real, let them cool for at least 30 minutes before you even think about putting the drizzle on them. If you don’t want to top with the drizzle, feel free to smash on these bad boys as soon as they are cooled!
For the Orange Coconut Butter drizzle:
- 3 tablespoons coconut butter
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- zest and juice of 1 orange
- pinch of salt
- small splash of vanilla (1/8 teaspoon for you measuring types)
- Put all ingredients in a small bowl.
- Microwave for about 30 seconds.
- Stir all together.
- Use a spoon to drizzle the mixture over the cookies all fancy like! Or if you are feeling really fancy, you can make your own “pastry bag” out of a ziploc bag. Load your drizzle goo into a baggie, seal it, and snip a small amount of the corner off. Drizzle that deliciousness all over your cookies.
- STUFF your face!!
These are simply delightful! I hope you enjoy them. I’m trying my best to NOT eat all of them….please send strong willed thoughts my way as I embark on the Cancun Challenge!! It’s gonna be really tough, especially because I also won’t be drinking….like at all. Crazy. I know. Last time I did that I lost a whole bunch of my friends over it. Meh, oh well! Sending delicious paleo treat love your way! Peace, Love, and Paleo!
-Meister
PaleoMeister 