Raw Cookie Dough Bites (Gluten, Sugar, Dairy, and Egg Free!)
I earned about 4000 cool point from my kids with this recipe.
I’m one of those moms. You know, the ones who don’t give their kids processed food at snack time and cringe at the sight of fruit snacks, gogurt, and crackers.
So, imagine their surprise when I whipped up a batch of these and let them eat their hearts out. Coolest. Mom. Ever.
The best part?
They’re actually very nutritious.
I found this recipe on a blog called Bite of Life written by a fairly well-known chiropractor’s wife (Mindy Yachter). If you’re into paleo/primal lifestyle, she has a lot of recipes that jive with that. (Or can easily be adapted.)
Remember my little Energy Balls? (or Power Truffles, whatever you’d like to call them) These are similar only the base is purely blanched almond flour instead of the almond-coconut-oatmeal mix. So they’re gluten (and grain, even), refined sugar, dairy, and egg free. Pretty neat, eh?
And being the cookie dough fanatic that I am, imagine my surprise that they actually taste like cookie dough. My dreams just came true.
Seriously.
Only to be dashed to pieces when I discovered my breastfed baby gets cranky and rashy when I eat a lot of nuts. I’m SO glad I bought almond flour in bulk. Thank goodness for our extra freezer.
*sigh*
Speaking of my baby… I tried to get some photos to show you the difference between almond meal (like you’d make in your food processor) and blanched almond flour.
Doing anything with a kicking baby strapped to your chest is tricky, but taking decent photos is especially hard.
Oh, those toes.
Can I steer the train off the tracks for a second and show you why I’ve been so distracted lately?
(Thanks for the photo, Sis! She’s so flippin’ talented.)
All I want to do all day is stare at her. And mush on her. She’s so squishy and happy. Despite wanting to be held 75% of her waking time, I think we’ll keep her.
Have you ever wanted to eat your children? This little one makes me salivate. It’s all I can do to not nibble on her cheeks. Or her arm chubs. I tend to get cannibalistic urges around my babies.
Am I uh… alone in this? (Please say no.)
So, ya. Almond flour.
There she be. Blanched almond flour is finer than almond flour and doesn’t contain the skins (which is why it’s whiter). I ordered mine from Honeyville. I love it. I use it in my pancake mix to replace some of the flour. I use it to bread fish. To hold fritters together.
And during our Paleo month, I tried a bunch of breakfast recipes from Elana’s Pantry. (The Silver Dollar Pancakes, Breakfast Bars, and Biscuits were our favorites.)
Morals of this post:
1. Almond flour is fantastic. Go buy some.
2. Cookie dough is now a perfectly suitable snack for your kids. (Um, and you.)
Go get those cool points.
Raw Cookie Dough Bites (Grain, Sugar, Dairy, & Egg-Free)
Yield: about 15 bites
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup coconut oil (solid but soft)
1 Tablespoon honey
2 Tablespoon almond butter
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
mini dark chocolate chips
stevia to taste, if additional sweetener is neededDirections:
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Combine the oil, honey, almond butter, and vanilla in a separate, smaller bowl. Pour wet mixture into the dry mixture and combine well. Your own two hands to the best job of getting it all combined. If you find the mixture is too dry and crumbly, add a tablespoon of water at a time until you reach cookie dough consistency.
Taste, and add stevia if you prefer the dough sweeter. Mix in the desired amount of chocolate chips and roll into 1 to 1 1/2 inch balls.
Store in the refrigerator. They should keep for several days, although they tend to dry out the longer they are stored. (If they last that long...)
Nat's Notes:
1. The more you work the dough, the more the coconut oil will melt, resulting in the balls getting greasy. Return the dough to the freezer to re-harden if this bothers you.
2. This recipe doubles well.3. You can even make these in a food processor. Just process the dry ingredients and add the wet ones once you've mixed them together. For those who don't like to get their hands messy...
adapted lightly from the Bit of Life blog
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Ali — August 30, 2012 @ 7:30 am
These look so delectable! I have pinned them, which greatly increases the chance that I’ll remember to make them. Actually, since I’m pregnant and craving sweets, I’ll probably make them as soon as I put the baby down for nap. Thanks for sharing!
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Natalie replied: — August 30th, 2012 @ 1:40 pm
I craved sweets with my last baby, too! (It got kind of crazy sometimes…) You’ll love these!
Cassie — August 30, 2012 @ 7:45 am
I can imagine why so many cool points were awarded here, these are so wonderful!
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Sadie — August 30, 2012 @ 8:46 am
Only 75% of the time. My baby is 5 months. I swear she wants to be held 90% of her waking time and even whe she is sleeping, if I try to put her down and she doesn’t want to, she yells at me. This kid is super spoiled.
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Natalie replied: — August 30th, 2012 @ 1:41 pm
Yikes. I feel for you! If it wasn’t for her two older sisters as entertainment, I think I’d have to hold her about 90% of the time as well. :)
Erin @ Texanerin Baking — August 30, 2012 @ 8:48 am
Hahaha. Love the stuck out tongue. And baby toes! Awww.
I am definitely making this. I made some chickpea cookie dough the other day and although it tasted really good right after processing, it was not so good after sitting in the fridge. I love almond flour! And it’s only 7.90/kg here. Finally something ingredient related I can be happy about. :)
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Natalie replied: — August 30th, 2012 @ 1:42 pm
Oh man… her tongue is always out. Maybe she’s ready to taste anything that crosses her face, I guess. :)
That’s an amazing price for almond flour! I think I paid over $5 a pound, but I did buy a lot at once.
Brittany — August 30, 2012 @ 9:16 am
What a great idea! We’re not on a restricted diet at our house (except for honey due to my 10mo), but I’ve always worried about making egg-free cookie dough whatever because raw flour can have salmonella in it too. A bite or two of raw cookie dough (egg or no egg) doesn’t bother me too much, but a whole batch seems to be playing the odds.
And yes, I still nibble on my baby’s cheeks! Unfortunately, he’s going through a phase where he thinks being held means he should play like a baby octopus. I can’t remember the last time he fell asleep in my arms. :( At least my daughter is still a cuddler. :)
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Natalie replied: — August 30th, 2012 @ 1:43 pm
I’ve heard that about flour! Luckily we haven’t had any incidences here. Something to think about for sure, though…
I would be sad if none of my kids wanted to cuddle! My 3yo still loves it. Luckily :)
natalie@thesweetslife — August 30, 2012 @ 9:47 am
totally don’t blame you for wanting to eat her!! she’s adorable!
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Karl — August 30, 2012 @ 9:51 am
Woah. Healthy cookie dough…who knew??
And babies make me hungry too. I would love to chew on those little toes! Maybe dipped in some almond flour? ;)
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Lisa | With Style and Grace — August 30, 2012 @ 12:37 pm
haha, oh I cannot wait for this! both the baby feet and the recipe :)
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Natalie replied: — August 30th, 2012 @ 1:45 pm
Oh, cooking with a baby is a BLAST, Lisa. *eye roll* No really… they’re so fun to have around. A lot of work and very little sleep, but lots of fun :) (Actually i’m getting a decent amount of sleep these days. Not bad for 3 months!) I’m excited for you!! You’re so close, right? Just a month or two?
Kristin — August 30, 2012 @ 12:58 pm
This looks amazing. I bet it would pair well with some vanilla ice cream. I mean….haha.
Does it have to be called “blanched” almond flour, or is just plain almond flour you buy at the store assumed to be blanched?
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Natalie replied: — August 30th, 2012 @ 1:46 pm
Kristin, you just gave me a fantastic idea… using this cookie dough for cookie dough ice cream! If the almond flour you find at the store is white with no brown specks, then it’s been blanched (and the skins removed from the almonds). I think you could use regular almond flour that isn’t blanched, but the texture would be more gritty.
Joanne — August 30, 2012 @ 1:45 pm
I kind of want to nibble on those arms of hers also! So…totally normal. I guess ill have to just nibble on these cookie dough bites instead. A worthy replacement!
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Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar — August 30, 2012 @ 2:04 pm
Mmm heavenly!
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Denise @ Creative Kitchen — August 30, 2012 @ 3:45 pm
Oh cute baby!! Yes…I get those urges to eat my babies too. In fact, I still find my 4 year old quite delectable. ;)
This recipe sounds amazing…love cookie dough!!
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Natalie replied: — September 2nd, 2012 @ 9:56 pm
Thank you! Good to know I’m not alone :)
Heidi @ Food Doodles — August 30, 2012 @ 4:21 pm
Yum! These look so good :D You little one is adorable! And you are totally not alone. I tell my 4 month old that she’s so cute I could just eat her multiple times a day. I seriously can’t help myself. Anyone that doesn’t want to nibble baby elbow dimples or elastic band wrists(or ankles!) is weird :D
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Natalie replied: — September 2nd, 2012 @ 10:00 pm
Thanks Heidi! Elastic band wrists! Haha… I’ve never heard that! Aw, our babies are only a month apart. I love this age!
momgateway — August 31, 2012 @ 6:26 am
Your kids are beautiful and precious! And these cookie dough bites are so tempting.
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Natalie replied: — September 2nd, 2012 @ 9:59 pm
Thank you! And yes, they are. They don’t last long in our house!
Danielle — August 31, 2012 @ 7:51 am
I am allergic to tree nuts and flour replacement suggestions ?
Otherwise these sound delish.
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azradersnv.blogspot.com replied: — September 2nd, 2012 @ 1:24 pm
Me too… allergic to tree nuts… but dying to make this. What about Rice flour??? Or is there something like nuts with a yummy taste like nuts… but not nuts. Am I nuts? ;)
Natalie replied: — September 2nd, 2012 @ 9:59 pm
Hmm… You could try coconut flour, but start off with less because it absorbs a lot of liquid. (I’m not sure how that would turn out. I don’t have a lot of experience with coconut flour.) You could also try rolled oats that have been buzzed up in a food processor! That would give it a more oatmeal cookie taste. :)
AbbyWarm replied: — January 25th, 2013 @ 8:03 pm
Ahhh…that would explain why I had to add so much water to mine to make it the right consistency! I have an almond sensitivity so I used 1/2 coconut flour and 1/2 better batter. Still they came out tasting pretty…well, floury. I would’ve tried all coconut flour, but I know my 6 year old would complain about it tasting too coconutty {sigh}
Megan — September 2, 2012 @ 11:44 am
Made this night. Simply delicious!
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Bam's Kitchen — September 3, 2012 @ 6:53 am
My teenage boys would love these. Actually me too! They are always eating the dough before I have a chance to bake it. Take Care, BAM
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Jolene (www.everydayfoodie.ca) — September 5, 2012 @ 8:16 pm
I absolutely LOVE cookie dough! These look so good!
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DessertForTwo — September 6, 2012 @ 6:16 am
So many cool points with me, too! :) I just bought a bunch of almond flour. And by bought, I mean raided a trader joe’s in the nearest big city!
And that baby! Omg! I want to nibble her cheeks, too! :)
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Gayle @ thesecretlifeofmrsbundt — September 6, 2012 @ 12:35 pm
Thanks so much for putting some real treats out there! As a blogger, farmers market manager, and mom I’m very concerned about the the food bloggers who put out recipes that look amazing but really aren’t things you should be eating. While I realize no one is responsible for your own health but yourself, it’s still great to see fun, tasty options that keep health and moderation in mind. Thanks so much!
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Natalie replied: — September 10th, 2012 @ 3:46 pm
Gayle, thank you so much for your comment! I totally agree. I can also see the appeal of posting ridiculous desserts (and I’m guilty of that, too!) as it drives a lot of traffic. I really try to keep those to a minimum because I don’t want to add to the problem. Know what I mean? I’m so glad you appreciated my post!!
Wendy — September 10, 2012 @ 6:57 am
i wonder if for the grown-up version (for snacks) we could add protein powder and how it would taste after refrigeration…
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Natalie replied: — September 10th, 2012 @ 3:47 pm
I suppose you could add protein, but because the bites are almost entirely almond flour, which is pretty protein-rich alone, I don’t see the point. Give it a try! I’m not a fan of protein powder (the types I’ve tried give my smoothies a too-sweet artificial taste that I don’t like) but I think it would be fine in these.
christina — October 5, 2012 @ 2:43 pm
Hi, these look great. Are they bakable? If so what would I need to add? There is baking soda in your recipe. Why do you need baking soda if you ate nit baking it?
Thanks, Christina
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Natalie Perry replied: — October 5th, 2012 @ 10:48 pm
Hi Christina! The thought has crossed my mind to throw them in the oven to see what would happen, but I haven’t tried it. And believe it or not, the baking soda is there for flavor! It makes it taste more like “real” cookie dough.
Natasha — October 19, 2012 @ 3:20 pm
Just what I needed today my beautiful friend. I love reading your posts and can only imagine the beauty of the behind the computer day that goes on to get pictures and words ready for viewers like me.
We are moving to Logan Utah in 4 weeks. We will be living close to family for the holidays and are super excited.
Your baby is beautiful as are your other two girls. They are growing up too fast.
I miss you dearly and wish we could get together for a play date lunch like the good old college days.
Spencer and I are doing Jordan Ruben’s 40 day cleanse from the makers diet right now so thanks for your great recipes. I just printed a few. Love Ya
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Elizabeth — October 20, 2012 @ 3:58 pm
This looks great! Can I substitute whole wheat pastry flour? Thanks!
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Natalie Perry replied: — October 20th, 2012 @ 4:28 pm
Sure! You may want to add more sweetener and a bit more liquid. Blanched almond flour is naturally sweet but doesn’t absorb liquid like wheat flour.
Savannah — December 7, 2012 @ 2:13 pm
Is there anything that I could substitute the baking soda for? I’m wanting to make some today and was just curious.
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Natalie Perry replied: — December 7th, 2012 @ 2:24 pm
Ho Savannah! Go ahead and leave it out if you must. It’s just there for flavor!
Hollie Wood — March 3, 2013 @ 4:48 pm
I absolutely love this recipe. I made a bunch a couple of weeks ago and was able to enjoy a small treat throughout the week. I tried a little experimenting today with great success :) I added in some ground oats-thank you, Blendtec! (I just eyed the amount. I didn’t measure.) Who doesn’t like oatmeal chocolate chip cookie dough? I want to try adding raisins, instead of mini chocolate chips (oatmeal raisin cookie dough, anyone?) and halve the almond flour and substitute ground oats instead. My mind is an experimenting “nightmare.” ;)
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