Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut and Pecans

Earlier this year I discovered Almond Flour and have been loving using it in recipes. You can even make it yourself by throwing a handful of almonds in a food processor and processing until it becomes flour consistency.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups almond flour (or almond meal)
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp baking powder (I used baking soda)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (or substitute)
• 3 tbsps coconut oil (melted)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp chia seeds (optional)

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together almond meal, choc chips, coconut, pecans, baking powder, salt and sugar.
2. In a separate bowl, beat egg until uniform in colour and doubled in volume. 
3. Whisk in the coconut oil and vanilla. Add chia seeds if desired. Add to dry ingredients and mix until combined. Chill in fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375F. 
4. Shape dough into balls and place on baking sheet. Flatten down slightly to form shape. Sprinkle a little bit of coconut and pecans on top of each.  
5. Bake until edges begin to brown, about 7-10 minutes.  

Adapted from here: http://minimalistbaker.com/almond-meal-cookies-with-chocolate-chips-and-coconut/ 

Cookie Monster Cupcakes

I was invited to a 3 year olds birthday party this week. I wanted to bring a treat for the kids that would be something fun and something they hadn't seen before. I had seen these Cookie Monster Cupcakes online before and always thought they were super cute.

I decided to go the extra step and make homemade cookies as well. (the cookie monster is supposed to look like he is eating the cookie - not everyone got that one, haha). I used the recipe from my last cookies but used chocolate chips instead of the Nutella, bacon and pecans. The trick is to make the cookies really small and flat so they fit in the mouth (I had to cut them off).

1. I used a simple vanilla cupcake recipe and added blue food colouring at the end. You need to get the blue food colouring gel from a baking shop (or Michaels).

2. When the cupcake had cooled down, I cut a slit in the top and added in the half cookie and make it stick with some icing (Nathan's idea)

3. Then I frosted it with blue frosting (used store bought cream cheese frosting and added the blue food colouring gel)

4.  I then took blue coconut (dyed blue with the gel also) and sprinkled it all over.

5. Then for the eyes... I wanted to use the big white choc chips but we couldn't find them nearby. So I just used the white icing and tried to make an eye. I don't like how they turned out but better than nothing. Then I  used a chocolate chip for the middle of the eye. Cookie Monster usually has googly eyes, so try to make them looking googly. (is that a word??).

Vanilla Cupcake Recipe:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

1. In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Using electric mixer on low speed, mix in butter, milk, eggs and vanilla; beat on high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.
2. Spoon into 12 paper-lined or greased muffin cups, filling about three-quarters full. Bake in centre of 375°F (190°C) oven until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Transfer to rack; let cool completely. (Make-ahead: Store in airtight container for up to 1 day or freeze for up to 2 weeks.) Variation: Chocolate Cupcakes - Reduce flour to 1 cup and baking powder to 1/2 tsp. Add 1/2 cup cocoa powder and 1 tsp baking soda to dry ingredients. Sift before adding butter and wet ingredients.

Here is a link to one with better eyes and frosting as fur... http://completedeelite.blogspot.ca/2009/03/who-stole-cookies-from-cookie-rack-who.html

Nutella, Pecan and Candied Bacon Cookies

Well, this is it. All the things you love wrapped up in one cookie. Nutella is one of those things that I can't get enough of. I have been eating it since I was little and still can't stop. I found it challenging to actually get the Nutella into the cookie dough... but then I found a special trick! All you need to do is freeze little bits of Nutella on a cookie sheet before you make the cookies. Voila! Nutella chocolate chips.

I was going to just use normal bacon pieces in the cookies, but then my friend Ethan (tastesbetterwithfriends.com) suggested I make candied bacon. Wow, it tasted amazing... thanks for the tip!

Ingredients:
1 cup butter (softened)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups four
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups Nutella chips
1 package of bacon
1 cup pecans

1. Drop small amounts of Nutella onto baking sheet and freeze for a few hours
2. Preheat oven to 325F. Cover each piece of bacon with brown sugar. Lay bacon on baking sheet in oven and bake for approx 20 minutes or until it is cooked through. Set aside to cool.
3. Preheat over to 350F
4. Cream together the butter, white sugar, brown sugar until smooth.
5. Beat in the eggs one at a time and then stir in the vanilla
6. Dissolve baking soda into hot water
7. Add to batter along with a dash of salt
8. Stir in flour, bacon and pecans (keep some out to add on top of each cookie if desired)
9. Stir in Nutella at end as it will melt quickly
10. Drop in large spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.