Chocolate Cashew Cookies

First things first, I have a small order of business. I’m excited to say I am now writing articles for examiner.com. Yay! One step closer to achieving my dream of being a full-time writer, and a food writer at that. I will primarily be writing about nightlife and bars in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. My first article, a review of the Barrelhouse Flat, can be found here. If you’re in the Chicago-area, definitely check out Barrelhouse. Absolutely incredible cocktails.

Now onto the important part: cookies. Yes, more cookies. I was at Trader Joe’s the other day, where they were selling bags of cashew meal for only $5.00. At first, I tried to restrain myself. I took a couple laps around the store in hopes of forgetting that beautiful scene I saw, one that could haunt any baker’s dreams. But then I realized, there was no use fighting it. It was fate.

When I got home, it was time to get to work. I whipped up this batter, ate at least one-quarter of it raw, put what was left in the oven, and traveled to my living room couch where I sat in anticipation, waiting for the timer to go off. After this experience, I’ve decided one of most beautiful things in life is putting something in the oven and coming back minutes later to see how exquisitely it’s transformed. When the timer sounded, I ran back to the oven, where I was greeted with beautiful, chocolate-y cookies unlike any cookies I had ever made before. The cashew meal made these cookies fluffy and light, words I always hoped and dreamed to associate with the term “gluten-free.”

Glutards and lactards alike, the day of fluffy and light cookies has finally come, and we have the almighty cashew meal to thank for it.

Level: Easy

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 1 dozen

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cashew meal
2 tablespoons coconut flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 pinch salt
1-2 tablespoons espresso powder
2 eggs
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup, or to taste
4 tablespoons Earth Balance or coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine all dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.
3. Combine all wet ingredients in a separate medium-sized bowl.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix fully.
5. Using a tablespoon, scoop batter onto baking sheet, flattening out each cookie so both sides are even.
6. Bake for 15 minutes, or until bottoms of cookies are golden brown.
7. Let cool completely.