Coconut Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

I have this awesome friend. We will call her Britt, which makes sense since that’s her name 🙂 She and I tend to bring out the best in each other and challenge one another at all the appropriate times, namely when it comes to taking chances and embracing the space outside our comfort zone. We also seek each other out when we need to hear, “It’s okay to rest…slow down and enjoy the ride.” If you don’t have a Britt in your life, I hope you find one soon. She’s a real keeper. And she’s the reason for these Coconut Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies.

How you ask?

Recently, Britt said, “I want you to develop a 4 ingredient baked good for me that’s good and I can make because I suck at baking.” Well, she’s generally healthy, avoiding extra sugar and wheat. Gluten free with less sugar? Challenge accepted. Well, sort of. I definitely missed the mark on 4 ingredients and I think this guy is still a work in progress, but aren’t we all?

And because I LOVE to embrace the work in progress life, I thought I would share this out to the world. Give me all the feedback. I am not gluten free, so there is a definite learning curve there. I wanted this to be a recipe you could make without purchasing a whole bunch of crazy ingredients, and I had all of these in my pantry. Give them a try. I personally think they go great with a late morning coffee, but that’s just me!

Your ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/2 tablespoon vanilla
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
  • 1/4-1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Your Steps to Coconut Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place oats in a food processor and blend them until an oat flour is formed. (I am obsessed with creating my own oat flour. It adds such awesome texture to baked goods. If you haven’t done it yet, you’re welcome 🙂 ). Add coconut flour, salt, and baking soda. pulse until well mixed. Set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, cream butter, coconut oil, and sugars until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Stir in flour mixture until just moistened. Then add coconut, pecans, and chocolate. Using a tablespoon, scoop cookie dough and roll into a ball. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with the palm of your hand. Bake for 7-8 minutes. They will not spread anymore than you flattened them. They should just become browned underneath. I think they are the best the next day, but any cookie right out of the oven is a good cookie, right?

NOTE: I toasted my coconut and pecans (and I just slightly salted the pecans). My favorite way to do this is by heating a small frying pan that is sprayed with some olive oil cooking spray. Add coconut (or pecans) and heat over medium heat for 4-7 minutes. You have to watch it carefully, but it is a snap to do. Make some extra. You’ll tastebuds will thank me later.

Coconut Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

A gluten free cookie full of flavor: pecans, chocolate chips, and coconut!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Course Cookies
Cuisine American
Servings 2.5 dozen

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1/4 cup butter softened
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/2 tablespoon vanilla
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
  • 1/4-1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Place oats in a food processor and blend them until an oat flour is formed. Add coconut flour, salt, and baking soda. pulse until well mixed. Set aside.
  • In a medium sized bowl, cream butter, coconut oil, and sugars until well blended.
  • Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.
  • Stir in flour mixture until just moistened.
  • Add coconut, pecans, and chocolate.
  • Using a tablespoon, scoop cookie dough and roll into a ball.
  • Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with the palm of your hand. They will not spread anymore than you flattened them.
  • Bake for 7-8 minutes. They should just become browned underneath.

Notes

NOTE: I toasted my coconut and pecans (and I just slightly salted the pecans). My favorite way to do this is by heating a small frying pan that is sprayed with some olive oil cooking spray. Add coconut (or pecans) and heat over medium heat for 4-7 minutes.
Keyword chocolate chip, chocolate chip cookies, coconut, Gluten Free, gluten free cookies, pecans
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Energy Balls

Aren’t they pretty, all in a row? Albeit it crooked?

As an avid runner and overall fitness nut, I am always looking for healthy ways to fuel my body quickly and easily. I also enjoy snacking….a lot. My sister and I were just talking about how there has to be a snack break between breakfast and lunch. We can’t make it otherwise–and these are perfect for that!

When I am cooking and meal prepping, I can tell I have a winning clean eating recipe when my husband approves; With this recipe, he has been known to say, “You know what we are almost out of? Your yummy energy balls. You need to make more!” Guys, that’s a big deal. He is generally the biggest critic of my “overly-healthy” recipes so when he said that, you can bet I got into the kitchen and made another batch! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do! (The original recipe came from Rachel from Clean Food Crush, but has been modified by me to meet our needs at home)

Here are your ingredients

  • 2 cups ground old-fashioned oatmeal (see details in the recipe)
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour ( It smells so delightful!)
  • 1/2 cup real maple syrup (honey would work too!)
  • 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
  • 1/4 t kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons coconut oil, melted (I accidentally forgot this once, and we didn’t even notice, so if you don’t have it, it won’t make or break the recipe)
  • 1/3 semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract (I LOVE the flavor this brings in)

First, grind the oats to make a sort of oatmeal flour. To do this, place the old fashioned oats into a food processor and pulse them until you have a very coarse flour like texture. I like to be able to cook with what I have on hand so rather than buy oat flour, I did this and it worked great.

Then, combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix them with a wooden spoon (or by hand!) until well mixed. Form them into 1-2 inch balls (whatever suits your family. We like 1 inch energy balls around here.). Place on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Place the cookie in the fridge for approximately an hour to harden. Remove from the pan, place in an airtight container, and store them back in the fridge. I have read that you can freeze these for up to 3 months as well so if you are a food prep kind of person, I would whip up a few batches and put them in the freezer for a grab and go snack that can thaw over a few hours. (I’m thinking they would be great packed in a lunch and used for that sweet treat at the end to finish up your meal. As for me, I like to pack a few for my morning and afternoon snacks at work (See, I love all the snacks. My husband calls me a squirrel because I always have some food on hand…). As for my kids, they eat them like an after dinner treat, so I think I am winning. I hope you enjoy! –Jess