Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt

First, let me start off by saying that it's been a rough start to 2017. I had briefly stepped away from blogging and social media. Sadly, my grampa suffered a massive stroke on January 2nd, and he passed away on the 12th. He was my world and I loved him dearly. I am just getting back into cooking and baking now after everything that has happened. I know that my grampa would have wanted me to keep going and would want me to keep working towards my dreams and goals. Thank you to all who have reached out to me on email, text, social media and who have been praying for my family. It means so much to me.

His favorite meal that I made was this Slow Cooker Latin Chicken. My sweet grampa always willingly tasted my crazy food concoctions and funny thing, no matter if it was sweet or savory. He always asked me before taking a bite "Is there any hummus in this?" HAHA Well, there is no hummus in this cookie recipe, grampa! I hear his voice so clearly in my head. I love you, forever!

Let's get to these cookies. I found this recipe a few days after Christmas and couldn't wait to make them, but I needed to switch out the almond flour for cashew flour due to my hubby's (and mom's) almond allergy. I also wanted to use a new favorite chocolate of mine from EatingEVOLVED, but at the time I was waiting on my order to be delivered.

I finally had some time to whip these cookies up yesterday, and, goodness, they are too amazing. Caroline, from Caroline's Kitchen, is 16 and so incredibly talented. Her website is beautiful and the foods that she creates and plates look divine! I saw her recipe for Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Sea Salt and I started immediately drooling. I wanted a few of her cookies and a tall glass of cold flax milk. Her recipe is so easy, made with simple ingredients that are REAL, and I just knew I had to make these cookies, but I had to switch out the almond flour for cashew flour.

I used to buy cashew flour at Trader Joe's, but they stopped selling it, so I decided to make my own. It was really easy! I took some raw cashews and put them in my Vitamix blender, gradually increased to high, and as soon as it looked like flour, I turned it off. If you aren't watching the cashew flour, it will turn to cashew butter, and that's not what you want for this recipe.

THIS IS CAROLINE'S RECIPE. I switched out the almond flour for cashew flour, used cashew butter for almond butter and increased the amount of vanilla. Go check out her amazing website and wonderful recipes. You will love her blog!

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INGREDIENTS

2 cups cashew flour 1/2 cup arrowroot flour/starch 1 cup coconut sugar 1/2 cup melted coconut oil 1/2 cup cashew butter (I use Once Again Nut Butter, unsweetened) 2 flax eggs* (see below) 1 tsp baking soda 1 TB vanilla 1/2 tsp sea salt + extra sea salt to sprinkle cookies with 1 bar eatingEVOLVED Signature Dark Chocolate (or about 2.5 oz dark chocolate)

*Flax egg - mix 3 tablespoons of warm water with 1 tablespoon of flax seed. Let it sit about 3 minutes until it forms a gel = 1 egg. You will need 2 flax eggs.

Directions: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, make your flax eggs. Mix 2 TB of flax seed meal with 6 TB of warm water and set aside to gel for a few minutes.

Melt your coconut oil on the stove (I do not recommend ever using a microwave). Allow your coconut oil to reach room temperature before mixing in with other ingredients.

In a large bowl, add your cashew flour, arrowroot flour, baking soda and sea salt and mix well.

In another bowl, mix your room temperature, melted coconut oil, coconut sugar, cashew butter, vanilla and flax eggs.

Mix the wet ingredients in with the dry ingredients until well combined.

Unwrap your chocolate bar and place in a ziplock back. Using a rolling pin (or simply bash it on the counter) carefully smash the chocolate bar into small chunks. Fold chocolate chunks into your cookie batter.

Using a cookie scoop (I like this one) which is about 1.5 TB of dough, place cookies on baking sheet lined with parchment paper giving room for each cookie to spread a little. Using your fingers, press cookie dough down a little like in photo below. Sprinkle a tiny bit of sea salt on the cookies.

Bake cookies for 13 minutes and allow to cool on cooling rack. If you have any left after they are all cool, store in airtight container at room temperature.