Walnut & Date Almond Meal Cookies

Gluten free almond meal cookies with walnuts and dates. Soft and sweet, flavoured with cinnamon, coconut and maple syrup - the perfect afternoon treat!

This one is for my big sister.

I have probably done the most soul searching in the past few months than I ever have in my life. Not being able to work has been hard, harder than I thought, and my positive attitude has been put to the test more than once. Writing the ‘about me’ blurb for this blog has been the toughest post yet – I must have typed it, erased and re-typed more times than I care to remember. Needing to explain in writing who I am in the kitchen, as well as in life, seemed impossible. Terrified that it would never be good enough, I let my own insecurities get the best of me and kept this little blog for only myself, a few friends and family. I wanted to wait until it was just perfect.

Sharing our big dreams, goals and personal struggles with others isn’t easy. For me, it wasn’t until a recent trip with my sister to Paris (and after a couple glasses of wine) that I was able to be truly honest, to talk about my fears and to be completely vulnerable – and it was probably one the best talks we have ever had, because she did that same. I really love that sister of mine. Sometimes all we need is someone to listen to us, to understand are crazy thoughts, and then we are able find the courage to do what we thought seemed impossible. So we continue to search, to question who we are, and are surprised by the strength that we didn’t even know we had. And – if you can do a little of all that with some good music, a cup of tea and some cookies – then it just makes life that much sweeter!

My sister, like me, if a lover of good food and believes in all things in moderations, she is also going to be an excellent nutritionist one day – so I hope you like these cookies, Steph. They are sweet, and almost macaroon-ish because of the coconut, and the perfect solution the afternoon tummy rumble. Sending big love to sisters everywhere!


WALNUT & DATE ALMOND MEAL COOKIES

(Adapted from the Sprouted Kitchen Cookbook)

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chopped dried dates
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cane sugar
1 egg
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Combine almond meal, walnuts, dates, coconut, cinnamon, baking powder, salt & sugar in a large bowl

In a small bowl whisk the egg until it is uniform in color doubles in volume. Whisk in the coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla

Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined

Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes or overnight

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and using your hands roll the chilled dough into two bite sized cookies and lightly press on the tops to flatten just a bit

Bake on a baking sheet until the edges begin to brown – about 10 minutes

You want a nice golden crust on the bottom of the cookies – it helps keep them together

Yields about 12 cookies


Let me in on your kitchen creations – tag your photos #happyheartedkitchen and share the love!

7 Comments

  • Reply
    Anonymous
    October 23, 2012 at 6:09 pm

    156 calories per cookie

    • Reply
      Jodi Kay
      October 24, 2012 at 7:21 am

      Oh great – good to know! Thanks for sharing!

  • Reply
    Nicole Pressey-Elev8 Dezign
    July 22, 2013 at 1:17 am

    I made these cookies this weekend and we are thoroughly enjoying them. Thank you for your recipe. The chopped walnuts give them a great crunch. Gold star for you!

    • Reply
      Jodi Kay
      July 22, 2013 at 5:37 am

      So glad you liked them Nicole! Thanks for sharing :) x

  • Reply
    Lauren Bastelli
    December 2, 2014 at 8:52 pm

    Hi Jodi, I am loving these little treats! My husband just can’t get enough of them – about to make another batch now. :) Thank you so much for sharing your creative recipes!

    • Reply
      Jodi Kay
      December 4, 2014 at 7:30 am

      This comment has been removed by the author.

    • Reply
      Jodi Kay
      December 4, 2014 at 7:31 am

      Thank you Lauren! I am so glad you guys love them too :) J x

    Leave a Reply to Jodi Kay Cancel Reply