Dark Chocolate Almond Cookies

My kids come home from school famished and are always looking for something to eat. We try to keep it healthy with fruits and vegetables but they love their baked goods. I was a little late in introducing them to healthier options, I wish I started when they were younger, it’s much harder to convince teens. Whenever I would bake a healthy version of something for myself and offer it to them they would be quick to refuse.  They said if I could eat it then they would rather not have any…I think it had something to do with my earlier failed experiments, plus knowing that it’s going to be gluten and refined sugar free.
After some more experimenting and my omitting the fact that it was something healthy that I would eat, we have found some healthy baked goods that they love, in fact they ask for them themselves. My daughter now claims that healthy baked goods are all pretty good – high compliment.
This cookie recipe was one of the experiments that passed with flying colours – they love it so much they ask for half the batter to be baked and the other half they eat raw.

Dark Chocolate Almond Cookies:

1 cup grounIMG_20141114_182024d almonds
1 tsp baking powder
1 banana mashed
1/4 cup almond butter
1/4 cup dates soaked (to soften), drained and pureed
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 coarsely chopped almonds
1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate chips (sweetened with stevia)

Mix dry ingredients together (except chopped almonds and chocolate chips). Add in the moist ingredients and mix well. Fold in chopped almonds and chocolate chips.  Spoon onto baking sheet and bake at 325°F for 15 minutes.
Top with raw chocolate almonds (recipe below), sliced almonds or dark chocolate chips.
Let cool and enjoy!

Raw Chocolate Covered Almonds:
1 tbsp coconut oil meltedIMG_20141113_204423
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1-2 tsp stevia sweetener (more or less to taste)
15-20 raw almonds (may need more or less)

Dip the almonds into the raw chocolate sauce. Place individually onto lined sheet and freeze. Once frozen place them into a container. Keep frozen till ready to eat!