“Better Than Scout” Cookies

The original recipe was based loosely on the flavor of the the Girl Scout Samoa cookie, but this is a far healthier version that I found here:

http://paleomg.com/guest-post-better-than-scout-cookies/

(I prefer to put mini-chocolate chips in the cookie, vs melt & drizzle on top. Less messy, & doesn’t crack off in the freezer.)

Ingredients

• 1 cup walnuts
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 2 Tablespoons ground flax seeds
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
• 8 large pitted medjool dates, soaked to soften if needed (and drained)
• 1 large egg
• ¼ cup honey
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ¼ cup butter or coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled
• ½ cup chocolate chips, melted, for decoration

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a cookie sheet with a nonstick pad or parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the S blade, pulse the walnuts 7-10 times until they are finely chopped.
3. Transfer the chopped walnuts to a large mixing bowl and stir together with almond flour, coconut, flax, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of the food processor, combine the dates, egg, honey, vanilla and butter or oil. Process until smooth. If you still see flecks of date, that’s ok, but make sure there are no large chunks left.
5. Pour the wet (food processor) mixture into the dry mixture that you set aside and stir to thoroughly combine.
6. Use an ice cream scoop to portion the dough into 4-tablespoon mounds. Use your palm to gently flatten the top into a thick disc. Place the cookies 2” apart on the prepared baking sheet.
7. Bake for 16-20 minutes (mine took exactly 18) until golden brown. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Once the cookies are cooled, drizzle the melted chocolate over the cookies. The easiest way to do this is to pour the melted chocolate into a small zip top bag, seal it, and snip the corner off of the bag so that you can use it as a piping bag. Allow the chocolate to set before serving.