Chocolate Chip Cookies

A friend of mine posted a link on facebook for a Chocolate Chip cookie recipe from marksdailyapple.com.  It was such a unique recipe.  It intrigued me and I couldn't wait to try it.  Wooo Hooo for me.  I got my Christmas present from my mom early and it was a Vitamix Blender.  Basically the same blender Jamba Juice uses only mine has a few more options.  Now I could make cookies all day long if I so wished.  I have opted for making the cookies two days in a row instead of all day long! 

Every little person loves to help cook and especially make COOKIES!  Mine are no exception.  We started with the quite strange recipe and wondered what in the world the cookies would taste like.  In fact as we were adding the ingredients my oldest child, 1 of 3, kept making faces and saying she didn't think she was going to eat the cookie.  First we made a paste out of dates in the blender, then we added walnuts and pecans.  Oh I wish I had a picture of 1 of 3's face as we were doing this!  Then we added the wet ingredients and blended some more.  Finally it was time to mix in the chocolate chips and the coconut.  The batter smelled fabulous and we became more and more anxious to try this new concoction.  Here is the recipe we used from marksdailyapple.com.  http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-holiday-desserts/

Ingredients:

• 4 dates, pits removed
• 1 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grind dates in the food processor until a paste forms, about 40 seconds. Add walnuts and pecans and blend until very finely chopped, about 35 seconds. Add baking soda and salt and pulse a few more times. 
Warm the coconut oil so it is in liquid form. With the food processor running, drizzle it into the batter with the egg and vanilla. Stop mixing as soon as the egg and oil are blended in.
Scrape the batter into a bowl and stir in coconut and chocolate chips by hand. The dough will be sticky and wet. Drop 12 portions of the dough onto a cookie sheet, then flatten slightly with your fingers.
Bake 15 minutes, or until nicely browned.

The cookies were a huge hit!  I actually was quite surprised.  All 3 of my little people LOVED them and begged for another.  Come on, with Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips who wouldn't beg for more?  I enjoyed them too, but they weren't quite perfect.  I found that they left a bit of an unpleasant aftertaste in my mouth.  Especially when they were still hot right out of the oven.  I wondered if it might be the coconut oil.   My husband felt they needed to be a little sweeter.

So today I made a few modifications and tried the recipe again.  I substituted applesauce for coconut oil and added agave nectar for sweetness.  My husband and I like this modifidied version much better but 1 of 3 likes the original recipe better.  I guess the verdict is still out.  I'd love to know what you think if you make these cookies. 

Here is the modified recipe. 

• 4 dates, pits removed
• 1 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons applesauce
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Follow the rest of the directions from the above recipe. 

I have to run now and grab another cookie before my husband eats them all!