Almond Joy Cookies

Almond Joy Cookies

from www.amyshealthybaking.com

The other day, I made up a batch of brownies for my husband.  Well, that was my intent, but I helped him eat them. The recipe is fantastic and a little on the healthier side.  The recipe is HERE if you'd like to see that post.  The recipe is rather low fat, the brownies contain both yogurt and applesauce, and the end result is a dense, delicious, and great brownie.  As I was making these brownies, I decided to turn the pan in the oven when the brownies were almost done... you know, because the back of the oven generally tends to be a little hotter than the front of the oven.  As I was turning the brownies, I hit the side of my wrist on the roof of the oven, burning my wrist.  I jerked my hand away from the oven roof and proceeded to whack my middle finger on the oven rack, burning my finger. At that moment, I decided the Universe was telling me to STOP baking!

Of course, fast forward a few days and I found a blog called "Amy's Healthy Baking (www.amyshealthybaking.com).  A recipe called "Almond Joy Cookies" caught my eye and, sure enough, I had all the ingredients on hand to make the cookies.  I had just enough agave nectar and just a enough semi-sweet chocolate chips to make these cookies. Somehow I find using up the last little bits of ingredients very satisfying.  See, the Universe wanted me to make these cookies.

And I am glad I did. These cookies are really delicious. I brought them down to the knit shop and the gals all really liked them.  I left the cookies at the shop; I don't think I can be trusted with them. 

Amy at Amy's Healthy Baking is a really smart cookie.  Her Bio reflects she was a Chemistry major in college. I could tell she takes a scientific approach to baking (I LOVE that!); her list of ingredients are listed in cups and also ounces/grams.  This results in really great baking results.  In the recipe, she discusses how it's really important to carefully and properly measure ingredients or the cookies might be dry and crumbly. 

It seems that Amy has a bit of an "oatmeal cookie formula".  She has many varieties of these cookies and she just switches up a few of the ingredients.  She mentions that agave nectar, honey, or maple syrup can be used in place of one another, but points out they do have different flavor profiles which may change the flavor of the cookies.  The agave nectar, honey, or maple syrup are the primary "wet" ingredients in these cookies, along with just a little melted coconut oil, and one egg.  She switches up the "add in" ingredients too of course. She has a Raspberry Oatmeal Cookie, a Blueberry Oatmeal Cookie, a Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookie, and even a Pineapple Coconut Oatmeal Cookie.  One could easily make up their own varieties using her recipe as a starting point.  Based upon ingredients I have on hand, I am imagining an Oatmeal Raisin Pecan Cookie with Maple Syrup; I wish I had some maple extract to add in.  The possibilities are endless if you use your imagination.  I am sure I'll come back to this recipe again and try more varieties. 

Here is the recipe link for the Almond Joy Cookies.

These cookies are on the healthier side.  There are only 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in the entire batch of cookies.  I did make my cookies significantly smaller than recommended and adjusted the baking time accordingly (only 10 minutes).  I ended up with slightly more than 2 dozen cookies.  I found that the cookies do need to be flattened (with your fingertips or palm) before baking.  My cookies did not flatten out while baking. In the photo at the top of the page, you can see the cookies I made where I flattened the cookies before baking. Below, you can see the cookies I baked where I did NOT flatten the cookies before baking. They are rather domed shaped.  I preferred the flattened cookies more.  I do live at high altitude which could have impacted how the cookies do or don't flatten out while baking.