Happy 2016! How were your holidays? I hope you had a wonderful rest with lots of time to relax with your friends and family. I felt crazy busy most of the time and every day was jam-packed but I am truly thankful for the amount of beauty I was lucky to enjoy in our stunning province of British Columbia. This, this and this were a handful of my favourite moments.

Do you have anything fun lined up for the weekend ahead? I am looking forward to  babysitting a pair of adorable newborn twins tonight and perhaps slothing outdoors for a lazy Sunday morning coffee and brunch at this spot.  Whatever you are up to, I hope you have a great time getting ‘er done.

So, it’s time to talk about the real deal here: these cookies. The little delights are a freshly baked batch of cashew butter cookies with chocolate chips. (Yes, freshly baked! They are filling my apartment with a warm, nutty and irresistible aroma right now.) The cookies are a crispy, buttery and delicious variation on the traditional old-timer peanut butter cookie. So I think it’s time to officially dub these as the “chic-chic” version of Mr. Peanut Butter’s timeless favourite.

And not to be annoying or anything, but these cookies are healthy (bonus!) Who would have thought right? They look so delectable. The choice of cashew butter over dairy butter means that the nuts provide heart-healthy monounsaturated fats to the cookie recipe and the cookie-eater, fats that are similar to those found in olive oil. Now compare cashew butter to the usual dairy-butter blocks we reach for as bakers. Dairy butter is laced in saturated fats! Eeep, sadly not good for our little hearts.

As you are well aware, with January comes New Year’s resolutions. Have you made any? For many people, healthy living and fitness are high up on the lists. Why not begin our year together on Blue Owl with a healthy-ish cookie recipe, right?

Today’s recipe is paleo (meaning caveman-approved) gluten-free (no flour or flour substitute at all!) and can be easily altered to be vegan (see below). All those fancy words mean these are healthy….. of course…. ;)

I loaded my cookies with the full 1 cup of chocolate chips as prescribed (I am obsessed with chocolate and got my hands on 70% cocoa chocolate…. omg it’s so good), but feel free to put as little/much as you like in these cookies. When you’re baking the cookies, make sure to keep an eye on them as the high nut-butter content makes the edges nice and golden in about 10 minutes. I pulled my cookies out at about that time and they turned out divine! Gooey insides and crispy outside. Mui perfecto!

Cashew Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chips

(paleo, vegan)

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz.) jar creamy cashew butter*
¾ cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
2 eggs (or chia eggs)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. (You can generously grease the pan with coconut oil, if you prefer.)

2.  In a large bowl or stand up mixer, combine all of the ingredients except for the chocolate chips and stir well/beat well until a sticky dough is formed. Don’t over beat– the cashew butter will start to separate between oil and nut.

3.  Fold in the chocolate chips, if using, and then drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheet.

4. Use your fingers (getting them wet helps prevent sticking) to gently press the dough down into a cookie-shape, as these cookies only spread slightly.

5. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are lightly golden. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

6. Serve at room temperature, or store them in the freezer for a firm and crispy texture. (We prefer them frozen!)

Recipe Credit: Detox Inista

And there you have it! I hope you enjoy your little treats. Once fully cooled, it’s best to store them in an air-tight container or freeze them in a freezer bag for future snacking. I hope you have a wonderful month ahead full of healthy living, motivation and accomplishing all those positive thoughts you have for yourself. You can do it. (insert strong-man emoji)

Love,
Blue Owl

PS: How to deal with the post-vacation blues.

PPS: This may be old-news, but I am currently obsessed and devouring this podcast.  Highly recommend it! (And it’s a nice detox from netflix binging)