As mentioned when I made my Primal Coconut Raspberry Muffins last week I am trying my hardest not to buy LaraBars or any prepacked snack/meal bars anymore. Too much packaging and too much money spent voting for companies that do not share my values. There are some pricier bars I could buy from more ethical companies but those bars would cost upwards of $2.00 a piece. No thanks…and it doesn’t solve the packaging issue.
Well this weekend I found a darn near perfect solution and I am rather excited. These are primal/paleo though peanut butter is not preferred it just happens to be one of the saltiest nut butters and I love the sweet/salty factor. You could make these with any nut butter though and I plan to make some with almond butter this week. They are perfect for eating before CrossFit class and they are super fast to make! My kids also ate them before school today and have some in their lunch boxes.
For this recipe I opted to use raisins instead of dates because they are easier and cheaper. Also because I used a high quality peanut butter with its natural oils and not a creamy, whipped mainstream variety, my cookies were very soft and required refrigeration to harden them up a bit. If you use a harder nut butter (like almond) this is not so much of an issue. If you want salty cookies then use a salted peanut butter.
Tip: To reduce packaging buy as much of this stuff as you can in bulk and in your own bags/jars.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies/Nests
1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)
2/3 cup raisins
4 T roasted peanuts or other nuts
2 t vanilla
2 T cocoa powder
2 T dark chocolate chips (in the mix – optional)
Dark chocolate chips for on the top
Mix together in a food processor or high powdered blender (Vita-Mix). As seen in the photo I made nests with my cookies but it you have a harder dough or refrigerate it first you can make them into balls and then use a spoon or fork to press down and make an actual cookie shape…your choice. Top with dark chocolate chips. Makes 8 cookies.
Another great “option” would be shredded coconut, which I plan to use for tomorrow’s cookies. Yum!
Yum. my kind of cookie!
Yep, totally vegan. :)
Gotta make these! I think I’ll use some organic and fair trade roasted cacao nibs from our local eco-friendly chocolate factory down the road here in Seattle. I love the idea of coconut but I’m the only one in our family who eats it—hey, maybe that’s perfect because I’ll get to eat all of these!
Sounds good to me!
Using raisins instead of dates – what a great idea!
These look yummy! I might even be able to fool my daughter, who doesn’t like nuts. (How do you find paleo treats for a kid who doesn’t like nuts??)
Any way, I saw this other post earlier today, and of course thought of you and your affinity for Larabars…. http://www.jensnaturalkitchen.com/homemade-cherry-pie-larabars/
Thanks for the link! I struggle with the nuts issue myself. My youngest hates nuts AND coconut! He is not nearly as paleo as the rest of us due to this. :(
I am going to try these today , thanks!
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