Coconut Butter Cookie Dough Balls

Hello paleo, gluten free, clean eating, vegan (ish) foodies!  It has been nearly six months since I last posted a recipe.  I was going through some pictures noticing that I was on quite a marathon with cooking!  With my busy schedule and travels, I haven't had a chance to post any new recipes.  I returned about a week and a half ago from a two week trip to Ecuador.  Wow! I was certainly inspired by the food there and will be working on Paleo-ifying some of the amazing food I ate while there.  Here's one example:

Caldo de Bola

This was an amazing soup with a plantain fritter sort of thing (bola) filled with shrimp in an amazing shrimp soup.  This is "Caldo de Bola con Camarón."  I will be trying to recreate a few things, in particular this caldo de bola, the many amazing ceviches I ate there, and my most favorite: Encebollado.  Stay posted for those attempts!

Well back to this particular recipe.  I had been without a fridge for over a week.  While on my travels, our fridge broke down.  I came back to an incredibly busy schedule due to facilitating a week long, all day workshop on inclusive teaching. Needless to say, I did not work on getting the fridge repaired or getting a new fridge for that whole week.  So, I come back from travels (I had been in Korea, Japan, Mexico, and Guatemala before Ecuador. Being away for so long I had to orient myself back to my home and my kitchen) and I had no idea where anything was, there were few ingredients, and we had no fridge!  With my husband in charge of the kitchen, even my vitamix lid was missing!  How can you lose that???!!! I am waiting for the replacement from Amazon.

Today, I made some ice tea (because I now have a fridge to store it).  Given that it's a very hot day today (90 degrees but the feel is like 100 due to humidity), I wanted a sweet treat without baking.  I wanted to use some coconut butter I still had, but didn't have a lot of other ingredients.  These cookies are now in the fridge as I wait for them to harden a bit.  However, I already ate one before going in the fridge and they are delicious!  So easy, no baking so ideal for those of you living in hot climates, and good for you! 

Just as a side note, also remember "fat doesn't make you fat!"  Coconut oil has medium chain triglycerides (MCFA), which is an important building block for all of our cells and can reduce cholesterol and heart disease.  Coconut oil can boost our immunity, kill bacteria and viruses, protect from degenerative diseases, and prevent osteoporosis.  Contrary to what some folks might think, the MCFAs are burned for energy and can stimulate your metabolism.  I know, it's hard to believe with how we have been socialized to fear fat.  Believe me, since I have lost my 42 pounds nearly 5 years ago, I have not put that weight back on, not even in Ecuador!  And I ate a lot!  My hypothesis is that I have managed to change my metabolism on a paleo diet.  Of course, this is total speculation based on an n of 1.  My own case study.  However, the benefits of coconut oil have been documented.  Here are two articles that discuss the health benefits of coconut oil. 

Helmer, J. (2007). Cook and beautify with coconut oil. Better Nutrition, 69(3), 40-42.  
Rubin, J. (2003). Extra Virgin Coconut Oil - the Good Saturated Fat. Total Health, 25(3), 30.

Just to offer some balance, medical doctors don't agree that coconut oil is as healthy as some claim it to be.  Of course, I don't really trust most mainstream medical doctors and always do my own research.  In truth, a lot more longitudinal studies could be done to better assess the health benefits or risks of coconut oil (most are short term - so even meta-analyses of studies are somewhat inconclusive).  You probably didn't need all that, but it's fun - I like to look up nutrition articles.

I almost forgot!!! The recipe:

1/2 cup of coconut butter (I used a bit of the vanilla cake flavor I had combined with a chocolate flavor I had).
1/3 cup of almond butter
1/4 cup of almond flour
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips

All you do is mix all the ingredients in a bowl (I softened/melted the coconut butter)
Place a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie sheet
Use a Tablespoon to scoop the batter and make them into little balls
Place on the parchment paper and put in the fridge to cool!

All done!!  Have fun!! Enjoy!! Great activity to do with your kids!

Love you all,

Leticia