Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free Chocolate Chip Almond Pecan Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup unsalted creamy almond butter (well stirred)
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate
• Maldon or flaky sea salt, to sprinkle (optional)

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, beat together with a large spoon the egg, vanilla, and almond butter until combined. Stir in the almond flour, salt, coconut sugar, and baking soda until smooth. Stir in the walnuts, oats, and chocolate chips, working the dough a bit to get everything distributed evenly (the dough will be thick – that’s okay)
3. Scoop the dough into rounded teaspoonfuls and drop them onto the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with Maldon salt, if using. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until edges turn golden brown.
4. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. While the texture of these is best on the first day (I like to eat small batches and eat them fresh), they’ll keep uncovered at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.

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Notes

• This recipe works well with other nut butters like cashew but always remember when using nut butters in recipes: make sure to stir it well beforehand as the oils can separate. 

Anne Clegg's French Quiche

Ingredients:

1 round prepared pastry (1/2 of a 15-ounce package) or one pie/pastry crust
1/2 pound smoked slab bacon
1 thick-slice boiled ham (3 1/2 ounces)
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 eggs 1 1/4 cup light cream
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp. chopped chives
1 cup (3 1/2 ounces) diced Gruyere or Swiss cheese

Instructions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2.  Line a buttered 9 to 10-inch tart mold or pie plate with the pastry.
3.  Dice the bacon and ham into small cubes, removing any rind.
4.  Melt the butter in a skillet, add the bacon and sauce until lightly browned. Drain and spread over the bottom of the tart shell. Sprinkle the cubed ham evenly over the shell.
5.  Break two of the eggs into a mixing bowl. Separate the whites from the yolks of the remaining two eggs, adding the yolks to the mixing bowl with the whole eggs.  (Reserve the whites for another use.)
6.  Beat the eggs and yolks with a fork, incorporating the cream. Season with the salt, pepper, nutmeg and chives. Stir in the cheese.
7.  Turn the mixture into the tart shell. Place in the preheated oven and cook for about 30 minutes.