Coconut Snowball Cookies with Cacao Nibs (No-bake & Paleo)
/I'm not really a cold-weather-loving person, but wearing a puffy coat in the snow makes me feel like a little kid again. With big snow flakes and fluffy drifts, this week's storm is the perfect excuse to stay at home and bake cookies. I might be jumping the gun on holiday season here, but... When the weather outside is frightful (and you have a batch of tasty paleo cookies in your hands)... Let it snow, let is snow, let it snow!
A cross between Macaroons, these Coco-Roons, and my own artistic liberties, these cookies are no-bake. Round and sweet, they bring out my inner child even more than just the snow. It's been sub-freezing around here all week, so after mixing together the ingredients I stuck the pan outside and within minutes (literally, about 3) they were ready to eat.
Now, while I'm inside enjoying a bowl of soup and a plate of cookies, I can't help but wonder what the neighborhood bunnies think. This guy?
He looks like he could use a pair of down booties. And some earmuffs (but maybe not as badly as this guy). (Yea, I know, I'm ridiculous. But aren't his feet cold??)
Based on how fast he bounded across the street right after I snapped this photo, he doesn't want anything to do with this earmuff business.
Anyways, where were we? Right, Coconut Snowball Cookies. There babies call for 7 ingredients--that's it! They are pretty much the easiest cookies I've ever made (unless you count holiday slice-and-bake tubes from my pre-paleo days, and even still these might be easier as they require no slicing and no baking). Other than being festive, they are pretty damn delicious too. The sweet honey and coconut manna "glue" melts away as you eat them, while the cacao nibs and coconut shreds provide a satisfying crunch.
Coconut Snowball Cookies with Cacao Nibs
Serves: 15 | Total Time:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup desiccated coconut (finely shredded)
- 1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons blanched almond flour (see note for AIP-friendly version)
- 1/2 cup coconut butter (manna) (Make this at home by blending 1 cup desiccated coconut on high in a high-power blender for 1 minute, or until buttery and smooth)
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup cacao nibs (see note for AIP-friendly version)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract (see note for AIP-friendly version)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions:
- Melt the coconut oil and the coconut manna (in the microwave, on the stove, what ever you prefer). In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, manna, and honey. Stir in the vanilla.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine the coconut, almond flour, and salt, mixing until evenly distributed. Pour the wet mixture over the dry mixture, and use a spatula to stir until well incorporated. Add in cacao nibs, stirring to distributed.
- The dough should be sticky and stay clumped together when pressed into a ball. Use a round tablespoon or small cookie scoop to form snowballs, packing the mixture into the spoon and then placing the snowballs onto a cookie sheet. (Tip: scrape your spoon of excess coconut mixture each time for best results) Once you have used all of the batter, place the cookie sheet in the fridge (or outside in cold weather) until the cookies have set. Serve with a cup of hot cocoa or store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.
- NOTE: For AIP-Friendly, sub out the almond flour with extra coconut and skip the vanilla and cacao nibs. Try sprinkling with cinnamon.
