N’Oatmeal Cookies – The Paleo Response to Oatmeal Cookies!
Let me start by saying this serving you this very serious warning: these cookies are absolutely DIVINE and EXTREMELY moreish! You might want to refrain from sitting yourself down within an arm’s reach of the cookie jar.
In fact, you should probably take one or two, put the rest SAFELY away and get as far from them as you possibly can. Go to the other room. Or to the neighbor’s house. No wait, they’ll probably want their share… Get in your car and drive. That would be a very good option!
Once and only once a safe distance has been put between you an the remaining cookies should you even consider getting a taste of the precious treasure that you are holding within your fingers.
Yes, they are that good. Consider yourselves warned!
While they MIGHT look everything like what you’d imagine a flavorless, dry, and interest-less allegedly healthy cookie should look like, they taste absolutely NOTHING like it.
I think it’s the flaxseed meal that’s responsible for that little bit of a “hippy” look. And to be honest, I debated for a very long time as to whether I was going to include it or not in the recipe. I was afraid that it would make the cookies taste like “hay”. But seeing as how the original called for it, I decided to go ahead and add it after all.
What a good call, it was!
Not only did the flaxseed meal not impart any kind of “hay” aftertaste, it greatly contributed to adding much chewiness and texture to these babies.
Leaving it out would have been a big mistake!
Come to think of it, I do have one more warning for you.
While the title of this post refers to these as “N’oatmeal Cookies, The Paleo Response to Oatmeal Cookies”, I have to be honest and say that they taste absolutely nothing like what you have come to expect from biting into a typical sugar laden oatmeal cookie.
They’re actually better. A thousand times better.
I would say they’re a little bit like a cross between a fresh, tender, chewy and slightly crunchy home made oatmeal cookie and a… Bear Paw. That’s right! A Bear Paw.
Or at least what my brains remember Bear Paws to taste like, for it has been years since I last had one.
But honestly, every single person who tasted them (yes, I had several lucky samplers this time!) said that they were simply crazy delicious, highly addictive and that I should seriously consider mass-marketing them!
Personally, I thought they were one of the best cookies I’d ever eaten. It was so hard to eat only just one… at a time!
Traditional oatmeal cookies have absolutely NOTHING on this paleo version. These are super tender and chewy and sweet and delectably spicy and have this crazy intense, rich buttery flavor to them.
Do yourselves a favor and go make a batch now!
Sorry… I did it again! I’ve got an AVALANCHE of pictures for you. What can I say? Food turns me on!
It’s not that I’m in love with the photographs that I take, it’s that I’m in love with the food that I photograph!
Can’t say the subject isn’t lovely! Oh goodness, what a beauty!
Even at that early stage of the process, those cookies are very hard to resist…
Oh! That dough! – Hurry, get them in the oven before I eat them all!
Can you see how the sun was slowly setting? I love that light…
That’s the plate you want to stay away from…
Grab one or two cookies and run! Yeah… much easier said than done!
N’Oatmeal Cookies – The Paleo Response to Oatmeal Cookies!
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1/2 cup flax seed meal
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp Himalayan salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1/4 cup lard
- 1/4 cup ghee
- 1/4 cup date paste
- 2 whole eggs
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine almond flour, flax seed meal, unsweetened coconut, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Mix with a whisk to ensure that the ingredients are very well distributed. Reserve.
- In a separate bowl, cream lard, ghee and date paste with a hand mixer, until light and fluffy in consistency. Add eggs, one at a time and make sure it’s well incorporated before adding the next one. Add vanilla extract and mix well. (you can also do this in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment)
- Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until just combined, no more.
- Stir in walnuts, dates and raisins.
- On a baking sheet that’s been lined with parchment paper, drop tablespoon-sized amounts of cookie batter; slightly flatten with a fork.
- Bake the cookies for 9-10 minutes; allow cookies to cool for a minute or two before attempting to move them to a cooling rack.
- Cool completely and store in an airtight container.
- These cookies will keep for up to 10 days in the refrigerator. HA!HA! That was funny. They will never last that long! 😉
Notes
Nutrition
If you’ve tried this recipe, please take a minute to rate the recipe and let me know how things went for you in the comments below. It’s always such a pleasure to hear from you!
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18 Comments on “N’Oatmeal Cookies – The Paleo Response to Oatmeal Cookies!”
That looks absolutely homey and delicious!!! Any chance I could substitute ghee for more lard(does the animal lard type affect the flavour?) and the date paste with perhaps egg whites, applesauce, or flaxseed?
I don’t see a problem with using more lard, Deirdre, but you wouldn’t be getting that crazy buttery flavor if you did that, that’s for sure. And it would be kind of a shame… However, I’m pretty sure that the structure of the cookies wouldn’t suffer from it.
As for the date paste, it is used as a sweetener, so flaxseed or egg whites wouldn’t work. Applesauce might do the trick, but since it contains so much more moisture, you’d probably have to compensate for that by adding more flour.
These look great! Is there something I can use besides almond flour? I am allergic to almonds. I’d love to try and make them if there’s a modification I can make.
I figure any other nut flour would do, Alicyn. Or maybe even chestnut flour…
Honestly, the photos are wonderful, but those look like the worst cookies ever, haha…That being said, I will totally make them & I believe you that are beyond delicious. You really cant judge a book by the cover. Thanks for another tasty, healthy, fun recipe 🙂
Not sure whether I should be flattered or offended… I’ll choose the former, I guess! 🙂 Trust me, Gina, those cookies are beyond delicious. If you ever do make them, make sure you tell me how you liked ’em! 🙂
Thing is, I’ll probably eat all of the raw cookie dough, by the spoonful…or better yet by the ice-cream scoop-ful. And I don’t think any of the cookies will make it to the oven.
Oh btw, I would really appreciate if you could appoint me as one of your official recipe samplers. I promise I’ll be very meticulous and harsh in my critiques 😉
The job is all yours, hon! Doesn’t pay much, however; I’m afraid the food will have to suffice as your only retribution…
ALSO, you have to promise to let me cook the food BEFORE you sample it, or at least leave some for me to cook!
No worries with having too many pictures. I love your pictures! They definitely inspire my own food photography.
Thank you very much Karen, that is really nice of you to say! 🙂
Hey,
Your blog is just amazing!!! I’m not in a paleo diet, but I just wants to make all your recipes!!!
You take the pictures yourself?! They are absolutely beautiful!!!
Let me ask you something: can I substitute lard for more ghee? I’m vegetarian but I’m dying to taste these!!!
Thank you so much…
Thank you so much Marcella, that is incredibly nice of you to say. Yes, all the pictures on this blog are by me, and I am very flattered by your kind words.
As for using more ghee instead of lard, absolutely, no problem! I’m sure that coconut oil would also work perfectly well. Let me know how you liked the cookies if you end up trying them! 🙂
Do you think honey would substitute ok for the date paste? I actually think these cookies look awesome! But I’m one for the messy chewy textured look ;). Thanks for all the wonderful recipes!
I really don’t think that it would be a problem, Danielle. I’m thinking raw honey would probably be your best bet here. Please let me know how they turn out if you end up trying them! 🙂
And the pleasure is all mine, really! 😀
These look and sound amazing!! Do you think coconut oil would work in replace of the lard?
I really wouldn’t see why not, Kaitlin. Plus, it would add such a great flavor, too! Let me know how it turned out if you end up trying it!
I’ve made these in the past and they are delicious!! Since then, I have to avoid flaxseed. What can I substitute? Chia seeds, egg? I am not opposed to eggs. Thanks so much!
I’m not sure really, Lisa, for I never actually tried it, but I would lean towards using ground chia seeds, on a one to one ratio.
Let me know how it turns out if you end up giving it a try!