From Almond Milk to Healthy Treats . . . Almond Pulp Bites

Chocolate Almond Pulp Bites

Ummm . . . I just grabbed one of these tasty little chocolatey treats from the freezer  . . . delightful . . . they hit the spot, plus I'm munching raw nutrients that are good for me!

My husband does pretty good eating nutritious foods and adding in a good amount of raw foods, but he still buys and eats  jalapeno potato chips, ice cream, and has his stash of candy and Little Debby Nutty Bars . . . but I need a healthy treat that I can grab on the run (which helps me to avoid the no-nos). These are good!

I've enjoyed making and drinking my own almond milk but there were baggies of left over almond pulp in the freezer calling me to put them to good use. I thought of almond pancakes or macaroons (see recipe in a previous post), but I came up with my own easy dehydrated cookie.  They are similar to the macaroons which I LOVE, but a bit different. I made a double batch—one plain with cinnamon, and one with a melted chocolate, nutty topping. Here's how:

Ingredients for basic cookie:

2 cups raw almond pulp (left over from almond milk recipe)

1 cup raw almond butter

4 Tbs unsweetened coconut - fine cut

4 Tbs sucanat (or honey or sweetener of your choice)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp coconut extract

Options:

3-4 Tbs raw cacao powder (for chocolate version)

1 tsp cinnamon (for plain version)

dark melted chocolate for topping

chopped nuts, for topping or add some to basic cookie mixture before forming

 It makes a stiff dough.

1. Blend the almond pulp with almond butter, coconut, sweetener, salt and extract. You should get a stiff heavy dough that will still be moist and easily hold together.
2. Depending which option you want, add cinnamon, cacao powder, or chopped nuts to the above and mix in.
3. Pinch off a teaspoon-size chunk of dough, roll it into a ball, and flatten into a cookie shape with your fingers. Place on a dehydrator sheet. (Makes approx 36 cookies)
4. Dehydrate at 110 degrees for 12-18 hours. I made these in the afternoon and let them dry until morning. They were most likely done before then. 
5. If you want to make the chocolate treats, then melt the dark chocolate, spoon some on top, and sprinkle with nuts.
6. Store in a baggie in the fridge, (or freezer like I do).

 Lined up for the dehydrator.

 Before the topping.

I have to admit, the plain, basic cookie I made tasted kind of bland, and that's when I decided to add the chocolate topping and nuts. I think the cinnamon ones would have been better if I had added some chopped nuts to the batter, but then I am thinking they'd be good dipped in chocolate too. Anyway, I'll probably eat a few for a breakfast pick-me-up along with some fruit.

 Ready to enjoy!

P.S. I took some of my plain cinnamon bites and sandwiched a heap of nut butter between two of them. Delicious!

Quote for the day: 

“If you can't get a miracle, become one.” ― Nick Vujicic http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/