Healthy Chocolate Chip Sweet Potatoe Cookies (NO Sugar, NO Flour)

There’s nothing like the smell of freshly baked cookies. However, many store-bought varieties today are loaded with unhealthy amounts of sugar, preservatives, and processed grains. This is why it’s better to bake your own cookies at home.
Mercola.com reader Meg Brock shares her Real Food Cookies recipe, which doesn’t use sugar and flour. It’s a healthy alternative to a snack time favorite!

Ingredients

• 1 cup mashed sweet potato, cooked (leftovers work well)
• 2 large ripe bananas (use 3 if your bananas are small)
• 1 16-oz. jar of unsalted and unsweetened cashew butter
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Optional add-ins: Bittersweet chocolate chips and/or unsweetened shredded coconut.

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Put all of your ingredients (except for any add-ins) into a food processor. Mix on high until the batter is smooth (at least 30 seconds).
   
   You will need to stop at least once to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
   
   
3. Transfer the batter to a large bowl, and stir in any add-ins by hand.
   
   You can use 1 cup of bittersweet chocolate chips and ½ cup of unsweetened shredded coconut.
   
   Use whatever you like or nothing at all.
   
   
4. Drop the cookie dough/batter onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches of space between each cookie.
5. Bake for 15 to 16 minutes. You will need to watch the cookies closely at the end. You want them to be golden brown without burning.
   
   The longer you cook them, the crispier they will be. Cool them on a wire cooking rack.

This recipe makes 45 cookies.

 

 

Note: These cookies taste best the same day they are baked. However, if you plan to make them ahead of time, you can store them for days in the fridge (where they will turn soft). When you are ready to eat or serve them, reheat in a 350 degree F oven for about 10 minutes. This will make them crispy again. They also freeze well. Defrost them overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven for 10 minutes.

Why Real Food Cookies Is Good for You

Sweet potatoes are a good substitute for flour because of its vitamins and minerals. Beta-carotene, responsible for the potato’s orange hue, lessens your risk of heart disease and cancer, improves your immune system, and fights free radicals. However, make sure to eat sweet potatoes in moderation, especially if you’re insulin or leptin resistant, as these contain high amounts of fructose.
Another health boost comes from bananas because of the high potassium content, which can help control your heart rate and blood pressure levels. Bananas also help with combatting infections, promoting bone health, and protecting the heart. But just like sweet potatoes, bananas contain fructose, so don’t eat too much, especially if you’re insulin–or leptin–resistant.
For the eggs, opt for organic and pasture-raised. I place a premium on this type of egg because some eggs nowadays come from confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs), where chickens are kept in horrible and cramped cages and fed with artificial ingredients. What’s worse, bacteria like salmonella can thrive in these environments — truly a disaster in the making.
Meanwhile, organic pasture-raised eggs are nutritionally superior because they contain higher amounts of vitamins A and E, omega-3s, and beta-carotene. This is because the chickens were able to roam around clean pastures and eat their natural diet of seeds, green plants, insects, and worms instead of processed feeds, resulting in healthier, fresher eggs.

Source: http://recipes.mercola.com/real-food-cookies-recipe.aspx?e_cid=20160207Z1_DNL_art_2&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art2&utm_campaign=20160207Z1&et_cid=DM97521&et_rid=1346261814