Cookies Keto Style

 A friend and I are following the keto diet (mostly__ but I will admit to an occasional lapse) and we have a saying when a recipe is good. "It almost tastes like the real thing". Last night I had a serious craving for something chocolate but did not want to invest much prep time. Since a lot of the keto recipes seem to take ridiculous numbers of steps from start to finish, I choose to make Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Cookies. If I am going to be totally honest these will never replace traditional cookies in either taste or texture, so if you are eating grains then ignore this totally. If you are keto or have issues with gluten this could be a very quick solution to beating those cookie cravings.

(If I had thought about doing a post on these or were making them for anyone but me, I would have put 3 chocolate chips on the top of each cookie prior to putting them in the oven. It would have made a prettier presentation, but they were just for my consumption in a moment of cravings and speed took precedent over esthetics. For a size comparison those are raspberries, so the cookies are small. I did that on purpose because I do not like being restricted to just one stinkin' cookie.)

1/3 cup coconut flour (Bob's Red Mill*)
3/4 cup Swerve* (Erythritol sugar substitute)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt
3/4 cup butter, melted
3 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup no sugar chocolate chips (I use Lily's* sweetened with stevia)

Heat oven to 350. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper (Critical, trust the one who did not do this the first time they made these cookies).

Mix the dry ingredients in a medium size bowl. Stir in the butter, then using a mixer beat in the eggs and vanilla. Stir in the chocolate chips. When everything is thoroughly combined use a cookie scoop to scoop out the dough  and place on the baking sheets. Bake for  about 12 minutes (my oven at least, check after 10 minutes and see if the center is firm. If so then take them out, they are done.

* The things I starred are just products I use. I have no affiliation with any of them or with any of their representatives or brokers. This is just my very honest opinion based on my experience comparing them to other products I have used.

For the best coconut flour based recipes I have found it really makes a difference when you buy a finer milled product. I have the best experience with Bob's. I was out of it and picked up a store brand instead, mainly because it was about a buck cheaper. Using it resulted in a drier grainy cookie. I will finish it, but only using it for Keto "bread" since I don't mind the graininess when I am eating it.  When I go to the store this week, Bob's coconut flour is on my list.

I use Swerve which is just erythritol but it is available nearly everywhere instead of having to go to a health food store. The taste is good, it does not cause insulin levels  to rise like sucralose (Splenda) can, and it measures like sugar. The downside is it does give baked goods a "cooling" taste, and it does not dissolve completely in things like puddings or custards. I use this rarely so I don't worry about the slight imperfections. Before I found Swerve I used a powdered stevia and had trouble adjusting the amount since it does not measure like sugar, plus it can leave an unpleasant aftertaste in baked dishes, though I find it fine in iced tea or an occasional sweetened coffee.

Before I found the Lily's chocolate chips I would just use chopped unsweetened bakers chocolate. It added a lot of chocolate flavor but none of the sweetness I prefer in a chocolate chip. Lily's are dark chocolate mini chips sweetened with stevia. They are very expensive per bag, but you use very little in any recipe. I have found so they last for a long time. In the cookie recipe above I only used 1/4 cup of them and it was plenty for me. Occasionally I find them at Sprouts for under 5 bucks a bag, When I do, I buy 6 of them and hoard them.