If you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m a chocoholic.
I come by it honestly. My oldest brother had a friend in high school who went to Belgium and brought back a 5 lb chocolate bar for him as a present. My brother kept it in the freezer, woke up every morning, cut off a chunk and started his day with the world’s best chocolate for a few weeks. My other brother, parents, and I would all look on with chocolate-lovers jealousy as we chewed our stale Cheerios in reconstituted powdered milk. If we were lucky, we would get a taste.
We weren’t lucky very often.
In my adult life, I try to incorporate chocolate into my diet as much as possible. In moderation, keeping it very dark, fair-trade certified, blah blah blah. But there is something very satisfying about ending the day with a square of 80% cacao chocolate. There is also something slightly indulgent about beginning the day the same way, too.
I had to give up grains entirely when my baby was small because many foods seemed to upset his stomach. Almonds were always a pass, and so was chocolate. THANK GOD. Because honestly, I don’t know what I would have done to keep my milk supply up and my sanity intact. Dark chocolate made the busy days of exclusive pumping and caring for a baby while working 30+ hours a week mentally possible, and almonds made it physically possible. In fact, if I could give awards to food, almonds and chocolate would win the Food Oscar every time.
Breakfast has always been the hardest meal of the day for me to plan and prep. I always crave something fast and healthy, with minimal effort. (Okay! I crave this every other meal of the day, too. Breakfast is worst, though.) So, I started experimenting in my little kitchen and came up with these simple and delightful breakfast treats. Really, they’re not limited to breakfast, and make a great snack as well. They fall somewhere between a scone and a cookie, so my midwife nicknamed them “scookies”. The name stuck. And then my clients started ordering them, offering to pay me way too much money for a dozen of these paleo breakfast treats. Since I love cooking but lack the desire to become a full-time paleo baker and the Department of Health permits to do so, I gladly share this with those clients, friends, families, and now the Internets.
Ingredients:
- 1 16 oz jar unsalted almond butter (Raw is best, but roasted works, too.)
- 3 large eggs (I use duck eggs because they are super rich and my son is allergic to chicken eggs.)
- 1/4 cup raw honey
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
- 1/2 tsp natural sea salt (I prefer kosher style)
Directions:
- In a small mixing bowl, combine eggs, almond butter, vanilla extract and honey. Stir well.
- Add baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Combine thoroughly. (You can use a mixer, but I prefer using a sturdy spatula.)
- Fold in mini chocolate chips.
- On a parchment lined baking sheet, spoon dough in golfball-sized portions, leaving plenty of room to expand during the baking process.
- Sprinkle with a dash of kosher sea salt and bake at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes, depending on your oven and altitude.
- Remove from oven and transfer to a baking rack to cool for 10 minutes before devouring them.
Eating a protein packed breakfast doesn’t have to be hard. And it can even be full of things you like that fuel you, body, mind, and chocoholic spirit.
Peace, Love and Chocolate,
Carrie
Going to have to make these…