Double Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies!

I love almonds!. I love almonds so much that I have a 3 lbs bag of almonds, 1 lb of almond meal (skinned), 1 lb of almond meal (un-skinned), a big jar of almond butter in my pantry, a big bottle of almond oil and I just emptied a carton of almond milk!!!! . I guess that is just obsession.... well, Almonds are pretty healthy too. They are very rich in Vitamin E, B vitamins, fiber and  contain bad cholesterol lowering "good" fats. So next time you are looking for a snack when your bored think almonds!. Almond flour is gluten free and low in carbs, so those of you with gluten allergies, or looking for a low carb diet, can replace regular flour with almond flour. Similarly almond milk can be used in place of regular milk if you have lactose intolerance. Even if you are not lactose intolerant it is a healthy option as it is cholesterol free. Let me not bore you all with an even lengthier session of  "Why almonds are good" stealing info from Wikipedia.

About the recipe: As I mentioned earlier I had a big jar of almond butter sitting in my fridge. There is only so much of that one could eat with toast and taking a spoon full of while noticing it every time in the fridge, so I have been on the quest for a good recipe that uses almond butter. After a few weeks of looking at recipes out there I found some I liked. I had been warned by my husband to find excuses to distribute all the yummy goodness rather than leaving them at home for him to hunt down and add to his belly, so I decided to bake up a batch of these cookies to take with us to give out to family and friends we visited this past weekend. 

Ingredients
recipe adapted from here & here 
2 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
3/4 tsp. Salt
1 Cup Unsalted Butter ( 2 sticks), Room Temperature
1 Cup Dark Brown Sugar, Packed
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Creamy Almond Butter, Stirred
2 Eggs
1 tbsp. Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Chopped Almonds
3/4th - 1 Cup Chocolate Chip

Procedure: 

• Preheat oven to 350 F / 180 C. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Beat the butter and sugars till mixed.

• Add the almond butter and beat it till its nice and fluffy. The smell of almond butter is so good. You smell the nutty flavors already!
• Add the eggs, one at a time. Also add the vanilla extract and beat them together till combined.

• Add the flour mixture little by little until incorporated.
• Add the almonds and chocolate chips and fold them gently into the batter.

• You can place the dough in the fridge for a while before baking. It is an optional step, though. I happened to forget to preheat the oven. With the extra time I had, I decided to put my dough in the fridge as I do for other cookies.
• Roll the dough into 2 tablespoon sized balls, and lay them on parchment paper-lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
• Press the tops of the dough balls with the bottom of a drinking glass dipped in flour or sugar. You can sprinkle the tops with a little sea salt. (I skipped adding the sea salt)

• Bake for 13-15 mins. Allow the cookies to cool on the tray before moving it to a cooling rack.

• Once the cookie cools down fully..... Attack!

This cookie was very tasty. I loved it. This cookie is not entirely crisp. As brown sugar is hydroscopic (It absorbs the moisture around), it makes the cookie soft and chewy. This recipe makes about 3 -3 1/2 dozen cookies.