Aaron's favorite cookie

I am not even exactly sure what to call them because I came up with this recipe through years of tweaking and experimenting to get a yummy whole grain cookie. 

If I had to give them a name, though, I suppose I could call them Spelt Chocolate Coconut Cookie with Almonds. It's kind of a mouthful, though. After reading this post, let me know what you think they should be called!

Last week, I measured out all of the ingredients and put them all in separate bowls, and let Aaron go at it! He had the best time mixing all the ingredients together, putting the dough on the cookie sheet, and putting them in and taking them out of the oven. He made it known to everyone that they were not "mommy-made cookies" they were "Aaron-made!"

The first recipe will contain the ingredients that I use to make them, the second recipe will be an alternative for those who may not have certain ingredients on hand.

Here is the recipe: (For my Spelt-Loving friends)

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees

2 1/4 Cup Spelt flour

1/2 C Cocoa Powder

1/4 - 1/2 tsp Sea Salt

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 Cup Butter (or 1/2 Cup Butter and 1/2 Cup Coconut Oil)

1 2/3 Cup Evaporated Cane Juice + 1-2 TBS of Molasses 

2 Large Eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 Cup of sliced Almonds (I pulse them in the food processor slightly)

1 Cup of unsweetened Coconut (hard to find at a regular grocery store)

OR

1 3/4 Cup All Purpose Flour (you will have to play around with this a little - I've never made it with APF before, you may need a little less than the 1 3/4 Cup or perhaps more ... just add slowly)

1/2 Cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt

2 sticks of butter

1 Cup brown sugar

2/3 Cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 Cup sliced almonds ... slightly chopped (or any nut of your choice)

1 Cup coconut

You can eliminate nuts if you wish ... we love the crunch that it gives to the cookies, though.

Directions:

Sift together dry ingredients and set aside. Combine butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla until creamy. Slowly add dry ingredients until combined. Fold in almonds and coconut. You can toast the coconut in the oven on low heat for a few moments if you wish(before you add them to the cookie dough) ... just be careful and watch closely, they burn easily and quickly! 

Drop Tablespoons full of cookie dough on a cookie sheet and bake for 12-13 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Remove from cookie sheet and place on a baker's rack to cool.

If you happen to make these ... let me know how they turn out for you!

Also ... if you would like to try it with spelt flour, stop by The Grain Mill of Wake Forest, and pick up some freshly ground spelt flour. It's fantastic grain that is low in gluten and has about 30% more protein than other wheats. I use spelt for our sandwich bread, muffins, pancakes, waffles, brownies, and cookies!

And one more thing ... don't forget to help me name this cookie! I need creative help!