C is for cookie and cookie is for me.

Words to live by and it actually reminded me of a funny story when I was first diagnosed. I’ll never forget it, it was literally right after my birthday and I remember thinking to myself; WORST. BIRTHDAY. EVER!!! This was then followed by a why me moment. Then I came home, turn on the TV and an Oreo commercial was on, no word of a lie I cried.

So right away with this diagnosis I was immediately took off all gluten containing products: no bread, no cake, no pizza, no cereal, no pasta, no burgers; so no fun is what I felt like saying. But then they decided (they being my doctors and specialists) we should probably do an endoscopy to take a better look (fun little procedure that thankfully I was knocked out for), but in order to get a proper reading on the endoscopy I had to start eating gluten again.

But this news came with a little bit of a mixed emotions… It would be like someone telling you; don’t eat that it’ll kill you, but do you think you could just eat it for a little bit longer??? But then all of a sudden this feeling of sheer excitement took over, like when you’re a kid and its Christmas morning, only for me it was about a cookie rather than a fat guy in a red suit about to eat my cookie. This was my chance to eat EVERYTHING I will miss forever, and I knew exactly where I wanted to start.

Le Gourmand in Toronto has without a doubt (in my opinion) the BEST cookies I have ever wrapped my lips around. They’re thick and chewy kind of like a cake and cookie made sweet sweet love. So my mom (best mom in the entire world) got into her car with me, and drove all the way to Toronto to buy a cookie, yep that was it, 40 minute drive for just one cookie.

Looking back now not sure what the heck I was thinking, I should have ordered everything and put myself into a gluten filled coma.

But don’t worry there’s a silver lining, because not only is my life full of cookies on a regular basis now, but soon yours can be too. BRING ON THE COOKIES!!!!!

Almond Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup Almond Butter

1 cup Shredded coconut (unsweetened)

½ cup raisins

½ cup dried cranberries

½ cup dark chocolate (I use dark chocolate chips)

¼ cup pumpkin seeds

¼ cup sunflower seeds

¼ – ½ cup maple syrup (depending how sweet you like your cookies, I only use 1/4 cup)

1 egg (vegans you can sub in a banana here)

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350

This recipe honestly couldn’t be any easier if you tried, line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Then throw all your ingredients into a bowl and blend on high with a hand mixer until everything is combined.

 

I use a 2 tbsp measuring spoon to measure out my cookies. Keep in the mind the longer you take fiddling and forming the sticker and messier this job with become. Form, squish and get em on the sheet. This is baking people not art, makes about 18 cookies, less if you’re like me and a few BIG ones sneak in there…

Bake for 14 minutes then this is the hard part, let them cool.

Once cooled I like to wrap mine up individually and then store them in the freezer, something about these cookies makes them taste better when they’re cold.

You should see my freezer, it looks like I’m preparing for an apocalypse and all I plan on eating is cookies.