Decadent NutButter Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pecans - Au Naturale!

​How to you pronounce "pecan"?

Do you say "PEE-can", "Pee-Kahn", "pick Ahn", or some other variation?  
However you pronounce it, pecans are a wonderful, healthy nut with a sweet, delicate flavor.  They are from the majestic pecan tree, a type of hickory, that is native to the North American Mississippi River valley.  The nuts ripen through the summer, then drop to the ground where they are collected in autumn.  Pecans are yet another reason to enjoy the fall season!

​Nutritional highlights of pecans:

Pecans owe their delicious flavor to their high fat content, which is approximately 71% heart-healthy monounsaturated oleic acid.  Although pecans are high in calories, their levels of macro- and micronutrients make them worth every morsel.  Each 1 ounce (1/4 cup) serving contains 2.6 grams of protein, 19.5 grams of fat, 3.93 grams of carbohydrate, and 2.72 grams of fiber.  Pecans are an excellent source of vitamin B1 and good source of vitamins B3, B6, B5, and E.  As far as minerals, pecans are great towards your daily intake of manganese, copper, molybdenum, zinc, magnesium, iron, potassium, selenium, and calcium.

Pecans are also a fantastic source of plant sterols, which have been widely known for their cholesterol-lowering effects.  A study done in 2001 at Loma Linda University showed that participants who ate a pecan-rich diet had lowered LDL cholesterol levels by a whopping 16.5 percent!  They also showed lower total cholesterol and triglyceride levels and maintained good HDL levels. The pecan-rich diet did not affect the participants weight. Why? pecans add richness and satiety to meals and snacks, which help people stick to a healthy eating plan.

Pecans are preferably bought in their shells, due to their high oil content and the possibility of rancidity.  If purchased shelled, check the sell-by date on the package.  Store them in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.  

Source Book: Encyclopedia of Healing Foods, By Michael T. Murray, Joseph Pizzorno, Lara Pizzorno

​NutButter Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pecans

Super rich and delicious, you'll love these decadent cookies and feel confident serving them to the most picky of guests.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup melted Tropical Traditions coconut oil, ghee, or butter
• 1/2 cup almond butter (or another natural nut butter, or sunbutter)
• 1/2 cup honey 
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla

 

• 1 cup almond flour or cashew meal
• 1/2 cup coconut flour

• 3/4 cup  ground pecans
• 1 tsp Real sea salt
• 1 tsp baking powder (aluminum free)

• 3/4 cup dark Enjoy Life chocolate chips
• pecan halves (optional)

Press the cookies down a little before baking.

​Instructions:
1.    Preheat oven to 325F.

2.    Combine coconut oil, almond butter, honey, vanilla, and egg in a medium bowl.  Mix well.  By hand works fine.

3.    In a separate small bowl, combine almond flour, coconut flour, ground pecans, salt, and baking powder.  Add to wet ingredients and stir to combine.  Add chocolate chips and stir again.   Allow the batter to sit for 5 minutes to thicken. 

4.   Scoop dough and place on greased cookie sheet, parchment paper, or I like to use a silpat.  Flatten the cookies with the back of a buttered spatula.  If you have any pecan halves, press one on the top of each cookie.  Oooh, la, la!

5.    Bake for 10-14 minutes, or until browned around the edges.

6.    Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack.  

Makes approximately 2 dozen cookies.  Store in fridge or freezer.

Pin it: