Quinoa-Coconut Power Cookies

Ingredients

½ cup (90 g) uncooked quinoa

1 large egg

1 cup (160 g) coconut butter

4 cup (120 ml) pure maple syrup or ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, or ¼ cup ofeach

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1½ cups (175 g) peanuts, pecans, walnuts, or other favorite nut, lightly toasted and roughly chopped

1 cup (120 g) dried sour cherries, cranberries, strawberries, or other favorite dried fruit

Directions

Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

Spread the quinoa on a sheet pan and bake until lightly golden and nutty smelling, about 10 minutes. (If you're using a darker-colored quinoa, you won't see much of a color change.) Remove from the oven but leave the oven on; let the quinoa cool.

Put the egg, coconut butter, maple syrup and/or sugar, salt, and baking soda in a food processor and pulse until well blended. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and fold in the nuts, dried fruit, and toasted quinoa.

Line the sheet pan with parchment or lightly grease with coconut butter. Using a ¼-cup (60 ml) ice cream scoop or measuring cup, scoop out just a bit less than ¼ cup (60 ml) dough and drop onto the lined sheet pan. Press down lightly to make a round "patty" about ½ inch (1.25 cm) thick. The cookies won't spread much.

Bake until the cookies just start to turn golden around the edges, 12 to 14 minutes. Let them cool for a few minutes on the pan before moving them to a rack-they are very fragile but will firm up as they cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Notes

Bring these on your next hike or camping trip, as they do an excellent job as breakfast on the trail, satisfying the munchies while providing some long-lasting nutrition. Make sure you're buying coconut butter and not coconut oil or cocoa butter. Coconut butter is made from coconut flesh, not just the oil that's pressed out of the coconut. It's crazy delicious on its own, so if this is your first time using it, I suspect it won't be your last. Note that the texture of the cookie changes depending on the sweetener you use. All maple syrup makes a cakier cookie, while all sugar makes a crisper one. I often use half and half. -Makes about 1 dozen cookies