Hey party people! Today I’m making cookies because 1. my mom is in town for her annual Mother’s Day weekend extravaganza, 2. I’m celebrating my 1 year-a-versary of being vegan (vega-versary?), and 3. what kind of crazy person doesn’t love chocolate chip cookies!? I remember it like it was yesterday…it was New Year’s 2013 and I was making my usual resolution to eat better, work out, and blah blah the usual proclamations that people always tend to stick to for about 3 weeks. Then, I stumbled across 2 documentaries on Netflix that had a huge impact on me- Vegucated and Forks Over Knives. I had seen films like these before and knew deep down they presented a logical enough argument to motivate anyone to change the way they eat, but I was always too lazy to apply this knowledge to my own life. But this time around, I was ready. A few friends and I got together and decided to make a change for the better. By February, I was no longer consuming chicken, pork, red meat or dairy. I stuck with just fish/seafood for a bit, but by April I had no desire to continue eating any kind of animal products. I just felt better when I didn’t. As a side effect, switching to green smoothies for breakfast also caused me to stop drinking coffee. Just like that, it was all behind me and I’ve never looked back.

A year later, I have the following pearls of wisdom to share with you-

1. It’s just as easy to get fat eating vegan junk food as it is eating regular junk food.
2. Nothing will ever stop BBQ from smelling amazing.
3. It’s worth it to place high maintenance orders at restaurants if it means getting what you need. People will also Snapchat you doing this.
4. People will never stop asking you where you get your protein and/or what foods you miss the most.
5. Kimberly Snyder is my hero.

Ok, enough about me for one blog…on to the cookies!

Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies (Gluten Free)

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 12 minutes
Total time: 27 minutes
Makes: 15 cookies

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond flour
• 2 1/2 tbsp all purpose gluten free flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• Pinch Himalayan sea salt

Wet Ingredients:

• 1 flax egg
• 4 1/2 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla

Add-ins:

• 1/4 cup dairy free chocolate chips
• 1/2 chopped raw walnuts (or whichever type of nuts you prefer)

Directions:

1. Prep- preheat your oven to 350* F and make your flax egg and put it in the refrigerator.
2. Mix dry ingredients in one bowl, wet ingredients in another. Mix dry & wet ingredients together, then stir in the chocolate chips and nuts.
3. Spoon 15 balls of the cookie dough onto a nonstick cookie sheet, and bake for 12-15 min or until the tops are lightly brown. While your cookies are baking, lick your bowl, because why not.