Travel Dessert: Crunchy Cinnamon Hermit Cookies

I was a weird kid.  There are many reasons and examples of this, but the one that always comes back to make is my eating habits.  While everyone else was busy eating chocolate chip cookies or Oreos, I was drooling over things like gingersnaps or hermit cookies.  Oh, hermits.  They had the perfect blend of random ingredients thrown in, plus a kick of ginger, and always left me satisfied.  Of course, since I don't really eat flour anymore this is always one of my tortures when I head up into NH or VT and into a little coffee shop with homemade delights... wishing I could eat the damn hermit cookies.

So in honor of our trip to VT this weekend, I bring you not ginger, but cinnamon, hermit cookies.  Why cinnamon?  Because that's what I made, and it pairs perfectly with the sea salt, chocolate chips, and raisins.  Could you try ginger?  Sure, go for it!  Let me know how it turns out.  But in the meantime, here's the goods... short and sweet, just like today's recipe (see what I did there?)  These cookies are DENSE, filling, HEALTHY, and delicious.  We are taking a bunch as our chair lift snack for our ski trip this weekend... enjoy!  (Oh, and sorry about the pictures.  Not my best, but at least there's something...?)

Crunchy Cinnamon Hermit Cookies

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cashew flour or GF oats or regular oats
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 1/4 cup hemp seeds
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)
• 1/2 cup organic raisins
• 1/8 cup butter or coconut oil, melted
• 2 tbsp milk or coconut milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup peanut butter or almond butter
• 2 eggs 
• 1tbsp – 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, raw honey or raw agave (optional)

Pre heat oven to 350.  Combine ingredients, wet first, then dry.  Scoop out the dough and roll into balls. Place on parchment-lined cookie sheet and gently press down with a spoon... sticky, careful!

These cookies don’t spread so you need to press them down to help them cook evenly.  Bake for about 25 - 30 minutes or until they are starting to turn light brown... dark brown and you've gone too far and will have crispy raisins.

Definitely let them cool before you eat... they get pretty hot!

**modified from www.http://simplylovefood.com