Lemony Cashew-Coconut Balls

Since going primal, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss baking. Its been a huge part of my life as well as my choice meditation method for years. However, after getting a few primal dessert recipes under my belt I’m beginning to feel right again, and am also in awe of how awesome sweet treats can be even if they don’t rely on dairy, grains or processed sugar. Who knew that nuts had so much potential?

These cookies are pretty basic and very easy to prepare. They can be made using any nut flour (the original recipe uses a combo of almond and coconut), and rely on the powers of coconut oil to give them their form and texture. Since coconut oil is liquid when warm, but has a jelly-like consistency at room temperature, it makes for the perfect binding agent. And if you’re not sold on these confections yet, you can go a step further (well, actually remove a step!) and enjoy them raw by removing them from the oven after the drying process and not continuing to bake at the higher heat to toast the coconut.

Lemony Cashew-Coconut Balls (adapted from Addicted To Veggies), makes about 28 cookies

• 1 ¾ cups finely Ground Cashews (use about 2 cups raw chopped cashews, and pulverize in the food processor)
• 1 ½ cups Shredded Unsweetened Coconut, plus 1 cup to coat the finished cookies
• 1/8 tsp Salt
• 6 TBSP Agave Nectar
• 1 TBSP Lemon Zest
• 4 TBSP fresh Lemon Juice
• 2 tsp Vanilla
• ¼ cup plus 1 TBSP melted Coconut Oil

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine ground cashews, shredded coconut, and salt. In a separate, smaller bowl, combine agave nectar, lemon zest and juice, and vanilla, and stir to combine well. With mixer running on medium speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. Once ingredients are incorporated, keep mixer running and slowly stream in the coconut oil, beating until the mixture thickens and forms a cohesive dough.

Heat the oven to its lowest setting (on my oven this was 170 degrees). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, and put remaining 1 cup of shredded coconut in a small bowl. Begin rolling out the dough into golf ball-sized cookies, and then roll each around in the shredded coconut to coat them evenly. Arrange them on the cookie sheet. Once your oven is heated, place the cookie sheet in the oven and leave the door open a crack (you can do this by sticking a wooden spoon in it to prop it open). Let the cookies warm/dry out for one hour.

After 1 hour, turn up the heat to 350 degrees (unless you’d prefer to keep these “raw”), and let the cookies bake for 8-10 minutes, until the coconut is lightly toasted. Remove tray from the oven and allow to cool completely. They will be dried and slightly crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside. Store your cookies in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!