Sweet Potato Cashew Cookies (gluten/dairy Free)

These cookies are amazing, packed with nutrients, and so easy! They are a Paleo treat that I keep on hand at all times (on the counter, in the fridge, in the freezer, in my backpack.....). I have no desire to eat bread, pasta, crackers, rice, etc.....but cookies are non-negotiable. I wouldn't eat the entire batch in one sitting....but a few cookies made of nuts, eggs and sweet potatoes? Definitely...

These store well at room temperature for about a day, in the fridge for about a week, and in the freezer for months (in a large Ziploc bag). You can pack them as a snack or in a lunchbox without any ice pack needed. They are soft....not crisp....and will get broken or smushed if you bury them under a pile of books in your backpack. Pack them in a hard sided container rather than a plastic bag for best results.

Do they taste like nuts or sweet potatoes? Nope....they taste like a regular old chocolate chip cookies. You can use almonds if you prefer them over cashews, and you can use cashew or almond butter if you don't have any whole nuts on hand. A food processor is a MUST for this recipe. Do not attempt this without one....

The following ingredient list will make 30 (2.5 inch) cookies. I usually double the recipe and freeze most of them. (The photo shows the ingredients doubled)

2 cups of cashews** (I used roasted and salted nuts....use whatever you prefer)

2 eggs

1/2 cup mashed sweet potato (cooked....leftovers works well)

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

**If you would prefer to use cashew butter or almond butter, use 1 CUP of nut butter in place of the 2 cups of whole cashews.

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In your food processor, pour in the cashews and process for 2-3 minutes....stopping if you need to scrape down the sides of bowl. When the nuts look like they are a paste, add in the eggs, maple syrup, sweet potato, vanilla, baking soda and salt. Process until the batter is completely smooth. You MUST stop once during this last part to scrape down the sides of the food processor bowl....everything has to be completely incorporated for this batter to work. (no lumps of nut butter)

3. Transfer your batter to a large bowl. At this point the batter will have the consistency of pudding. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.

4. Spoon the dough onto the cookie sheet about a Tablespoon at a time....leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. The dough will spread as it bakes.

5. Bake at 400 degrees F for 11 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let it sit for a minute or two.

6. Next, remove the cookies from the pan and cool them on a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes.