I got the inspiration to try to make HEALTHY  No Bake Cookies for Christmas this year. Being on a tight budget, but also having the desire to have something for everybody (that they would actually like) can be a bit of a challenge, to say the least. But one day it came to me- I was at my Dad’s house where my little sister and stepmom were baking and making some delicious treats. Some super healthy pumpkin cookies and then good ole No Bakes. After seeing how quickly they all disappeared, I realized my opening for a present everyone could enjoy- no matter their dietary needs (to an extent). As some in my family do not necessarily care for the idea of eating healthy, and others strictly require certain modifications (such as gluten free), this seemed like the all around choice. And it did not disappoint.

So, I googled and pinterest’d around, stumbling along some truly delicious recipes. In the end I chose to modify the recipes I found to fit with my own knowledge and what I had available in my kitchen. And may I say they have received some pretty darn good ratings. (I mean, they are cookies.)

You are also no longer allowed to use the excuse that you cannot find the following in stores, as I ordered a good bit of my ingredients through Amazon Prime, aka the life saver. While I firmly believe in shopping local, I also believe in using the best ingredients and sometimes those are just not available in your local stores. If that is the case, then no worries, you are just a few clicks away from the ingredients you desire!

So here is what you will need-

Ingredients:

1/2 cup 100% Pure Maple Syrup

1/3 cup Organic cocoa powder

1/4 cup Unsweetened almond milk

1/4 cup Coconut oil

1/4 cup Organic Peanut Butter, creamy

2 cups Gluten-free oats

1/3 cup Shredded coconut

1/2 Teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 Teaspoon Salt

Kitchen Equipment:

Medium saucepan

Wax paper

Cookie sheet

Spoon

Spatula

Measuring cup

And finally- some hungry people with a sweet tooth!

I remember the first time I made No Bake cookies in High School for a class treat. My older sister came down into the kitchen and we started talking, which lead to her asking about the cookies. She asked how long you baked no bakes. Whether she was just messing with me or generally confused, I appreciate the laughs it still gives me!
Continuing on-

Okay, you have the ingredients. Now what?

1- Start by mixing the 100% pure maple syrup with the cocoa powder in the medium saucepan on medium heat. Stir together with the spatula until they are combined.

2- Once the maple syrup and cocoa powder have united, stir in the almond milk and coconut oil and bring it to a boil. Stir here for one minute.

3- After one minute of stirring, remove the pan from heat and add the peanut butter, oats, shredded coconut, vanilla extract and salt.

4- Using the spoon (ice cream scooper also works here), take a generous scoop out of the cookie mix (no one wants small cookies) and place on wax paper (which is on cookie sheet).

5- Place the cookies in the refrigerator for 20-45 minutes before serving. For storing place in air-tight container.

These cookies will last for up to one week before you should consider making another batch, I mean throwing them out. (But hopefully you will have eaten them all before then!)

There are many different variations you can do with this recipe. Don’t like almond milk? Try coconut or regular cow milk. Use almond butter instead of peanut, or cashew for a sweeter taste. Switch out the maple syrup for honey or molasses.

But that gets me on a tough subject- what about agave? That was the problem I ran into initially when researching for the recipes. Many of them called for agave, but I do not necessarily care for it over the other, more nutrient filled sweeteners like honey or maple syrup.

This blog lays it out perfectly: Spark and Hustle. 

But to sum up my understanding on it,

All sugars are simple carbs made up of one or two simple sugars, either fructose or glucose. While fructose is found in maple syrup and honey, glucose is a primary source of energy for the body. The liver converts fructose to glucose, but it has a finite capacity for storage. If there is excess it is stored as triglycerides, which are a type of fat that can be found in our blood that our body uses for energy. The triglycerides are stored in fat cells and if the diet leads to a high triglyceride count then you run the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, fatigue, etc.

While no sugar is healthy, the recommended dose should stay small, no more than 24 grams-36 grams a day, depending on your body.

Once again, no sugar is completely healthy, but some offer more nutritional benefits than others.

Agave is promoted as healthy because it has a higher fructose to glucose ratio than regular sugar and thus is lower on the glycemic index. But that is basically all it has to offer, as it has no mentionable nutritional benefits.

Maple syrup, on the other hand, offers the benefits of zinc and manganese, along with small amounts of other nutrients. It is also lower in calories when considering alternatives such as honey, dates, and even agave.

In summary, you will get more bang for your buck with your nutrition if you use maple syrup.

When you are buying maple syrup, be sure to check the label (check the label with everything, really). If it does not say 100% pure maple syrup, you are likely getting flavored corn syrup, which does not have the same nutritional benefits. And when you can, buy local. Most of what you find in stores has been processed, and the more processing it has seen, the less benefits it has.

Thank you for checking out my variation of Healthy No Bakes! I hope you enjoy them! Feel free to leave your thoughts, questions and more below!