Do these cookies look perfect or what? Not just perfect, but in-the-cookie-case-at-Whole-Foods worthy. They are totally beautiful. And if you know me, you know I obviously didn’t make such a beautiful cookie. I’m a bit of a sloppy cook. But that is why we have extremely creative people like Nora from A Clean Bake to share her recipes such as ones with sprinkles (Chocolate Dipped Funfetti Macaroons ) ones with frosting (Grain-Free Lemon Pound Cake) and the ones with pizazz (Deep Dish Dark Chocolate Cake with Almond Butter Swirl). Nora has creative recipes, beautiful photography, and is posting on a weekly basis. I love those kinds of bloggers.
Speaking of posting on a regular basis, I’ll soon be back to posting daily once I finish moving into our new home! We close on the house tomorrow (which was pushed back a week so we are a bit anxious) and will be moving everything by the weekend. Once we are moved in, that will give me time to cook for you, finish my next cookbook that I made for you, AND fix my car that was in an accident. Craziness over here.
But wait, before Nora introduces herself, wanna know something weird? This cookie that she is about so share was inspired by a restaurant that’s down the street from the apartment I’m about to move out of. Literally down the street. I pass it every single day. Looks like I need to get over there this week before we move to the other end of Denver!
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It’s probably hard to grasp the importance of a cookie that is better than a Scout cookie if you’ve never had, let alone heard of a Scout cookie. So, let me take a few steps back.
Hi! My name is Nora and I blog over at A Clean Bake. I’m a longtime PaleOMG reader and fan. When I think of Juli, besides delicious food and an amazing sense of style, I think of Denver. And when I think of Denver, I think of one of my all-time favorite restaurants, Watercourse. I love this restaurant so much that I obsessively plan my meals around multiple stops at this wonderful eatery each time I’m in town.
Their Scout Cookies are worth the trip in and of themselves, but you might not know it by looking at them – flat and brown amongst the sea of fluffy cinnamon rolls and golden-edged chocolate chip cookies. But once you try one, you can never go back. The flavors of the cookie are based loosely on the beloved Samoa Girl Scout cookie, but this is not a Samoa. It’s a chewy, sweet and coconutty cookie that has a subtly (read: not tooth-rottingly sweet) caramel flavor from the dates. These cookies are exceptional on their own but you’re missing a layer of flavor if you don’t drizzle it with chocolate.
Either way, though, you can’t go wrong. From your first bite, you’ll be a scout-cookie convert, and you may or may not dream about them. But the good news is that you don’t have to go visit Juli in her new house (Ahem, Juli, pictures please?) to get your Scout Cookie fix.
Better Than Scout Cookies
- Yield: 1 dozen 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 Tablespoons ground flax seeds
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
- 8 large pitted medjool dates, soaked to soften if needed (and drained)
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup honey
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup butter or coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled
- ½ cup chocolate chips, melted, for decoration
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a cookie sheet with a nonstick pad or parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the S blade, pulse the walnuts 7-10 times until they are finely chopped.
- Transfer the chopped walnuts to a large mixing bowl and stir together with almond flour, coconut, flax, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of the food processor, combine the dates, egg, honey, vanilla and butter or oil. Process until smooth. If you still see flecks of date, that’s ok, but make sure there are no large chunks left.
- Pour the wet (food processor) mixture into the dry mixture that you set aside and stir to thoroughly combine.
- Use an ice cream scoop to portion the dough into 4-tablespoon mounds. Use your palm to gently flatten the top into a thick disc. Place the cookies 2” apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 16-20 minutes (mine took exactly 18) until golden brown. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cookies are cooled, drizzle the melted chocolate over the cookies. The easiest way to do this is to pour the melted chocolate into a small zip top bag, seal it, and snip the corner off of the bag so that you can use it as a piping bag. Allow the chocolate to set before serving.
Notes
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nora is a grain-free baker and a clean eater who documents her gluten-, dairy- and sugar-free recipes on her blog A Clean Bake. She lives in Chicago with her husband and their cat, and her hobbies include traveling, lakefront runs and tricking people into thinking they are eating heavily processed desserts when they’re really eating healthy ones.
Connect with Nora on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.
These were every bit amazing as I wanted them to be. I subbed pecan’s for walnuts and had to cut down the dates because I only had 6, but it was still amazing.
These are SO good! So much better than all that junk that’s in real girl scout cookies. I cut a hole out of the center to make them even more of a dupe! 😉 Thank so much for sharing this – it’s my new favorite recipe!
These look so yummy! I cannot wait to make them!
These look delicious, please could you tell me what type of chocolate to use.
Enjoy Life
Hi I have made these twice and they are awesome!
Thanks a lot!