Double Chocolate Cookies (grain-free : gluten-free : primal : nutrient-dense)

Chocolate cookies with chocolate chips: crispy on the edges, chewy in the middle, and delicious all the way through! Because my daughter still has some issues when she consumes gluten and grains, I like to make sure she always has plenty of  grain-free options. My daughter especially adores chocolate, so these cookies are a perfect fit for her.  The rest of the family loves these cookies too!

Double Chocolate Cookies
Makes 40 cookies

• 2 sticks (1 cup) softened butter
• 1 & 2/3 cups sucanat
• 4 large eggs, preferably from pastured hens
• 1/3 cup full-fat sour cream, preferably organic
• 1 Tablespoon organic vanilla extract, or use homemade
• 3/4 tsp almond extract
• 3/4 tsp chunky grey Celtic sea salt
• 2/3 cup Bob's Red Mill coconut flour
• 1/3 cup cacao powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips*
• Optional equipment: stand mixer**

1. Set your oven racks so that none are in the bottom third of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 325 F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the salt, baking soda, coconut flour, and cacao powder. Whisk or sift well to combine and break up any lumps.
3. In another bowl (or stand-mixer), beat the softened butter and sucanat together for a couple minutes, until well mixed.
4. In the meantime, combine the eggs, vanilla, and almond extract in a small bowl. (I find that a Pyrex glass measuring cup works great for this because the pour spout makes it easy to add these ingredients to the mixer while it is running.) Do NOT mix up the eggs at this point.
5. Once the butter and sucanat have become well-mixed, mix in the eggs one-at-a-time.  With my stand-mixer, I can just pour in each egg while the mixer is still running.  Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice to get everything incorporated well. It is okay if the mixture looks a bit curdled during this step.
6. Add the sour cream, and mix well to combine.
7. While the mixer is running, add the dry ingredients a little at a time.  Since coconut flour does not contain gluten, there is no worry of over-mixing it!
8. Stir in the chocolate chips. 
9. Scoop the cookies onto greased cookie sheets (or line the cookie sheets with silpats, which are wonderful since the cookies never stick and are less likely to burn).  I like to use a 1-Tb scoop for consistently pretty cookies, but you could just use a spoon. There is no need to flatten the cookies as they will spread plenty while cooking.
10. Bake the cookies at 325 F for about 15-20 minutes (or a few minutes longer if you are cooking them on stoneware). They are done when the edges get a bit dark and crispy.
11. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 5-10 minutes.  Then use a spatula to move them to a cooling rack.
12. Once cool, store these cookies in an airtight container.  They can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer if you won't be eating them all in the next few days.  They are nice and chewy straight from the fridge, and even soft enough to eat straight out of the freezer!  Storing them in the freezer will also remove the pressure of having to eat them all in a week or so, as they will last for months in the freezer.

*I use dairy-free, soy-free chocolate chips.
**I love using my Kitchen-Aid stand mixer for making cookies as it makes it very easy to add the ingredients while the mixer is running.