Work has been slow lately, so I find myself using that extra time to spend with my daughter, a head strong, independent, passionate threenager…which leaves me needing time to recover. As a result I have been finding myself in stereotypical mom moments – enjoying my time alone running an errand like getting crayons at Target or taking an extra long time at the grocery store. Matcha was on sale. As I was making make my flourless peanut butter cookies, I thought why not use almond butter and add matcha? A new favorite was born: flourless almond butter cookies made with matcha, cacao nibs, himalayan salt and sweetened with either dates or maple syrup. Moist, chewey, with crunch from the cacao. And of course I would not leave you hanging on the peanut butter version.

I am an avid CrossFitter. I have been doing it for years, but I can barely do any of the movements. My progress is slow, but I stick to it and I slowly improve thanks to my coaches. I like it because it makes me stronger – mentally, emotionally and physically. Every year the CrossFit Open is a competition that is open to the public. The top athletes go on to compete in regional and world competitions. For people like me it is opportunity to push myself and see how far I can go. During the open, I like to share some of my treats with my box (gym) – as appreciation for my coaches and community and to refuel our bodies with tasty treats. Last week I made my nut date fudge as balls, leaving out the cacao and adding in matcha, coating the ball with coconut and matcha for St. Paddy’s day (I also made a version with the cacao and bourbon…but that is another story). This week, in honor of a workout with a double under, I made two cookies – the flourless peanut butter and I reinvented my flourless almond butter cookie.

Matcha offers a lot of benefits. I drink it as a tea or in my smoothie. It has a slightly sweet flavor so I thought why not include it into a dessert. Cacao nibs are considered a superfood that may even be better for you than dark chocolate. Both are considered fat burners. Mix that with the protein of the nutbutter and you have a great cookie.

The recipe is simple – mix all the ingredients together well until fully incorporated and bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes, cool on a rack and eat.

So what are the pitfalls to watch for? Make sure the almond butter does not have added sugar. Sugar causes cookies to fall flat. A friend gave me a jar of an almond butter – not one I buy, but I thought I’d try it out. Whoops, I obviously did not read the ingredients.

They are tasty and soft, but a very different kind of cookie.

If you find your cookie falling flat, further reduce the sweetener in the recipe I provide.

I used dates or maple syrup to sweeten the cookie. Both worked well. Dates offer more fiber. They also need to be soaked overnight and pureed. Puree it to a fine mixture, but watch the amount of liquid you include while pureeing, it adds liquid to the mix. Too much liquid will require something to soak it up. If you are in a bind, use superfine almond or coconut flour.

Why use maple syrup over dates? Dates can be expensive. As I said, work is slow…so when making large batches for the public, I opt for maple syrup.

The right amount of all the ingredients makes the perfect cookie. I add cacao nibs to the mix, then sprinkle on top along with Himalayan salt before baking.

I personally think peanut butter gets a bad rap. If you are allergic to it, I get it. And yes it is included in a lot of processed food, but if you are not eating that anyway, peanuts are not that bad. They have a lot of fat, but so do other nuts I rely on, like cashews. The flavor of a peanut is so tasty and so wonderful to cook with – for sweet or savory. I love a good peanut butter cookie.

I think there are a ton of recipes out there for the flourless peanut butter cookie – the difference I offer is less sugar (you don’t need the extra sweetness) and no refined sugar (you really don’t want that). And maybe the cacao nibs are an extra. And I like extra salt on top.

I do not mix matcha in the peanut butter – it tastes fines, but the peanut flavor overwhelms it and to add that much matcha could be a lot of caffeine and money. The peanut is tasty on its own – with cacao nibs and salt. You will notice the “dough” to be thicker. You can shape it if you like, flatten with the back of a greased spoon and add crosshatches on top – personally I like the misshapen dollop look of the cookie.

It is such a tasty cookie. Perfect amount of sweet and savory. No refined sugars. Full of protein. Chewy. Texture form the nibs. Delicious.

These cookies freeze well. So I make a bunch and freeze then grab them on the go for a quick pick me up, dessert or even breakfast. So very tasty.

Happy eating!

Flourless Matcha Green Tea Almond Butter Cookies

• 1 cup of almond butter (no added sugar or salt)
• 1/3 cup of date puree (dates soaked and blended with water) or maple syrup
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp vanilla paste
• 2 tsp Matcha powder
• 1/4 tsp salt (for the batter)
• 1/2 cacao nibs
• Coarse Himalayan Salt for sprinkling

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Beat the egg, then add and mix together with remaining ingredients. Put a spoonful dollop of the batter onto a cookie sheet greased with coconut oil or lined with a silpat. Press a few pieces of cacao nibs for decoration. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack (at leas remove from the baking sheet so they don’t continue to cook).

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

• 1 cup of peanut butter (no added sugar or salt)
• 1/3 cup of date puree (dates soaked and blended with water) or maple syrup
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp vanilla paste
• 1/4 tsp salt (for the batter)
• 1/2 cacao nibs
• Coarse Himalayan Salt for sprinkling

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Beat the egg, then add and mix together with remaining ingredients. Put a spoonful dollop of the batter onto a cookie sheet greased with coconut oil or lined with a silpat. Press a few pieces of cacao nibs for decoration. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack (at leas remove from the baking sheet so they don’t continue to cook).