No Bake Cookie: Sugar Addict Edition

Unfortunately, I've been cursed with a sweet tooth.  Like, the worst sweet tooth.  I try to avoid processed sugar completely because even the littlest bit will send me into a complete binge fest; like come-to surrounded by empty ice cream cartons and candy wrappers kinda binge fest.  

I'm always trying to find healthier substitutes for my fav binge items to ease my sugar cravings.  I remember my mom making a no bake cookie for us kids on special occasions.  I recalled it having very few ingredients, being quick and easy.  So, I looked up the recipe and created my own HEALTHIER version of her classic no bake cookie.  Each cookie has around 176 calories and is made with clean ingredients.  Now, if I could just keep myself from devouring the entire batch!

For this recipe, I used sunflower seed butter; but you can use any butter you prefer.  The original recipe calls for peanut butter, but I'm still nursing baby and he suffers from almond and peanut allergies.  Just make sure whichever nut butter you choose only has the nut as the ingredient (and maybe salt).  Most nutbutters on the market have added sugar, palm sugar, or the like.

Healthy No Bake Cookie Recipe

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup nut butter (I used sunbutter)
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups organic rolled oats
1/4 cup hemp hearts
4 tbsp raw cacao
1 pinch salt
1 pinch cinnamon

Steps:
1. Combine the honey, coconut oil, nut butter, and vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Heat until melted thoroughly, stirring frequently.
2. In a separate bowl, combine oats, hemp hearts, raw cacao, salt, and cinnamon and stir to combine.
3. Pour dry ingredients into the pan with the wet ingredients.  Cook for a couple of minutes to make the oats softer.
4. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
5. Use a cookie scoop to transfer spoonfuls of cookie "batter" onto the parchment paper.  Use the back of the scoop to flatten slightly.
6. Place the cookie sheets with cookies in the fridge for 30 minutes, or until hardened.

Note: Once the cookies are hardened, I remove from the cookie sheet and place in a sealable container and store in the fridge.

The recipe should yield about 2 dozen cookies at about 176 calories per cookie.  The kids love them too!  The proof is in the pictures!