I know little snack cookie balls are appearing everywhere on the web these days, all varieties, all claiming to be healthy snacks, and tasty as can be. True most of them are tasty, but rare are they actually as healthy as they boast. My husband is a healthy-nut-guru-master, and he’s the first to warn me how “non-healthy” most of these no bake cookies actually are. It kind of takes the fun out of eating half a batch fresh after they’ve been made. I should thank him in reality for saving me from a few un-needed extra pounds on the hips.

These no-bakes, however, have a great big stamp of approval from the “health-food officer.” All the credit goes to my Mom for this one, this special cookie is her creation. Thank’s to her living gluten free for years, and being fully dedicated to having a balanced, healthy, capable body, we’ve finally found the no-bake drop cookie to feel good about. She’s been perfecting and tweaking this recipe for a long time, and it’s finally reached it’s point of perfection. With such ingredients as sucanat, cacao powder, coconut milk, and maca powder, this cookie is a mouth-full moment of bliss. (Plus the cup of granola added in the end allows for a small crunch that other drop cookies lack.)

You might have to run to the store and collect a few ingredients to make these for the first time, but you’ll be happy you did, because then you’ll have enough supplies to make 15 additional batches afterwards and your happy snacking pleasure is ensured for a long long time.

But wait a moment, here’s the best part….

Are you wondering what Maca powder is or have you already been enlightened? A few months ago I also wondered, but when I opened my first bag and inhaled that first wonderful whiff of earthy sweet nutty smell, I was hooked. It’s basically a new “superfood” farmed mostly in the highlands of Peru… but not only is it a tasty supplement, it also has a few particular benefits that might interest some. Maca extracts can heighten libido. Yep, you heard me correctly (it has been shown to increase mating behavior in mice and rats.) Another recent review on Maca says “Randomized clinical trials have shown that maca has favorable effects on energy and mood, may decrease anxiety and improve sexual desire. (see source here)“

Whao! Bow-chicka-bow-wow!! I think a few more of you have just decided that these cookies are a really good choice for dessert tonight.

So I’ll leave you to it then. Enjoy these cookies and enjoy the benefits, health and otherwise.

Chocolate Drop Cookies with Maca Powder

Author: Lynnette Stratton

Recipe type: healthy snack, cookie

Ingredients

1 cup sucanat (for the sweet-toothed, use 1¼ cups)
scant ½ cup agave*
5 Tablespoons raw cacao powder (or your favorite cocoa powder)
½ cup coconut milk
pinch of salt
½ cup coconut oil
½ cup peanut butter
2 cups oats
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 cup granola, gluten free**
4 teaspoons maca powder

Instructions

Mix sucanat, agave, cacao, coconut milk, and salt in a saucepan. Stir together and heat on med-high until mixture comes to a boil. Let it boil for 1 minute.
Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients: coconut oil, peanut butter, oats, coconut flakes, granola, and maca.
Mix well and drop by cookie scoop onto a sheet of wax paper. Allow to cool for 10-20 minutes, but you can still attempt to eat a couple while they’re goopy and hot like I do, every time.
To store, keep in a zip lock bag in the fridge. But the won’t last long, so don’t worry about them going bad.

Notes

*The agave needs to be a little more than ⅓ cup, but a bit less than ½ cup, thus the measurement “scant ½ cup.” You get the idea. **Use your favorite type of gluten free granola, but preferably one that is not too sweet to begin with. Stay away from the heavy sweetened blueberry varieties, etc. I use the pumpkin & flax seed granola from Nature’s Path (often found in Costco); many health food stores have great selections in their bulk sections.