This morning I made cacao nib collagen beauty cookies and I am obsessed! These cookies require a few 'good-for-you' ingredients, one bowl and about 20 minutes in the oven!

They are a bit crumbly with crispy edges, and a soft center. They almost remind me of shortbread cookies in terms of their texture and taste, but with added cacao nibs. 

I call these cookies beauty cookies, because I added in chia seeds (high in fiber & omega 3s = for healthy digestion and healthy fats for skin), cacao nibs instead of chocolate chips for antioxidants, coconut oil for healthy fats, chopped walnuts for omega 3s and they are great for skin, and last but not least; Vital Proteins Marine Collagen! 

I think by now I have over 20 or so recipes that include Vital Proteins Marine Collagen or smoothies using their beauty waters, so you can say that I am a little obsessed with adding it into anything that I can! Just search "Vital Proteins" on my blog and you'll see all the different ones (banana breads, no bake energy bites, golden mylk smoothie, cauliflower bites, cacao brownies, butternut squash mac and cheese & more!) Plus, it is really simple to add the collagen into just about anything, you can't taste it at all and it adds some extra protein too! 

I love the collagen for both gut health (to help improve digestion, especially when I was suffering from leaky gut and SIBO!) and skin health! I always feel that my skin has that natural glow the more that I use collagen in my diet and makes my hair grow like crazy! 

Back to these cookies, all you need to do is mix all the ingredients in one bowl, scoop out a spoonful of them onto your baking sheet and bake. Once they are done you can sprinkle them with chocolate tahini and bee pollen or anything you'd like!

Note that, I didn't add in any sweetener to the cookies, but maple syrup or honey would be the perfect choice if you prefer things on the sweeter side. You can also use dairy free chocolate chips if you prefer over cacao nibs, but I was simply trying to keep these cookies as low in sugar as I could!

Enjoy and tag me if you make them! #balancewithb

Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 20 minutes
Yields: 12 

What you need:

2 cups almond flour
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
few dashes sea salt
2 scoops Vital Protein Marine Collagen
dash of ceylon cinnamon
1 tbsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. chia seeds
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup maple syrup (optional, for sweetness) 
1/4 cup creamy almond butter
1/4 cup added chopped walnuts
1/2 cup cacao nibs
toppings: chocolate tahini (or any nut butter/seed butter of choice), bee pollen, chia seeds. 

What you need to do: 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. 

2. In a large mixing bowl add all of the above ingredients. Mix until well combined. 

3. Scoop a spoonful out, add to the baking sheet, and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. The bottoms will be slightly golden brown, crispy edges, and soft center. 

4. Store in the fridge for up to a week. 

NOTES: 

1. You can sub any nut/seed butter of preference. If you are looking for that chocolate chip cookie taste, cashew butter would be the best sub. 

2. Please feel free to add in any liquid sweetener of choice. 

3. I have not tested any other flours, however if you are using coconut flour you may need to increase your liquids slightly as coconut flour tends to need more/dries out recipes. Start by adding in another tbsp. of coconut oil or even water! 

4. The collagen is completely optional, but adds in so many benefits! If you are not adding it in the recipe, you do not need to change any of the other measurements.