Healthy Paleo Cookie Cake {Grain Free, Gluten Free} & Why Healthy Baking is the Best

Ummm, this is crazy.  Picture a handful of almond, handful of cashews, a big ol cacao bean, a vanilla bean, an apple, and an egg. You probably see this weird trail-mix-esque picture with an egg on the side. Right? BUT - those are all the ingredients really that go into THIS cookie cake!

It blows my mind all the time, the creativity that comes with healthy baking. Not only are these healthy baked goods better for me, (AND easier to make,) they also allow me to unleash this creativity I have never really been able to hone, otherwise. Like, making a cake out of smushed up cooked apples and ground nuts - who knew?!And yet it is totally delicious!  Or THESE, basically made out of the same ingredients as a bowl of oatmeal, but SO MUCH BETTER!
 

 
Its difficult to turn some people onto healthy baking. I recognize with my description of "smushed up cooked apples" above, I may not be the best marketer. But its really something you need to try, and see how much better you feel versus eating more traditional sugar laden treats, and you will totally get on board.  And then you will realize that this baking is also super easy and super creative. And then your creative juices will just start flowing like my favorite blueberry smoothie. And you will start looking for ways to replace refined white flour, like grinding up oats, or grinding up this nut, or that nut, or maybe this doesn't need flour at all. And then you'll be replacing sugar with cinnamon, or fruit, or anything remotely sweet, or maybe you want a more bitter dessert after all (hellllo, sugar free chocolate PB cups!)

And then, you might see someone make a paleo cookie out of applesauce and almond flour on Instagram and think hey, that's a great idea. Which is what happened to me, and this recipe is inspired by this one from Amanda's Kitchen!  I adjusted some ratios, cut the stevia, added cinnamon (game changer!!!), etc.   It was also perfect timing since I had just bought a huge jar of applesauce to make this Paleo Apple Gingerbread Loaf Cake, and I wasn't sure how to use up the remainder. There's still quite a bit left, I'm thinking another Apple cake or perhaps some applesauce sugar cookies!?  Let me know in the comments if you have any great recipes that use apple sauce!

Hope you enjoy this recipe. Don't forget to tag #thegranoladiaries and @thegranoladiaries on Instagram and Facebook, so I can see you recreations and show some love!
Paleo Cookie Cake
By The Granola Diaries

• ½ C Applesauce (no sugar added)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 C Blanched Almond Flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• Generous pinch of salt
• Chocolate chunks
• 1 - 2 Tbsp Cashew butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease a round baking dish
2. Mix applesauce, egg, and vanilla
3. Add almond flour, baking soda, and salt. Fold everything together. Then, add cinnamon and chocolate chunks and fold those in.
4. Pour into baking dish. Take cashew butter and drizzle/swirl into the top. Bake for 20 minutes.
5. Share your creations with me on Social Media with #TheGranolaDiaries! Don't forget to follow along on Instagram and Facebook to see when I have a new recipe (every week!)