Double Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies
Yoohoo! It’s meeee. I’m still here, I promise! Although, I may not have any idea what day it is anymore… but honestly, what is time anyway?!
It’s been a minute, you guys. Things have been a bit crazy over here in Bartash household, to say the least. Have you heard the news?! Baby B is on the way! Due at the end of May :)
Yup, you read that right. We are finally adding to our little family. Cue: terror and overwhelm. I mean, I’m sure there’s a little excitement mixed in there somewhere, but right now I think we’re in a full-blown panic. or at least we were for the entirety of the first trimester!
(for those of you uninterested in any sort of first trimester recap, feel free to scroll right on down to the good stuff — double chocolate almond butter cookies!)
We found out that I was pregnant just a couple of weeks before our big move to Winthrop (what timing!). Thankfully, I still had plenty of energy at the time, so the move went off without a hitch… for the most part. I mean, it’s common knowledge that moving is pretty much the worst. But physically, I felt good! I had been super active all throughout the pandemic, which made the process a tiiiiny bit easier. For me, at least. I think Peter still wanted to kill me, but that’s to be expected… right? Moving sucks.
At that point, I was SO hungry and thirsty all. the. time. I was running around like a maniac, carrying boxes up and down three flights of stairs dozens of times each day — so it sorta made sense? I kid you not, I was probably drinking 120 ounces of water (or more) each day and consuming like 5,000 calories (okay, maybe an exaggeration.. but it felt like it!). I was also sweating profusely at all times (and MAN did I stink). None of these things are too out of the ordinary for me though, so I chalked it up to the stress of moving. I’m sure it was all pregnancy-related, but I was a little distracted at the time to think too hard about it!
The exhaustion didn’t start to set in until we had fully moved (thank goodness!). But my motivation tanked pretty quickly at that point too, and I didn’t have the energy (or desire) to unpack, workout, cook, decorate, etc. Poor Peter made 95% of the decisions for like six weeks, while I sat on the couch and nodded lifelessly in his direction… #myhusbandthessaint
Next came the nausea.
If you ask me, morning sickness is a silly thing to call it when you’re basically nauseous 24/7. Who decided that’s what it should be named? (a guy, probably HAHAH) Did anyone else find themselves in the same boat? UGH. So between the extreme exhaustion and being sick to my stomach all damn day, I woke up each morning feeling hungover — but without having accidentally consumed an entire bottle of wine the night before. It was all very strange.
Speaking of wine, the smell of it actually made me nauseous. So did coffee, for that matter. And eggs… and chocolate (WTF). All of my favorite food + drink suddenly turned my stomach. This lasted from week seven through about week thirteen or so, during which time my nutrition consisted primarily of carbs and sugar. Bagels, crackers, scones, cookies — with lots of cheese thrown in there for good measure. Horseradish cheese, to be specific. That was one of my few pregnancy cravings (and it’s still going strong!). I did try to sneak a few nutritious things into my diet whenever possible, of course. Avocados and nut butter and extra fruits & veggies.
You guys know me well enough to realize that I actually ENJOY eating healthy, nutritious food — so this portion of my pregnancy was a struggle on so many levels. My sense of smell was out of control, and everything about our new house smelled TERRIBLE to me. I was (and still am) working remotely, so every day felt like the longest of my life. Those six or seven weeks were like one long, monotonous groundhog day.
I’m sure I was a real delight to be around.
HAHAHAH I can’t even type that with a straight face. Poor Peter wanted to drop kick me into the harbor on a daily basis — and rightfully so. When I don’t feel well like this (exhausted, nauseous, etc.), I am a MISERABLE human being. This is why I spend so much time focused on eating right and sleeping well and overall feeling good! Because then I don’t (usually) suck to be around. But those weeks during my first trimester were unlike anything I’ve ever felt. Oof.
Exercise was mostly out of the question too. I think I did pilates twice, and yoga maybe a grand total of three times. While we lived in East Boston (and especially during the pandemic), I had made a habit out of walking the bike path a few times each week. But I couldn’t get into a rhythm once we moved. So I was mostly sedentary, exhausted 24/7 and eating nothing but carbs and sugar.. maybe I was just prepping for a starring role on My 600 Pound Life?
(I KID! though that used to be one of my mom’s favorite shows to watch HAHAH)
It’s probably not news to anyone that I regularly crave random foods at random times, so I feel like my pregnancy cravings haven’t been all that strange. But boy, have they been STRONG — especially in that first trimester. When I had a craving for Thai food, I NEEDED it. like THAT DAY. So I’d get it (with Peter’s assistance, of course), enjoy it and then didn’t want it again for weeks. This happened with my sweet potato curry, sushi (cooked & veggie rolls only, duh!), Mexican food, burger & fries… see? The cravings weren’t strange, they were just strong.
Luckily, I found that I’ve returned to my (somewhat) normal self in the second trimester. I don’t want to leave you thinking that I’ve continued to be miserable and sedentary and unhealthy HAHAH I am making sure this little baby is getting allll the nutrients needed to grow strong and healthy.
So now to the important part of this post — these double chocolate almond butter cookies!
I’m sure you can guess that I wasn’t baking much during my first trimester (or doing much of anything, if we’re being honest). During the first two months in our new house, I think I baked one batch of my cashew butter chocolate chip cookies — which, appropriately enough, is what inspired these cookies! Though if I had the energy (or creativity) to develop this recipe back in November, I’m pretty sure it would have fit riiiight in with my “carbs and sugar only” diet! What was strange is that I couldn’t stomach the smell or taste of chocolate on its own, but chocolate IN things (like cookies) was totally fine! Pregnancy is strange, man.
My second trimester cravings have been a bit different than the first trimester — thank goodness (and more on that in another post!). But I’ll give you a hint — there has been lots and lots of chocolate involved. Double chocolate EVERYTHING.
(hence why I was obsessed with the dark chocolate peppermint crunch cookies from December’s Cookie Week!)
Like I mentioned, these double chocolate almond butter cookies are a riff on my cashew butter chocolate chip cookies. I wanted to create another cookie with a nut butter base — which, as always, can be swapped out to your heart’s desire. I played around with the recipe a bit, because the addition of cocao powder (or cocoa powder, whichever you prefer) really dried them out. and if you’ve ever made my cashew butter chocolate chip cookies, you know that they quite literally melt in your mouth — so I was trying to capture that same effect!
The addition of a second egg (and a little bit of melted coconut oil — which can be swapped for another cooking oil of your choosing) is what did the trick. I kept the cocoa powder at just one tablespoon, but I think these cookies could handle another tablespoon if you really wanted to amp up the chocolate flavor. I also used a combination of white and dark chocolate chips, but if you’re reaaaally in a chocolate mood, all dark chocolate chips is the way to go!
- 1 cup almond butter
- ⅓ cup brown or coconut sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 - 2 tablespoons cocao or cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips (mix of dark & white)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F; line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Add all ingredients - except chocolate chips - to a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips by hand, with a spatula or wooden spoon.
- Roll into 1-inch balls and place roughly 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake 9-10 minutes, until cookies appear to be set -- they may seem a little soft in the middle, but that is okay!
- Cool 5-10 minutes then transfer to wire rack. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
I prefer to use Trader Joe's creamy salted almond butter -- it's made using only almonds and salt, and has just the right amount of natural oils. However, feel free to use another nut or seed butter if preferred.
The coconut oil can be substituted for another baking or cooking oil -- like olive or canola oil.
Well, I’m going to go grab another one of these cookies, and get started on my second trimester post/recipe for you guys! After all, I am somehow already less than a week away from my THIRD TRIMESTER already (but how?!).
Happy baking!
Congratulations on your new home. All the boxes will get unpacked during the “nesting phase” so Pete will find himself wanting to tie you to a chair in about two – three weeks. Glad to hear that you survived the first trimester, hormones are so much fun. Can’t wait to this recipe. Take care of you and your new addition.
thanks so much, Liz!! 💛 that’s exactly what I’m hoping for – that the nesting phase will help me to finish unpacking and organizing! I certainly have my work cut out for me though HAHAH
I love you, Talia! You never cease to amaze me! XOXO
love you, Auntie 💛😘