Almond & Honey Cookies

You know when you come home from a hard day of work, practice or rehearsal and your sweet tooth seems to be as big as a semi-truck? I sure do. To me, nothing sounds better than cookies when I come home from a late rehearsal. But I realized that all these cookies I've been eating really aren't doing anything good for me. So I was ecstatic when I came across these Almond and Honey Cookies! The almonds stand in for much of the butter that would be used, and honey is the only sweetener. They contain only 1 gram of saturated fat while having 2 grams of protein. These cookies are so good- and good for you- that you won't need to hesitate before having seconds.

1 cup whole almonds
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup honey
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the almonds on a baking sheet and let them toast for about 7-9 minutes. You should be able to smell their fragrance. It smells a little like almonds and a little like popcorn. Process these almonds in a food processor or blender until finely ground. You will have about 1 1/4 cups ground almonds. Transfer to a large bowl and add flours, baking powder and salt. Stir until combined. In another medium bowl, beat honey, oil, and butter in a mixing bowl until well combined. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until blended. Add the wet ingredients until the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Refrigerate for about 1 hour.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll tablespoons of dough onto the baking sheets and place about 2 inches apart from each other. Bake the cookies until they are set and barely golden brown, about 13 to 15 minutes.

Recipe from Eating Well magazine