It may sound a bit odd, but you’ll be eager to make a second batch of this Paleo soft sweet potato cookies recipe once you try the first!
Soft Cookie Problems
I love a good soft cookie. Nothing beats that chewy, fresh-from-the-oven quality only soft cookies have. Hard cookies have nothing on soft.
Just one problem: Store-bought soft cookies are often made with shortening, a fat that’s solid at room temperature. That in and of itself is not bad, however, most of that shortening is full of unhealthy trans fat or interesterified fats.
Interesterified fats are likely just as bad as the infamous trans fats, but food manufacturers have started using them to replace trans fats, which have a big (and deserved) PR problem.
You may be mentally weighing whether a little “bad” fat might be worth it for the right cookie. It’s not. And why pollute your body when you can just make a cookie that’s way better for you?
How I Made Paleo Soft Cookies
You know me, I love a good challenge. So I was ready and eager to step up to the task of finding a way to make a soft cookie Paleo-compliant.
I knew it would not be easy, but finding the “magic mix” and being able to share it with you makes it all worth it!
First, I needed to find a way to get around shortening. Coconut oil proved to be the perfect replacement, as it is similarly hard at room temperature.
Flour was another obstacle. The regular run-of-the-mill white flour isn’t an option, so through trial and error I concluded that coconut flour is the best choice for these cookies.
For those of you who don’t like the taste of coconut, don’t worry. This recipe may have coconut oil and coconut flour, but those flavors are fairly neutral, and will be greatly overshadowed by the other ingredients.
The sweet potato is a headliner, and it’s an interesting, yet perfect choice for these cookies. They offer natural sweetness that can’t be beat!
Honey helps to sweeten the cookies, while eggs and baking powder are necessary to help them rise.
By using more natural ingredients and baking them yourself, you’re avoiding an array of terrible pseudo-foods.
Much Ado About Shortening
There was a lot of talk about unhealthy fats in this recipe post, but there’s a lot more to say on the subject.
If you’re interested in learning more about cooking fats and oils, I’ve got some great reading material for you.
Preheated oven of 350°F (175°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Add the coconut oil to a large skillet over low heat. Add the grated sweet potato to the skillet and saute until the moisture from the sweet potato is evaporated. Remove the skillet from the heat and let cool completely.
Once cooled, add the remaining ingredients to the skillet and use a wooden spoon to combine.
Portion the sweet potato mixture into about 2-1/2 Tablespoons (40 ml) dough balls, using your hands to shape into flat cookie shapes. Place the cookies onto the prepared baking sheet lined and flatten again into 1/3-inch high (1cm) rough shapes using the palm of your clean hand. Use a cookie cutter to press each rough shape, but do not remove and discard the excess, leaving it on the tray.
Place the tray into the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the oven off without opening the oven door and allow the cookies to continue cooking in the residual heat for another hour until they have slightly cooled.
Remove the baking tray from the oven and remove the excess pieces from the cookies. Let the cookies continue to cool completely before serving.
Notes
All nutritional data are estimated and based on per serving amounts.
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