I never knew that one cup of raw almonds could go such a long way!  In a previous post, I posted how to make homemade almond milk.  It’s so easy!  Just soak a cup of raw almonds overnight, drain the almonds and place in blender with 4 cups of water, a pinch of salt and a pitted dried date (if you don’t have a date, omit it!). Blend until milky and then strain the almond pulp from the milk using a find mesh sieve and cheese cloth or a milk nut bag.  I just bought a nut milk bag (I know, it sounds weird) and it is amazing!!  Totally worth the $6 I spent.  I just bought it off of Amazon, but I’m sure a kitchen store would have it too.  Anyway, it works great.  Here’s what it looks like….

Once the milk is finished, you are left with about a cup of almond pulp.  I hate to waste it, so I use it in recipes that call for almond meal.  I use it in my granola bars, in a berry crisp and these awesome breakfast cookies!!  This recipe is from the book Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist.  These are so good for a quick breakfast or snack and there is NO added sugar.  Add seasonal berries, dried fruit or use chocolate chips.

Ingredients:

3 large ripe bananas

1/4 cup coconut oil (warmed so it is not solid) or use olive oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups of rolled oats

2/3 cup almond meal (I used the almond pulp here)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

2/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or I’ve used slivered almonds)

1/4-1/2 cup blueberries (or chocolate chips)

Mash the bananas and add in coconut oil and vanilla.  Then mix the dry ingredients and combine.  Fold in the berries. I use an ice cream scoop to scoop out balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Flatten them a bit and bake at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes.  Then enjoy some right away with your almond milk!