FMD Phase 3: Cocoa Avocado Almond Meal Cookies (vegan, gluten free, sugar free)

These sweet treats look more like burnt blobs of dough that were left in the bottom of your oven than the creamy, delicious vegan treats that they actually are. Avocado plays the star in these cookies, with a healthy dose of vanilla and almond meal. These babies are sugar free, gluten free and dairy free.

I am still trying to be on the Fast Metabolism Diet (shortened to FMD for vets). I have taken more of a maintenance phase now, because I passed my first goal weight months ago. I also have been on this lifestyle change since January and it is really hard to stay on this diet long term with a dairy loving family and Italian parents. My husband tried to be supportive for the first few months but after a while he just couldn’t deal. The other challenge on this diet is that life gets in the way. To stay on it forever would need more of an altered version of the rules-especially if you are a foodie. The good news is, the diet works. So once you get to your goals and get everything in balance (which shouldn’t take that long) you can adapt what you learned into some real life eating.

These treats I make just for me on the phase 3 (good fats) phase. I also have moved to using Monkfruit sweetener versus xylitol. Monkfruit sweetener is easier on my sensitive stomach and tastes just like sugar. You can get it at the Vitamin Shop or Amazon. 

I make these treats on Sunday, eat two, and freeze the rest for the next time I want a chocolate treat on phase 3. Use an avocado that’s ripe, but not too ripe or becoming brown-you will get a bitter after taste. Thanks to avocados, I’m not missing the dairy…err…that much.

1 1/2 cups ripe avocado

3/4 cup monk fruit sweetener (stevia or xylitol also works-or mix together to cut xylitol down so it doesn’t upset your stomach but it cuts the funky stevia after taste)

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup good ground cocoa

1/4 cup raw cocoa nibs

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup almond flour

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350˚.

In a bowl, mash up the avocado with a fork. Add the sweetener and beat with a hand mixer until creamy. Add the eggs and beat some more. Add the cocoa, baking soda, salt, vanilla extract and almond flour and mix until combined. Fold in the cocoa nibs. Drop the batter a couple inches apart on the baking sheet using well rounded tablespoonfuls. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the cookies are puffy and set. Sprinkle with extra sweetener and let cool on the sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Freeze extras to eat later in the month for other phase 3s.