Paleo Persimmon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last weekend, my friend flew in from Portland. It had been almost two years since I saw her last (we had a rendezvous in Jackson Hole, WY) and she hadn't met my Daughter yet. She's a Pastry Chef like myself and our friendship is made up mostly of food, foodie talk, food sharing, and a little travel (for eating purposes) thrown in. She's always sending us lovely and thoughtful gifts and I rarely get the chance to repay her. Being her first time in our neck of the woods, I knew it was the opportune moment to bake her some cookies.

Her and I had a recent chat about adapting the grain-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free lifestyle. When we speak of it, I kind of have a little funeral in my head for our old pastry-loving selves. It's hard to let go of flour and sugar when you're in love with the art of creating pastries. However, paleo cookies have the ability to make the wound a little less deep. I had some persimmons leftover and decided to make use of them too. And so, grain-free persimmon and chocolate chip cookies were born and we had an amazing weekend visiting in San Diego.

We spent a little time is Mission Beach, where I let my almost-one year old play in the sand for the very first time. We also went to a local ale house for lunch that had some pretty kick-ass margaritas. Mine had orange, mint, chipotle and crushed mexican candy on the rim. I wish I had asked for the recipe! Anyway, we spent the rest of the time in Little Italy. It's a small neighborhood in downtown San Diego made up of Italian restaurants, Italian markets and bakeries, and complete with old Italian men playing cards outside of each eatery. Naturally, any time spent there is slow and meaningful and every one is happy. I fell in love with it. It was also a perfect place for two foodies to spend the day.

I imagine my occasional visits with my dear friend will always make for good blog posts. I can't wait to see her again and have another awesome foodie story to write.

Paleo Persimmon Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 1/2 Cup almond flour
2 Tablespoons coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 Cup grade B maple syrup
1/2 Cup olive oil
1/2 Cup enjoy life dark chocolate chips
1/2 Cup persimmons, peeled and diced small

• Preheat your oven to 350F.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the flours, salt,  baking soda, and cinnamon with a fork whisk. Make sure there are no clumps of flour remaining. 
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, vanilla, maple syrup and olive oil until well combined. 
• Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture. Then, fold in the chocolate chips and diced persimmon. 
• Using a spoon or small ice cream scoop, place spoonfuls of the dough onto a baking sheet, about 1-2 inches apart. 
• Bake for 10-12 minutes. 
• Let cool on the pan for 1 minute, then remove with a spatula and place onto a wire rack to continue cooling. 
• Cookies will soften more as they sit. Do not layer when you store them. Will keep covered for up to 4 days.