I’d been seeing a recipe for raw, vegan lemon meltaways pop up on facebook here and there, and I thought they looked pretty good. I’ve found that it’s pretty hit-or-miss as far recipes on social media go, though…sometimes they’re just as good as they look in the photo, and other times they end up being a dissapointing waste of time and ingredients. I love lemon, though, so when I saw the recipe making the rounds again a few weeks later I decided to give it a try. I’m so glad that I did! These lemon drop cookies (I found that, while delicious, the way I made them they don’t really “meltaway”) are a wonderful burst of sweet-tart flavor. They have a great texture, and just taste so good…like lemon candy, but healthy. I’m totally hooked!
I made these in the food processor, and found that by doing so I could skip some steps. This made the prep work very easy, and also allowed me to make the cookies using whole raw almonds and flaked coconut…this might be why my cookie version of the recipe has a different texture, because the homemade flour is a little more coarse. But it’s nice to make something entirely from scratch using basic, raw ingredients! I just popped the almonds and coconut into the food processor and ground them into flour. Then, I added lemon zest and juice followed by some organic raw honey. Finally, I mixed in a bit of melted coconut oil.
The biggest problem I had with this recipe was trying to avoid eating all the dough before I formed it into cookies. I’m a grown-up, and I know that it’s ill-advised to lick the blade of the food processor…but I was sure tempted! The creamy texture, the delicious flavor…I have to admit, I ate quite a few “sample bites” before putting the dough in the fridge to chill! Once it was cold, I was able to control myself long enough to roll it into balls and dehydrate the cookies a bit in the oven. Sweet yummy goodness! These cookies are full of nothing but healthy ingredients, bursting with flavor, and delightful in every way. I think I’ve found a new favorite dessert!
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour (or, use whole raw almonds and grind them yourself)
- 1/2 cup coconut flour (or, use coconut flakes and grind them yourself)
- 1 tablespoon organic lemon zest
- 1/4 cup organic lemon juice
- 1/3 cup organic raw honey
- 1/4 cup organic coconut oil, melted
- If you are using whole raw almonds and coconut, put them in a food processor and grind them into flour. Otherwise, just put the almond and coconut flour into the food processor and pulse a few times to combine.
- Add the lemon zest and juice and pulse again to blend.
- While the food processor is running, drizzle in the honey and continue to puree until a ball forms.
- Stop the food processor and scrape down the sides. Run it again, while pouring in the melted coconut oil.
- Once the dough is very well combined, put it in a bowl and chill it in the fridge for at least 1/2 hour.
- Roll the chilled dough into little balls. You can leave them in this shape or flatten them a bit.
- If you'd like, dehydrate the cookies for about an hour, or until the outside of the cookies becomes slightly hard.
- Store any leftover cookies in a covered container in the fridge, they will get soft if left out too long.