By One week. One week from today I will be married. I keep saying that to myself in the kitchen in the mornings and it still does not feel real and also feels completely inevitable, which I think might be what the right thing feels like: so clearly correct that it stops feeling like a decision and becomes a fact.
I started the wedding cooking this week — the pre-prep, the things that can be made ahead. Kolaczki: done. Russian tea cakes: done. Apple butter for the cheese board: done in the fall, frozen, thawed this week. Cranberry sauce: made Tuesday, in a jar in the fridge. The list is getting shorter with each day and it is the most satisfying list I have ever worked through.
Ryan came home from work Wednesday night and found me in the kitchen with flour on my shirt and a tray of kolaczki cooling on the counter and the second batch in the oven and he said this is the most you thing you have ever done. I said what does that mean. He said: the week before your wedding you are baking cookies. I said yes that is what I am doing. He said he would not change it. He ate three kolaczki while they were still warm and I let him because it was that kind of week.
Babcia Rose called Thursday to report: her pierogi are ready, four dozen, refrigerated and ready to be reheated. She has also made a small additional batch of something she is not telling me about, which is her right and also deeply characteristic. She said she will see me on Saturday. I said I will see you on Saturday, Babcia Rose. She said "be good." She says it every time she hangs up the phone. I always say I try. She says that is all you can do. We have been having this exchange since I was old enough to talk on the phone and I hope we have it for many more years.
The kolaczki were done. The Russian tea cakes were done. And then I found half a bag of shredded coconut in the pantry and thought: one more. These no-bake coconut chocolate chip cookie dough bites were the easiest thing I made all week — no oven, no flour on my shirt, done in twenty minutes — and I set a small plate of them out for Ryan without saying anything, and he ate four and looked at me like I had lost my mind in the best possible way. They are going on the counter at the reception. They will be gone before the kolaczki.
No Bake Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 50 min (includes chilling) | Servings: 24 bites
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut, plus extra for rolling
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, stir together the almond flour, shredded coconut, and sea salt until evenly mixed.
- Add wet ingredients. Pour in the maple syrup, melted coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Stir until a soft, cohesive dough forms. Fold in the mini chocolate chips.
- Check consistency. The dough should hold together when pressed between your fingers. If it feels too dry, add maple syrup one teaspoon at a time. If too wet, add almond flour one tablespoon at a time.
- Portion and roll. Scoop the dough by the tablespoon and roll between your palms into smooth balls. Roll each ball in additional shredded coconut to coat lightly.
- Chill. Arrange the bites on a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, until firm. Transfer to an airtight container.
- Store. Keep refrigerated for up to one week, or freeze in a single layer then transfer to a freezer bag for up to two months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 78 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Carbs: 7g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 28mg