There’s no prettier place to make homemade chocolate chip cookies than in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. That’s where we are for the next week; our happy place that we’ve been coming to the same time, same place, since I was a baby. We honor my grandpa who wanted to retire here, but unfortunately never was able to (PSA – don’t smoke cancer sticks). Thank you to my grandpa and my mom for instilling the love of the west coast and the Tetons within our hearts and our souls…

On vacay, I’m a firm believer in eating whatever you want, but with my back injury and my endometriosis, I really have to limit (like 99.9% of the time) dairy and gluten due to inflammation of my body, and the fact it just cannot handle it. Because of that, I have to cater to my sweet tooth (especially when everyone else is), so I find my go-to ingredients and whip up my favorite things, like chocolate chip cookies. But, these gems are gluten free, dairy free, and vegan optional (sub the egg).

Dairy-Free + Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Best when served warm right out of the oven

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups gluten free baking flour
• 1/4 cup coconut butter or dairy-free butter, whipped
• 1 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4-1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 eggs or egg substitute (flax egg or applesauce)
• 3 tablespoons avocado or coconut oil
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 1/4 cup organic applesauce
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Optional: 3 tablespoons nut butter or pumpkin purée

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Add dry ingredients to large bowl and mix
3. Whip coconut butter or dairy-free butter. Add egg or egg substitute.
4. Add wet ingredients to “butter” mix and mix together. Add dry ingredients.
5. Mix everything together until dough-like consistency forms
6. Add chocolate chips and fold together
7. Scoop 1 1/2″ balls on to non-stick cookie sheet
8. Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until soft yet cooked in the middle
9. Serve while warm solo or with dairy-free ice cream