A couple weeks ago I joined my husband on an awesome trip to Mexico, where he played in a volleyball tournament. The day after the tournament we were very active outside; paddle boarding, sliding on water slides, playing ultimate frisbee and breaking thumbs. Wait, what?! Ok, so I over exaggerated a LITTLE. BUT. Mr. Zucchini Runner did get a bone bruise on his thumb during the last game of ultimate frisbee! It has been haunting him ever since. He’s been in so much pain that he’s had to sit on the sidelines during a couple games – a place he does not like one bit.

Mr. Zucchini Runner, rockin’ his 80’s shorts and hat, for the 80’s themed tourney!

Sunset on tournament day.

So, what on EARTH does this have to do with delicious chocolate walnut cookies? Welllllll, they were born out of guilt. You see, in a playful gesture, my hand smacked STRAIGHT into Mr. Zucchini Runner’s injured thumb last night causing him to just about jump out of his shoes and rocket towards the sky.

I. Felt. Horrible. HORRIBLE.

Did I mention how terrible I felt? {sigh}

Well, I know how much he loves it when I bake, so I surprised him with this batch of long overdue cookies. 🙂 I knew it wouldn’t make the pain in the thumb go away, but it would be a good peace offering.

This was also my first attempt at making a gluten-free cookie! I recently bought Bob’s Red Mill – Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour mix and wanted to try it! Thankfully there was a cookie recipe on the package… for me to use as a guide… cause of course I modified it. 🙂1 cup Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Baking Flour
1 cup gluten free oat flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1 scant cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
3 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tea sea salt
3/4 cup Spectrum Organic Shortening
6 tbsp almond milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract (yes, that is tablespoon)
1 cup dark chocolate chips
3/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 325° and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients and stir. In another small bowl, combine the shortening, almond milk and vanilla. Heat in microwave on low heat to melt the shortening (mine took 30 seconds to soften enough). Remove bowl from microwave and stir to combine and help the melting process of the shortening. Pour the liquid over the dry ingredients bowl and stir with a rubber spatula to form a thick batter. Toss in your chocolate and nuts and stir until evenly distributed throughout.

Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop batter onto prepared baking sheets. They won’t spread too much, so don’t worry about keeping them very far apart. Bake for 7 minutes and then rotate the baking sheet. Bake for an additional 7 minutes or until you start to see the edges of the cookies turn golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool on pan for about 10 minutes.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

This produced a very crumbly cookie, which I really liked! Perfect to pair with a glass of almond milk! And, I got a little crazy with them this morning when I used two to make a cookie sandwich with coconut peanut butter whipped cream filling!!!!

Oh my goodness.

I think all is forgiven… breakfast appetizer… 🙂