It’s back! After I tried my last batch of dessert hummus, I was eager to make a new flavor. A lot of you pointed out that it looks(and tastes!) like cookie dough. Well, one of my favorite cookies is the classic snickerdoodle; I love the cinnamon sugar crunch on the outside. And since cinnamon, almonds, and chickpeas all share an earthy flavor, I had a feeling this would work out. And it did!

Snickerdoodle Dessert Hummus

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of chickpeas, drained and washed
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• cinnamon sugar for garnish

Peel your chickpeas(recommended) and add them in a food processor with the almond butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

Process for about 30 seconds to a minute, until all the ingredients have mixed and the dip is smooth.

Move to a serving bowl and garnish with cinnamon sugar on top.

The obvious question is “How do you serve this?” Well, I would lay it out on a platter with

• graham crackers
• apple slice
• baby carrots
• cinnamon pita chips
• mini-chocolate bars

I have to admit that my favorite way to eat these are a spoon; that’s the benefit of cooking for yourself alone.

This time of year, cookie swaps are everywhere. Like I’ve mentioned, I’m not the biggest cookie lover. However, there are some that I tip my hat to. I love the standard peanut butter cookie. And I’ve already paid tribute to the pairing of chocolate and orange once this Christmas season. But when I saw Kaitlin’s recipe for chocolate orange cookies, I had to make them and make them mine. While I was worried how these would taste at first, they ended up being the perfect balance of nuttiness, citrus, and chocolate. They’re festive and bound to be a hit at any cookie swap.

Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Cookies With Citrus

Ingredients(Makes 18 cookies):

• 1 cup natural almond butter
• 3/4 cup cane sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt(omit if your almond butter is salted)
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips
• Zest of one orange

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Start by mixing together the almond butter, sugar, salt, egg, and baking soda until it has all emulsified.

Next add in the chocolate chips and zest in the orange. Continue to mix this until the mix-ins are evenly distributed. Roll the dough into 18 1-inch balls and lay them out on a lined baking tray about 2 inches apart.

Press down on the top of each dough ball gently with a fork to make a criss-cross pattern. Bake these for about 12-14 minutes or until the edges start to brown slightly.

These are so festive! I was pleasantly surprised at how well the orange flavor came through, and yet you clearly get the almond flavor and sweet chocolate, too. It was completely necessary to eat 2 out of the oven to make sure they were OK. But if you can wait longer, these are perfect to eat alongside a tall glass of almond milk. I bet you Santa has never had milk and cookies like this.