So lately I've been seeing a lot of marketing on Facebook for Verve, the new "healthy" energy drink, and I'm not buying their pitch. Just like anything else, you need to do your research before you fall victim to marketing terms like "healthy" and "natural." 

In the original Verve the ingredients include: A whole list of different vitamins (are they synthetic.. what are their sources?). Then there is "natural fructose." Another sketchy term.. What are you using. Sugar, HFCS.. WHAT? Explain on the label, please! Same with "natural flavors." Natural flavors can be anything.. including beaver butt juice. http://bit.ly/18Wrezb 
There are other questionable ingredients in there.. but those are the most obvious that should stick out right away and sound an alarm in your head.

And of course, Verve has a sugar free version that is sweetened with sucralose. http://bit.ly/1dRZnh4

I can't find any information on the Internet about the unhealthy side of Verve, but by taking a quick glance at their ingredient list it is not very hard to find out how unhealthy they really are. 

I was shopping at Zerbo's today.. getting some supplies I needed for my Christmas presents (there will be a blog post about the gifts after the holidays. I don't want to ruin the surprise) and while I was doing this I had chocolate chip cookies on the brain. It's been a longgggggg time since I've had some chocolate chip cookies and I decided I needed to put an end to that today. 

As I was making my way up and down the aisles, I noticed a bag of einkorn flour on a shelf. I've been wanting to try out einkorn flour for awhile now and the bag was calling my name. 

I had never worked with einkorn flour before, so I wasn't really sure how to use it. From what I understand, it's pretty much like using any other all purpose flour. Just to be sure, I did a quick Google search to find a chocolate chip cookie recipe that used einkorn. I found one that looked really great and simple. I just had to make one tiny adjustment.. The original recipe calls for brown sugar. I did not have any, so I figured coconut sugar would be a great sub. I only had 2/4 cup of coconut sugar (the recipe calls for 3/4 cup of sugar) so I had to add in 1/4 cup of white sugar (I use this kind). Next time I make these I will use all coconut sugar. 

Einkorn Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies (original recipe here)

• 8 tbsp. butter, softened (local grassfed pasture butter is best. I don't have access to that right now so I am using Organic Valley pasture butter)
  
• ¾ cup coconut sugar (buy online)
  
• ½ tsp. real salt (buy online)
  
• ½ tsp baking soda (buy online)
  
• 1 large egg (I use eggs from Creswick Farms)
  
• ½ tsp. vanilla (buy online)
  
• ¾ cup chocolate chips (buy online)
  
• 1¾ cups einkorn flour (buy online)
  

I used my stand mixer for the following steps:

1. Cream your butter, sugar, salt and baking soda. 
2. Add your egg and vanilla to the creamed mixture.. mix until emulsified. 
3. Mix in chocolate chips, gently. (This step was not excluded from being done in my mixer. I just did it on speed 1.)
4. Sift flour before you measure, then mix until fully incorporated. 

Cookie dough will be placed on an ungreased cookie sheet. My cookie sheet isn't so pretty, so I use parchment paper.
You can use a tablespoon or a cookie scoop to measure out and place your cookie dough. I use my hands, roll into balls, set on sheet and press down lightly. Space 1 inch apart.

Place your cookies in a 325°F oven. Bake for 13-15 minutes (rotate half way through). Cookies are done when the edges and bottom are a very light golden brown. I like chewy cookies.. so I'm careful not to bake them *too* much. :)

Let cool for 5 minutes, or shove them in your face straight from the oven.. that's what we did, cause ain't nobody got time for that.

Don't forget to enjoy with a tall glass of milk.. preferably raw. :)