Freeze!
It has been a typical February with cold and wet weather. The kind of weather that makes you want to stay home, eat warm foods and snuggle up. But we have been burning the candle at both ends for the last few weeks and living on cold foods such as smoothies, soups and salads and that seems to be the way of life at our house.
Not that I am complaining, because now that I scored a Vitamix I can make a mean smoothie, but we have had little to no culinary excitement in our lives as of late. A void in the world of eats means nothing to blog about.
I attempted to make these cookies from The Detoxinista for a sweet but guilt-free Valentine's Day treat and even those failed to impress. Though they weren't bad, they definitely were not blog worthy. Feeling defeated and yet not wanting to trash them entirely, I frugally placed the cookies in a bag and stored them in the freezer.
The next night, as it was time for a sweet snack, I pulled out the bag and bit into a cookie. Slightly frozen, but not too hard and just the right amount of sweetness and depth of chocolate, this cookie was not a loser after all. In fact, it was downright good and I rejoiced in the fact that I did not give up on them.
Made with essentially four ingredients--pecans, dates, cocoa powder, dark chocolate--these cookies are somewhat of a miracle. Even without using an egg, but rather a chia or flax egg, these vegan treats are definitely a conversation piece and a way to get people to change the way they think about real food.
With absolutely no flour, sugar, eggs, oil or grains, they are a cookie. Sweet, right?
These three to four-bite chocolate wonders are just right for a treat in the evening. Or in the morning. Or afternoon. And stashed carefully and confidentially in the freezer, no one will know they are there but you...
Buen provecho!
Best When Frozen Chocolate Cookies
The Cowgirl Gourmet thanks The Detoxinista for sharing this recipe
Print recipe
I love chocolate. It is my thing. It is a treat I would never and could never give up. Naturally, these double chocolate cookies spoke my language and I decided Valentine's Day would be a perfect time to test them out. I made them and was not thrilled at all but reserved the leftovers in the freezer nonetheless. The next day, I gave the cookie another chance and it was soooo much better than when they were freshly made--which I did not like at all--but frozen, they became a totally different cookie that won me over. I hope they do the same for you.
Makes 12 cookies
1 1/2 cups pecans
12 dates, pitted (1 cup)
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 chia or flax egg (1 tablespoon ground chia or flax seeds mixed with 3 tablespoons water)
1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks or chips (I used part of a 72% organic dark chocolate bar and chopped it up)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.
In a food processor, process the dates and pecans together until it becomes a crumbly texture.
Add the cocoa powder, salt and baking soda.
In a small bowl, add the vanilla, ground chia or flax and water and stir well to blend thoroughly. Add the chia/flax egg-vanilla mixture to the food processor and process until the batter is relatively smooth. It is going to be stickier than a traditional cookie dough.
Add in the chips or chunks and pulse a few times to combine.
Because these cookies do not spread much, you will need to shape each one.
Scoop tablespoon-sized dollops of batter onto the cookie sheet and use your fingers to gently shape and flatten each cookie. It is helpful to keep your fingers wet as you shape the cookies so the dough does not stick to your hands.
Bake cookies for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are firm and you smell brownies cooking in the oven. Allow the cookies to cool on the sheet for 10 minutes and then place on a wire cookie rack to cool completely.
Though these cookies are okay after baking, they are definitely best when placed in the freezer and enjoyed frozen. Trust me on this one, ok?
Not that I am complaining, because now that I scored a Vitamix I can make a mean smoothie, but we have had little to no culinary excitement in our lives as of late. A void in the world of eats means nothing to blog about.
I attempted to make these cookies from The Detoxinista for a sweet but guilt-free Valentine's Day treat and even those failed to impress. Though they weren't bad, they definitely were not blog worthy. Feeling defeated and yet not wanting to trash them entirely, I frugally placed the cookies in a bag and stored them in the freezer.
The next night, as it was time for a sweet snack, I pulled out the bag and bit into a cookie. Slightly frozen, but not too hard and just the right amount of sweetness and depth of chocolate, this cookie was not a loser after all. In fact, it was downright good and I rejoiced in the fact that I did not give up on them.
Made with essentially four ingredients--pecans, dates, cocoa powder, dark chocolate--these cookies are somewhat of a miracle. Even without using an egg, but rather a chia or flax egg, these vegan treats are definitely a conversation piece and a way to get people to change the way they think about real food.
With absolutely no flour, sugar, eggs, oil or grains, they are a cookie. Sweet, right?
These three to four-bite chocolate wonders are just right for a treat in the evening. Or in the morning. Or afternoon. And stashed carefully and confidentially in the freezer, no one will know they are there but you...
Buen provecho!
The Cowgirl Gourmet thanks The Detoxinista for sharing this recipe
Print recipe
I love chocolate. It is my thing. It is a treat I would never and could never give up. Naturally, these double chocolate cookies spoke my language and I decided Valentine's Day would be a perfect time to test them out. I made them and was not thrilled at all but reserved the leftovers in the freezer nonetheless. The next day, I gave the cookie another chance and it was soooo much better than when they were freshly made--which I did not like at all--but frozen, they became a totally different cookie that won me over. I hope they do the same for you.
Makes 12 cookies
1 1/2 cups pecans
12 dates, pitted (1 cup)
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 chia or flax egg (1 tablespoon ground chia or flax seeds mixed with 3 tablespoons water)
1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks or chips (I used part of a 72% organic dark chocolate bar and chopped it up)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.
In a food processor, process the dates and pecans together until it becomes a crumbly texture.
In a small bowl, add the vanilla, ground chia or flax and water and stir well to blend thoroughly. Add the chia/flax egg-vanilla mixture to the food processor and process until the batter is relatively smooth. It is going to be stickier than a traditional cookie dough.
Add in the chips or chunks and pulse a few times to combine.
Scoop tablespoon-sized dollops of batter onto the cookie sheet and use your fingers to gently shape and flatten each cookie. It is helpful to keep your fingers wet as you shape the cookies so the dough does not stick to your hands.
Bake cookies for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are firm and you smell brownies cooking in the oven. Allow the cookies to cool on the sheet for 10 minutes and then place on a wire cookie rack to cool completely.
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