Ahh, the last day of spring! Christmas is fast approaching and generally I am the sort of annoying person who is on top of present buying pretty early on, but this year… not so much! I keep looking at the calendar in disbelief at how fast each week is going. I am pretty sure it was just October! But I’ve started making my present list, which includes lots of homemade edibles, as per usual. Christmas always means baking, and baking always means cookies.
These delicious, crisp cookies have a grown up flavour – not too sweet, and studded with dark chocolate, flaked almonds, and sea salt. They are not your sort of Christmas shortbread or gingerbread that keeps for weeks, as they’ll lose their crisp texture, but they are the sort of quick and delicious biscuit that are easy to throw together when family are over or if you need to bring something to a friends house. Even better, you likely have these ingredients already in your cupboard! Well, maybe not the chocolate, which can’t really be kept for safe keeping in my house! But with oats and sweetener as its base, these cookie are a synch to make and easily adapted to whatever nuts you have.
The sweetness comes largely from what chocolate you choose to use, so pick one that you like eating straight from the packet! I’d steer towards a darker (70%) chocolate to limit the amount of cane sugar, or any variety of raw or refined-sugar free chocolate if you’d like something a bit sweeter.
I’d love to know what sort of edible gifts you make this time of year. Let me know in the comments below! Xx
Salted Chocolate and Almond Cookies
You can substitute in rapadura (panela) in place of the coconut sugar. You can use an alternative nut in place of the almonds, if desired. I recommend using a dark chocolate (70%) to limit the amount of cane sugar, or any variety of raw or refined-sugar free chocolate if you’d like something a bit sweeter.
Adapted from Sarah Britton’s “Salt N Pepper Chocolate Chip Cookies” in My New Roots
Makes 12-14 large cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15
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Salted Chocolate and Almond Cookies
250g | 2.5 cups rolled oats (gf if needed)
2 tsp baking powder (gf if needed)
60g | 1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
80ml | 1/3 cup coconut oil
80ml | 1/3 cup rice malt syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
40ml | 2 tbls water
50g | 1/2 cup flaked almonds
80g dark chocolate (dairy-free), roughly chopped
flaky sea salt, to taste
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Set your oven to 170C and line two trays with baking paper.
Grind your oats into a rough flour using a food processor, and transfer them to a large bowl. Add the baking powder, sugar and salt and stir till combined.
In a small saucepan, melt the coconut oil over low heat. When liquid but before it gets too hot, stir in the rice malt syrup, vanilla and water. Add this mixture to the oat flour and stir with a wooden spoon till a thick dough is formed. Gently fold through the almonds and chocolate.
Scoop balls of dough (using a tablespoon is best) and place on your prepared baking trays – you should get around 12-14 cookies. Space them at least 5 cm apart from one another and from the edges of the tray as these cookies spread considerably. Sprinkle with a little flaky sea salt, if desired.
Bake in the oven for 15 min till golden brown. Cool in tray for 5 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
