I made these easy vegan cookies around Christmas. Honestly I stole the concept from Sally’s Baking Addiction. She’s just so mouth watering, that Sally.
Sally, you don’t even know I exist, but… I low key love you.
Yea I stole it (imitation, flattery, and all that) but of course I had to hack at them with my own tools and tricks.
First I made them easy. All you need is a bowl, spatula, your hands and arms. No machines required for this cookie dough. In that sense you could say it’s Paleo. That’s not what Paleo is? Oops.
Then I made them vegan. I don’t have the patience to deal with eggs and butter when I’m craving cookies, friends. Eggs make cakes, muffins and quick breads soft and airy but a cookie doesn’t absolutely need an egg and eggs are just a high-maintenance ingredient, aren’t they. You crack them, you beat them, you always spill them. Ay.
Sorry, chickens. Or, you’re welcome chickens? For not putting your proto-kiddos in my cookies?
Then I also made sure these cookies won’t give me and the toddler a massive insulin spike. Who wants to deal with a 2yo on a sugar high? I can hardly deal with almost 37yo myself on a sugar high. So I made sure they’re low-ish glycemic.
You could eat these for breakfast and would be fine and we have.
How did the cookies taste though? Nobody could tell they were anything less than regular cookies. I’m asking you, why are cookies traditionally made with all these high-maintenance ingredients, refined flours, sugars, and require 7 different specialty kitchen tools?
So join me in snacking on these easy and good for you goodies, and let me know what you think!
Small-batch Peppermint Bark Cookies
Equipment
- Cookie sheet or similar
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp any oil (15 g) I used coconut oil
- 2 tbsp nut/seed butter (32 g) I used almond butter
- 3 tbsp maple syrup (63 g)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup flour (60 g) gf all purpose if desired
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder (12 g)
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp salt
Chocolate coating
- 1/4 cup white chocolate or candy melts (45 g) dairy-free if desired
- 1 tsp any oil (5 g) I used coconut oil
- peppermint extract to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a cookie sheet with parchment.
- In a large bowl melt your coconut oil (I use the microwave). Add nut butter (assuming this is in room temp) and blend until smooth.
- Add maple syrup, vanilla extract and blend. If at this point your coconut oil hardens, gently microwave to make it liquid again.
- Add cocoa powder (sift it in if it’s clumpy), mix until smooth.
- Add flour, make a well in the center, add baking soda and salt. Mix these into the flour roughly (I use the tip of my spatula). Combine flour with the wet stuff and form your chocolate cookie dough.
- Make walnut-sized balls between your palms and flatten gently on the cookie sheet.
- Bake 8 minutes, take our of the oven and let them cool completely and stick them in your fridge or freezer to get them cold.
- Melt together your chocolate and coconut oil (I use 30 sec increments in the microwave). The key is to make a thin sauce. If the sauce is still too thick, add more coconut oil. Mix in your peppermint extract.
- Dip the top of each cold cookie and cover with about a tsp chocolate each (there will be chocolate leftover to use later). (Optional: sprinkle crushed candy cane).
- Let covered cookies cool again in the fridge. Enjoy!!