Chocolate Espresso Cookies
Yield: about 18 cookies
These cookies signal Christmas time to me and make me think of my Italian grandmother. They have a distinctly Italian flavor thanks to both the espresso and the cloves. And if you put them in the freezer, I swear they come out tasting like donut holes. This recipe is a cleaned up, gluten free version of the ones I used to eat as a little girl. However, they taste exactly the same and are just as addictive. Warning: Eating too many will give you a caffeine high, so eat with caution. These make a great gift as they keep well in a cookie tin and are delicious directly from the freezer (so you can make them ahead of time). I make these every year for Christmas. Give them a try and I bet they will become a part of your family traditions as well.
Ingredients:
2 cups almond meal (must use Honeyville brand for best results)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon warm espresso
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped finely
1/4 cup raisins
For the glaze:
1/3 cup maple sugar (blended into a fine powder using the spice grinder)*
4-5 teaspoons warm water
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350*F and line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat.
Mix together the dry ingredients (almond meal, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg). Sift all the dry ingredients together and stir again. Add all the wet ingredients (coconut oil, vanilla, maple syrup, espresso) into the dry ingredients.
Stir in the walnuts and raisins.
Roll the batter into tablespoon size balls and place onto your prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
While you are baking, prepare the glaze. Add the water to the powdered maple sugar 1 teaspoon as a time. Use a whisk to combine and keep adding the water until you have a glaze consistency.
Take the warm cookies directly from the baking sheet and dip them into the glaze to coat the cookies. Then place onto a piece of parchment paper to cool.
*If you use your spice grinder for coffee, the best way to remove any residue is to put some rice into the grinder and grind until you don’t see anymore granules. Wash. And you are ready to grind the sugar.
- 2 cups almond meal (must use Honeyville brand for best results)
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon warm espresso
- ¼ cup walnuts, chopped finely
- ¼ cup raisins
- For the glaze:
- 1 cup maple sugar (blended into a fine powder using the spice grinder)*
- ¾ cup warm water
- Preheat oven to 350*F and line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat.
- Mix together the dry ingredients (almond meal, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg). Sift all the dry ingredients together and stir again. Add all the wet ingredients (coconut oil, vanilla, maple syrup, espresso) into the dry ingredients.
- Stir in the walnuts and raisins.
- Roll the batter into tablespoon size balls and place onto your prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
- While you are baking, prepare the glaze. Add the powdered maple sugar to the water using a whisk until you have an icing consistency.
- Take the warm cookies directly from the baking sheet and dip them into the glaze to coat the cookies. Then place onto a piece of parchment paper to cool.
- *If you use your spice grinder for coffee, the best way to remove any residue is to put some rice into the grinder and grind until you don't see anymore granules. Wash. And you are ready to grind the sugar.
