Easy Dark Chocolate Cookies (Vegan, Grain Free)

Ingredients

Dry

2 cups almond flour
5 tbsp cacao powder, sifted*
pinch sea salt

Wet

6 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping

1/2 cup finely chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips
30 edible flowers optional garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium sized bowl add the almond flour, cacao powder and sea salt. Mix until there are no clumps.
In a small bowl add the melted coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Whisk until combined.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until combined. The dough should be slightly sticky and hold together when pinched. Form the dough into a ball.
Roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper to 1/2" thickness. If the dough is too soft to roll, place in the fridge for 15 minutes. Cut out the cookies and transfer to a lined baking sheet using an offset spatula. They can be placed quite close together on the baking sheet since they will not spread when baking.
Bake the cookies for 12-13 minutes. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes.
Once the cookies are cooled start to melt the chocolate. Place the chocolate in a medium sized bowl. Fill a small pot with 2 inches of water. Bring to a simmer. Place the bowl of chocolate on top of the pot making sure that the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl (double boiler method). Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted, about 7-10 minutes. Remove the bowl of chocolate from the pot and set aside. The chocolate needs to cool for a few minutes to thicken. Alternatively the chocolate can be melted in a microwave, stirring at 30 second intervals.
If using edible flowers, have them laid out beside the cookies. Using a teaspoon spread the chocolate on top of the cookies, leaving a small border around the edges. Place one flower on top of the chocolate and lightly press down. Repeat for all of the cookies. Alternatively you can dip the cookies into the chocolate but there will not be a border. If you don't have edible flowers top them with flakey sea salt or fresh berries.
The cookies will last up to 5 days in a sealed container in the fridge. Enjoy!

Notes

*Cocoa powder can be substituted for cacao powder.

*The yield of the recipe depends on the size of the cookie cutter and thickness of cookies. I used a 1.5" diameter cutter and the cookies were 1/2" thick.

*If using edible flowers I recommend dried pansy or violas. They are thin and mild tasting. Always make sure to buy edible flowers from a reputable source.

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