Holiday Cookies

I got into the holiday spirit and spent Christmas day in the Nutrition Kitchen baking cookies and other tasty treats.  One of my favorite things is vegan baking.  It is so much fun to adapt recipes to make them dairy and egg free without losing any of the taste.  These cookies came out so well and do not taste vegan at all!  You can make them any time of year, of course, but are perfect little morsels to satisfy that holiday sweet tooth we all get.  Enjoy!


Raspberry and Chocolate Ganache Tumbprint Cookies
Makes about 24 cookies
Use whatever preserves you like!

 
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup finely ground cashews (just throw a cup of plain cashews in a food processor and process until the cashews are about the consistency of flour)
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup canola oil or olive oil (I used olive)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

raspberry preserves
5 oz good quality dark, dairy free chocolate, chopped (I used "Enjoy Life" brand Mega Chunk chocolate)
5.4 oz can coconut milk
1/8 tsp vanilla

• Preheat oven to 325 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Mix flour, ground cashews, sugar and salt in a large bowl.
• Whisk oil, lemon juice and vanilla in a small bowl.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until the dough comes together.  The dough will be very dry and crumbly, but should hold together when you press it with your fingers.  
• Form the dough into 1-2" balls and make in indent in the center with your thumb.  You will have to flatten them out slightly and take care to make sure they don't fall apart.
• Fill with a small dollop of the raspberry preserves.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown.  While the cookies are baking, prepare the chocolate ganache.

• Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl and set aside.
• Heat coconut milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until little bubbles appear around the edges and steam rises from the surface.
• Pour the coconut milk over the chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes without stirring.  
• After 5 minutes, stir the mixture until smooth (about 2 minutes).
• Add vanilla and stir until incorporated.  
• Let it cool slightly before putting it on the cookies.

• Once the cookies are done and cooled completely, dot a small amount of the ganache on top of the raspberry preserves.  
• Let cool until chocolate has set.
• Serve at room temp or cold.

Nutritional info per cookie (not my healthiest creation but at least it's dairy free!)
Calories: 160     Fat: 10g     Saturated Fat: 3g     Sodium: 33mg     Sugar: 7g