Simple is an apt word to describe the preparation process of these gems of peanut butter and rich chocolaty delight (thanks to the unsweetened dark chocolate drizzle oh so appropriately melted on top). The short ingredient list makes this recipe that much simpler and in a brief period of time these cookies can be yours. Hopefully, you have a food processor. This is the tool that makes these cookies so easy to put together. All I did was place all of the ingredients in my beloved food processor (with the exception of the dark chocolate) and voilà, my cookie dough was done. Just like that. It’s the closest thing to magic I got to see today given that I am a mere muggle. If I can’t possess magical powers, I might as well make do with do and be grateful for my cookies. This has been my philosophy for quite some time now and I seem to be doing pretty well with it. Note: I really wanted to use pixie dust in this recipe in the hopes that these cookies would help me fly with the accompaniment of happy thoughts, but I didn’t have any on hand. This was upsetting, but I got over it once I tasted a prepared cookie.
I am calling these cookies breakfast cookies because they aren’t terribly sweet and hence, are a great choice for an on-the-go breakfast. They are sweet (dates will have that effect), but they aren’t the kind of sweet that makes you think to yourself, “Wow, these cookies are really sweet”. Nope, my best guess is that you will think to yourself something like this, “Hmm, these cookies would be quite suitable for breakfast because they are filling, loaded with fiber, and not overly sweet”. I’m pretty good at guessing these things, so I knew I had to include breakfast in the title. And who doesn’t like chocolate in the morning? Seriously.
Ingredients (makes 12-14 cookies):
1 cup smooth peanut butter 1 cup coconut flour 14 soft medjool dates, pitted ¾ cup nondairy milk 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 2 oz unsweetened baking dark chocolate pixie dust (optional)
Directions:
1) Pulse all ingredients (except dark chocolate) in a food processor for a few minutes until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed and you have a crumbly flour-like mixture.
2) Pour this mixture into a large bowl and gradually knead with your hands until the crumbs come together when you pinch a piece of the dough with your fingers. Add a few extra tablespoons of non-dairy milk to the mixture to get it to stick together, if needed.
3) Take a piece of dough (about 2-4 tablespoons) and mold it into a ball with your hands. Flatten the ball with your hands and place on a large plate. Repeat until all the dough is used.
4) Sprinkle pixie dust over cookies now, if using.
5) Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes on a lightly greased baking pan. Take out of the oven once cookies are crisp.
5) Heat unsweetened baking chocolate in the microwave for a minute, mix, and then heat the chocolate again for another minute. Once it is melted, use a small spoon to pour chocolate over freshly baked cookies. Focus and patience are positively correlated to neatness of chocolate application over cookies. You have been warned.
6) The chocolate will harden over the cookies after about 30 minutes at room temperature. At this point, you can simply store the cookies in the fridge and heat them in the microwave for 30 seconds each time you want to eat one. Microwave heating certainly isn’t required for the eating process, but it is highly recommended. I like my cookies warm and my chocolate slightly melted!