Paradise Found: Chocolate Macadamia "Island" Cookies
"I get way too excited about Martha's vegan cookies, my favorite being the macadamia chocolate chip! As a long time vegan, I've had many of vegan baked treats! But a common issue is them being too dry or falling apart. These are hands down my favorite cookies of all time, sent from the heavens, vegan or not! I could seriously eat them for breakfast, lunch & dinner. (And I have, shhhh!) "
~ Cecilia, my first passionate cookie-advocate <3
These sea-salt chocolate macadamia cookies are a tropical variation of an awesome recipe I found a year ago on the "Texanerin Baking" blog https://www.texanerin.com/perfect-paleo-chocolate-chip-cookies/
The product of this collaboration was a chocolate-mac cookie decadent and flavorful like their ginger sisters, and born of the same honest, plant-based ingredients. However, unlike their spicy siblings, the creamy combination of white and dark vegan coconut chocolate, balanced by the buttery crunch of caramelized macadamia nuts lends these cookies a tropical twist in texture and taste unparalleled by anything I've ever baked before. They conquer a chocolate lover's cravings, and create NEW cravings for plant-based paradise! As soon as I invited/ invented these cookies into my life, I was seeking more and more often that place where health and pleasure take a joint vacation. I present to you: a cookie that at once grounds you in real nutrition, and transports your tastebuds to an exotic destination:
"I moved to Colorado about a month after Martha made her first batch of chocolate chip-macadamia cookies. I loved them so much, I supplied her monthly with caramelized toffee mac-nuts (that is, until she started caramelizing them on her own with whole-food ingredients). Now, all I can do is text her a week prior to when she visits, and demand she bring a box of them to me. I then shamelessly hide them from my boyfriend. . . I even ration them out to myself --just one a day--so they last longer! I 'm not even gluten-intolerant or vegan, and I still miss these cookies as soon as they're gone. They are perfect way to conclude a lunch, or to sustain me through the last half of a long day at the office."
~ Dorian, my twin sister :)
I'm truly inspired to leave a trail of crumbs far and wide--not just for personal profit, but to propose an evolved vision of pleasure & health to my community. Whether it's sharing this post with a friend, reading my blog and sharing your response, or sharing in on the joy by baking or placing your own order, you're helping me in my larger mission to show that health and pleasure-taking, nourishment and sweet satisfaction, are friends not foes.
Below you'll find all the info you need to make these yourself! However, I know that it can be a challenge to find the time AND the ingredients to make vegan, grain free baked goods. If this is you, CONTACT ME TODAY TO PLACE YOUR SPECIAL ORDER of either my Choco-Macnut or Ginger-Pecan Spice cookies at a discounted price! (martha.krausz68@gmail.com)
To make:
(Yields 12 two-inch cookies)
Ingredients:
1 cup almond flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup coconut sugar
6 tbsp almond butter
6 tbsp coconut oil1 1/2 tbsp bourbon vanilla extract
1 egg ; vegan substitute = 1 flax egg (combine 1 tbsp ground flax-meal + 2.5 tbsp water, let sit for at least 15 minutes, overnight is better)
1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate (vegan coconut milk kind)
1/2 cup chopped white chocolate
1 cup caramelized, plain or toasted/ salted macadamia nuts
Instructions:
1) Combine all dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.
2) In a large bowl, beat coconut oil and coconut sugar with electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds.
IMPORTANT: If your coconut oil is very firm, massage sugar and coconut oil with hands first for about 20 seconds until all large chunks soften to the consistency of softened butter. Then beat for another 20 seconds with Kitchen Aid or electric mixer. If your oil is very soft or melted from sitting in a hot kitchen, place the jar in your fridge for about 20 minutes until it is the consistency of soft butter before combining with coconut sugar. The consistency of your coconut oil is key to acquiring the right cookie-texture; otherwise cookies may have a hard time cohering and end up melty and flat. Science.
3) Add almond butter, vanilla extract and clove extract to the sugar/coconut oil mixture and beat on medium until combined.
4) Add egg or flax egg to your sugar & nut-butter mixture and beat on low until incorporated.
5) Chop up your candied ginger and pecan pieces so they are ready to be incorporated into the dough. I mention this here because, the longer the dough waits on the kitchen counter, the more the coconut oil softens, which can result in a slight textural-difference in your cookies. Have the line-up all ready so the dough can get into the fridge as quickly as possible!
6) Add dry ingredients to wet; as you do so, fold in pecan and ginger pieces.
7) Place cookie dough in fridge for an hour to harden, or overnight covered with some plastic-wrap to protect other fridge-smells from seeping in.
8) While cookie dough is firming in fridge, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
9) When dough is firm, shape your cookies into whatever size you want (as long as they are uniform, else they won't cook evenly) and space them evenly (about 2 inches in between) on a non-stick baking sheet. I usually fit about twelve cookies per baking-sheet. Impress reserved candied pecans and ginger pieces atop each cookie for an extra crunch and aesthetic punch!
10) Bake for 11 -13 minutes or until cookies are golden brown and show minimum jiggle. As these cookies bake very quickly, I suggest turning on your oven light and keeping an eye on them after the 10 minute-mark.
IMPORTANT: cookies will continue to bake on the baking sheet after removing them from oven, so don't worry if they are still a little jiggly and raw-feeling when you take them out. They will coalesce quickly as they cool!11) Transfer to a cooling rack and try to wait more than 5 minutes before consuming to avoid tongue-burns. You'll want to have your taste-buds in tact for these! :D