Gluten-Free Vegan Crispy Mocha Cookies

 

 So I set about making gluten-free vegan crispy thin-mint-esque cookies only to find I had vanilla, chocolate, ginger, anise and maple extract, but no mint.  So I decided to use strong coffee and make a crispy mocha cookie.  It turned into quite a delicious crisp cookie and is a great pick-me-up for that afternoon lull.  I made my cookies quite tiny, though any shape/size will work well.  Hint: the thinner you roll the dough, the crispier the cookie.  Cheers!

Gluten-Free Vegan Crispy Mocha Cookies

Makes approximately 4 dozen

Ingredients:

Cookie Base:

¾  cup buckwheat flour

¼ cup coconut flour 

3 tablespoons cacao powder

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon baking powder

3 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoon coconut oil, melted

2-3  tablespoons strong brewed coffee or espresso, cooled

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk

Chocolate Coating:

½ cup nondairy chocolate chips, melted

Instructions:

1.     Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

2.     Sift the ground buckwheat flour, coconut flour, cacao powder, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a large bowl.

3.     Mix in the maple syrup, coconut oil, and strong coffee.  Add just enough coconut milk to make a dough that is well combined: not crumbly, but not sticky.

4.     Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, and place the dough on top.

5.     Place a sheet of plastic wrap on top of the dough, and press the dough out into a circle.

6.     Take a rolling pin, and roll out the dough until it is about 1/8- to 1/4-inches thick and use your desired cookie cutter shape: I chose little heart and leaf cutters.

8.     Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. They should be slightly firm to the touch and will crisp up more as they cool.

9.     Melt the nondairy chips for the chocolate coating and dip the cooled cookies into the chocolate, covering as much of the surface of the cookie as possible, then set them on a wire rack or wax paper to set.

11.   Place the coated cookies into the freezer or fridge to harden more.

I do believe if you omitted the coffee, adding a bit more coconut milk or water and added 1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons mint extract, it would create a lovely thin mint type of cookie.  I'll have to let you know next time!