Flourless Chocolate-Walnut Cookies (and the grumpiest hummingbird!)

Week two of Vegan MoFo - survived and enjoyed! Today I'm finishing off the week with an oldie but a goodie. It's a simplified variation of my trusty old Mutant Flourless Chocolate Cookies. These days I don't even bother with the flax/water goo, and instead of coconut I've been using almond meal. Not even that powdery fancy almond flour, but just finely ground almonds that can be homemade or store-bought, like Bob's Red Mill almond meal. These little cookies are chewy and crispy (depending on how long you bake them) and they have lots of gooey chocolate chips and crunchy walnuts!



Flourless Chocolate-Walnut Cookies

1/2 cup almond meal, homemade or storebought
2/3 cup coconut sugar OR 1/2 cup white, turbinado, or brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup nut butter
4 to 6 tbsp coconut milk (not coconut "beverage")
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a medium sized mixing bowl combine all ingredients except for the chocolate chips and walnuts.

4. Beat with an electric mixer for about 30 seconds or until a smooth dough forms. Start on low to keep the cocoa powder from exploding all over your face and then crank it up higher. The dough will look chunky at first but keep mixing and it will become smooth. Your dough should be stiff but not crumbly. If it's crumbly just add a little bit more coconut milk until you're happy with it.

5. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts.

6. Roll the dough into 24 or so one-inch balls and place them on the baking sheet leaving about an inch of space in between the cookies. Flatten each cookie slightly.

7. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. Let the cookies cool for a minute or two on the baking sheet before you transfer them to a cooling rack.

They look nice, yes? Let me show you the bottom though (not my bottom - cheeky!)

Honey, I burnt the cookies
*FAIL*

I burnt them! I was distracted by our macho hummingbird that was posing right outside our window and next thing I knew the bottoms were burnt. Burning cookies makes me grumpy. And you know who else was grumpy? This guy... 

Fluffy hummingbird is fluffy... also grumpy
Grumpy hummingbird is grumpy.

Vegan MoFo

Comments

  1. Uch burning cookies is always so sad but so easy to do!

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    1. I know! And the saddest thing is that I actually have a timer that reminds me when the cookies are supposed to be done. Airhead!

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  2. Aww burny bits, that's heartbreaking. They still look freakin rad though!

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    1. We did eat all the cookies already, so I guess the burny bits weren't so bad :)

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  3. I'm literally drooling at your first photo - chewy and crispy cookies with these gooey chocolate chips & crunchy walnuts - how lovely that you used almond meal - and I'm sorry that you burned them! I would love to see them again though!

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    1. Gooey chocolate chips have to be the best thing in the world, I think! Burning cookies (and other baked goods) is my specialty! If only one could make a living out of burning foods...

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  4. Gooey + chocolate = perfect. Or, in this case, almost perfect due to the burny bits. I'd eat them anyway, just like you did. I use almond meal all the time, too — it's amazing the way it can replace flour in cakes and cookies.

    I'd have been distracted by the hummingbird, too. Hummingbirds trump cookies.

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    1. Perfection is overrated anyway, right? :D

      Hummingbirds do trump cookies - actually they trump almost anything! I'm working on a little video featuring at least one of our hummingbirds. Watch this space!

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  5. HAHA that bird! What a face he is making!
    I really like the sound of these cookies. I might have to make them! I like working with almond meal, and I have coconut sugar but never really use it.

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    1. Doesn't he have the grumpiest birdie face ever? It makes him even cuter!

      I like coconut sugar in certain things, but not so much in others like my tea or homemade ice cream. But it's perfect for cookies!

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  6. Naww.... my grumpy little birdy friend. Who is the cutest little grumpy birdy friend?
    (Actually, the answer to that question is my own grumpy bird friend Spock, but this guy is a solid second).

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    1. Who is this grumpy bird friend "Spock" you speak of and why have I not seen a picture of him yet? :)

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    2. He's my little cockatiel. He's actually turning twenty in December this year! I adopted him when I was twelve years old. Unfortunately, he has to put up with lots and lots of cats.

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    3. Spock is no spring chicken! Pun definitely intended. We adopted a little lovebird a few years ago but he was sick and he was only with us for a couple of years. He was awesome!

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  7. I give my mother-in-law the burnt ones because she loves them. lol! So do you use roasted or raw almonds to make your flour?

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    1. Ha! Nice! :)

      I either use Bob's Red Mill almond meal or I make my own with almonds from the bulk bin, which I believe have been blanched. Their sticker says they are raw, but I'm pretty sure they're blanched.

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  8. Burnt bottoms are never fun, but the tops look crazy chocolatey and tasty and I'd still eat the hell out of them! That is one bad ass looking hummingbird.

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    1. Oh, he means business. Actually, he's so bad ass he means bidness! :)

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    1. He's a very photogenic little guy, isn't he? Don't tell him that though, or it will go to his tiny little birdie head! :)

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  10. Our IT guy made told me I had to make these for them! :) Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Awesome! I hope you and your IT guy like them, Katie!

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  11. Is it coconut milk from the can or carton? Thanks!

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    1. It's the full-fat coconut milk that comes in a can. Yummy fatty fat! :)

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