Ok guys. We're officially on a chocolate roll here. I've been furiously busy developing and refining chocolate recipes, because 'I hate testing chocolate recipes' said no one, ever.
These delectable cookies have a somewhat cake-like, super chocolaty interior, and an invitingly shiny top. But they are much lower in fat and sugar than traditional soft-baked cookies. Best of all, this is a very quick, very easy recipe, requiring just a few ingredients. As always, substitutions and notes are below the recipe.
They aren't overly-sweet, which is how I like them. But you can always add another 1/4 cup of sugar to the recipe amount noted below. For a party, or yourself (you deserve the treat too) you can top these with icing.
They taste great warm from the oven, or left to cool overnight. I love these warmed up in the toaster oven the next day. This recipe makes 24-28 cookies. If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container or freezer bag in the fridge for up to 3 days. I love these warmed in the toaster oven the next day.
Here's my recipe for these amazing treats.
Prep time: 7-8 minutes
Cooking time: 12-15 minutes
Yield: 30-32 cookies (I used a 1.5 tbsp cookie scoop)
Ingredients:
2 oz unsweetened baking chocolate (see notes for substitution)
1/3 cup good quality cocoa powder, I use Guittard cocoa rouge (Dutch process)
2/3 cup almond flour (see notes)
2/3 cup sprouted wheat flour (see notes)
3/4 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar, or use 1 cup for sweeter cookies (see notes)
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup full fat greek yogurt (see notes)
3 large eggs
1/3 cup cooked sweet potato, applesauce or ripe banana
1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (optional)
Method:
- Preheat oven to 375 degree F.
- Melt the unsweetened baking chocolate in the microwave or in a double boiler, if using the stove top.
- Mix together the cocoa powder, almond flour, sprouted wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add chocolate chips, if using.
- Separately, combine the vanilla and yogurt with the eggs.
- Mix the wet ingredients into the dry mixture until everything just comes together. Add the melted chocolate. Don't over-mix.
- Use a tablespoon to drop the batter onto a pan lined with baking paper, spacing them about an inch apart (or grease your cookie sheet, if not lined).
-Bake for 14-16 minutes until they spring back to the touch. Check them for done-ness at 12-14 minutes. And do not over-bake, or dry cookies will be your fate.
Ingredients notes, variations and substitutions:
Baking chocolate: Try to use the best quality baking chocolate you can find. This is the flavor base of the recipe, so its worth splurging here. However, this recipe will taste great with whatever kind of baking chocolate you can find in your market. If you can't find baking chocolate, you can substitute with 2 tablespoons of red cocoa and 1.5 tablespoons of flavorless oil. Try cocoa butter, if you can find it, but any flavorless oil (canola, grapeseed etc.) will be fine.
Almond flour: You can use other kinds of nut flours too. Or skip nut flours altogether. Substitute with an equal amount of flour of your choice. I'd recommend brown rice flour, if you can find it, for a more textured cookie. The texture of the batter will be different, depending on the flour you use.
Sprouted wheat flour: I generally prefer this over regular whole wheat flour for baked goods, just because I find it yields a more tender crumb, and its flavor blends into that of other ingredients. That said, chocolate is a strong flavor, so feel free to use whatever flour you have on hand. Prefer pastry flour or all purpose? Use that! You'll get a fluffier, lighter texture. You like whole wheat flour? Go for it! You want to try it with oat flour? It'll work. Here's the thing with gluten free flours, though: They don't give you the same airy texture. They do give you a deliciously textured bite! I have gluten-free chocolate cookie recipes here on my blog. Give ‘em a go!
Coconut sugar: This is my sugar of choice in general for recipes where you would otherwise see brown sugar. You can substitute with brown sugar, if you like.
Greek yogurt: This isn't available everywhere. It's creamier and denser than regular yogurt. Regular yogurt will add too much moisture to the batter and your cookies might spread more while baking. You can substitute with regular yogurt if you strain it first: drain a container of yogurt into a bowl through a cheesecloth-lined sieve for a couple of hours. Use 1/3 cup of the strained yogurt in this recipe. You don't have to discard the whey (the liquid in the bowl). It's just not for this recipe. I use full fat yogurt here, and you could in theory use low fat or fat-free. Just remember, we don’t have much added fat in this recipe, and fat-free substitutes for the yogurt (such as applesauce) will change the crumb of the cookie.
Variations: Try adding some cinnamon to the recipe. About 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon will make for a spicier aroma, without making the cookies too cinnamony. You can also add nuts, if you like - almonds, pecans or walnuts will all be great here. Or try topping with flaked coconut.
That's all, folks. If you have any other suggestions, or any questions, feel free to comment below (I'll get an email and write back to you).
Happy baking!
