Vegan Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

INGREDIENTS

To Start

• 8 oz (227 g) California Prunes
• 1/2 cup (43 g) unsweetened dark (Dutch process) cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons (20 g) raw flaxseeds
• 1/2 cup (112 g) hot water

For the Cookie Dough

• 1 cup (170 g) dark chocolate (coarsely chopped)
• 1/2 cup (112 g) sunflower or grapeseed oil (or other neutral oil)
• 1/2 cup (105 g) light brown sugar (packed)
• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon (13 g) real vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon (13 g) hot water
• 1 teaspoon real peppermint extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (7 g) sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 3/4 cups (237 g) all-purpose flour (how to measure flour)
• 1 cup (170 g) dark chocolate chips

For the Vegan Chocolate Glaze

• 2 cups (240 g) confectioners’ sugar
• 3 tablespoons (15 g) unsweetened dark (Dutch process) cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons (42 g) boiling water
• 1 ½ tablespoon (30 g) light corn syrup ((or vegan butter))
• 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons (33 g) peppermint candies (candy canes) (crushed)

DIRECTIONS

To Start

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line several cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. To a high-speed blender add the prunes, cocoa powder, flaxseeds and hot water (in that order). Blend on low for several minutes or until very smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the blender to make sure that everything is well combined. Measure out about ½ cup (170 g) of the prune puree and reserve the remaining for your next batch (it freezes great!). Don’t clean your blender and set aside for the next step.

For the Cookie Dough

1. To a large bowl (that’s heat safe) set over simmering water, add the dark chocolate, oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar and ½ cup (170 g) of prune-flaxseed mixture. Make sure the water doesn’t boil or touch the bottom of the bowl. Stir frequently until the chocolate is melted and then pour the mixture back into the blender, add the vanilla, water and peppermint extract and blend on low until quite smooth, no more than 1 minute.
2. Stir in the sea salt, baking powder, baking soda until completely combined and then fold in the flour until the dough is mixed, but you still see streaks of flour. It will be very thick. Add the chocolate chips and fold until evenly mixed throughout the dough. The dough will appear slightly glossy and quite thick, this is perfect.
3. Portion 2 tablespoons (28 g) of dough into a ball and place on the cookie sheet, allowing about 2 inches (5 cm) between each dough ball. Prior to baking, gently press the dough balls down to form a disc (rather than a ball). Bake one sheet at a time in the center of the oven for 10 minutes. You want to slightly underbake these. Allow the cookies to cool on the sheet for 15 minutes then transfer to a wire rack. *When baking, allow more space between the cookies than shown in the photo below.

For the Vegan Chocolate Glaze

1. Whisk together the confectioners sugar and cocoa powder in a medium bowl. Pour in the water, corn syrup and vanilla and stir until smooth and completely combined.
2. Spread the glaze over the tops of the cookies and sprinkle with the crushed candy cane pieces. Allow the glaze to set for several hours at room temperature before serving.

Cookie Tips

• This recipe makes ample frosting (I’d rather have more than less!). If you have extra, consider smearing on graham crackers for a yummy snack.
• Let’s the frosted cookies sit at room temp for several hours for the frosting to set prior to serving.
• The frosting will get a wee bit matte as it chills (this is normal).
• Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Cookies: If you follow a gluten-free diet, these vegan peppermint cookies are a great cookie to make gluten free. Simply replace the all-purpose flour with gluten-free cupe-for-cup flour 1:1.