Vegan Pistachio Butter Cookies with Dark Chocolate
Lots of things go through my head while I am running. Brrr it is cold, and why am I up this early usually for the first five minutes, then the more interesting thoughts start to happen. Like oh look...green grass is starting to appear beneath the melting snow...I hope spring comes soon, that would be wonderful. Spring green is nice, oh I should make something green today since Spring is almost here. Just random thoughts, but so useful for thinking up recipes. So that green theme, it happened. I made Vegan Pistachio Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies.
Pistachio butter is amazing, and I recently made some with the raw pistachios Vivapura sent me. I thought it deserved to be used in something good where it could shine and be the star ingredient. I made some Raw White Chocolate Pistachio Butter Cups, but I had some left over so I made these cookies too! Think peanut butter cookies, but better. The dough was quite addictive, and I knew it would be wonderful once baked. They smelled amazing while baking too, nutty and scented like vanilla.
I decided to drizzle them with dark chocolate to dress them up, and since pistachios and chocolate go so well together. I shared these with my Mother, and she adored them. I have to agree, they are delightful! So pretty too with the light green from the pistachios to color them. Naturally colored foods are the best!
Vegan Pistachio Butter Cookies with Dark Chocolate
Makes 12 cookies
1 Tbsp ground flax seed
3 Tbsp filtered water
1 cup coconut sugar or xylitol*
3/4 cup raw pistachio butter
1/4 cup coconut oil, warmed to liquid
1 tsp L.C. Finns vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups gluten free all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chunks or chips
In a small bowl, whisk together the flax seed and water. Place the bowl in the fridge for 15 minutes, this is your flax egg.
In a large bowl, with a wooden spoon, mix together the sugar, pistachio butter, coconut oil, vanilla and flax egg, until smooth. Then mix in the flour, soda, baking powder, and sea salt in until the mixture is smooth.
Preheat the oven to 375F degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment.
Shape the cookie dough into 1 inch balls, place on your baking sheet a few inches apart and flatten slightly with your hand.
Place in the oven and bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes or so, until lightly browned and set. Allow to cool completely on a rack.
Once the cookies have cooled, melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler, and drizzle the chocolate over each cookie (I put mine in a ziplock bag with a hole cut in the corner to make it easier). Allow the chocolate to set before serving (it will set faster if you put them in the freezer for about 10 min).
*xylitol will yield a greener cookie.
