Fresh rosemary mingles nicely with dark chocolate chunks in these soft-baked gluten free and vegan cookies. Coconut sugar adds a hit of that caramel flavor and sea salt enhances all of the flavors.
I was thinking back the other day to some of my earliest childhood culinary revelations. One of them was the discovery of a jar of Italian seasoning in our pantry and how incredibly delicious it made my cheesy toast. Another was the sweet and salty pairing of apple slices and cheddar cheese. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the magic that happens when the holy trinity of butter, sugar, and cinnamon converge on bread and are toasted until they form an aromatic, caramelized slice of pure delight.
In going back over those memories in my mind, I noticed the themes of simplicity and naivete that are often the hallmark of childhood. We don’t have years of life experience or critics telling us that pairing apples and cheese is certainly not revelatory. And we don’t know the science behind why our cinnamon sugar toast tastes so damn good. We just know that it’s delicious and we like it.
I’m curious to know what flavors you loved as a child and if they have stayed the same or evolved as you’ve become an adult? And, perhaps, have these been influenced by self-doubt or potential criticism from others? And, if so, I’m encouraging you to embrace what you love and do it unabashedly so, whether you think it’s weird or low-brow. Unless of course you think that Vienna sausages are delightful, then we can never talk again because how can you think those pale corpse fingers are edible, much less delicious? Just kidding. Sort of.
The recipe I have for you today features one of my favorite flavor pairings that most certainly was not discovered in childhood: rosemary + dark chocolate. Rosemary often gets shoved into savory territory but I absolutely love it paired with sweets. Here it makes its way into a humble chocolate chip cookie where it mingles so nicely with dark chocolate. The coconut sugar adds a hit of that caramel flavor and the sea salt balances everything out, as always.
Rosemary Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Total Time: 23 minutes
- Yield: 16-18 cookies
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Fresh rosemary mingles nicely with dark chocolate chunks in these soft-baked gluten free and vegan cookies. Coconut sugar adds a hit of that caramel flavor and sea salt enhances all of the flavors.
Ingredients
- 120g oat flour
- 30g almond flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp minced fresh rosemary
- 1/4 tsp sea salt (finely ground works best)
- 1 tbsp flaxmeal + 3 tbsp hot water
- 75g vegan butter or solid (room temp) coconut oil
- 75g coconut sugar (or cane sugar if that’s what you have)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup chopped dark chocolate (I used this bar)
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment. Go ahead and mix your flaxmeal and hot water in a small bowl and set it aside to thicken.
Whisk together the flours, baking powder, rosemary, and sea salt in a bowl to aerate and combine. Set this bowl aside for now.
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or with a large bowl and a handheld mixer), beat the butter (or coconut oil) until it looks fluffy and creamy. Add the sugar and continue to beat until the sugar begins to dissolve into the fat (it will turn a lighter brown color when this happens). Add the vanilla extract and your thickened flax mixture and beat until just combined.
Add your dry mix to your wet ingredients, beating until you have a cohesive cookie dough without any flour remaining in the bottom of the bowl. Add the chopped chocolate and mix just enough so that it is evenly incorporated into the dough.
Scoop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough and place them on your lined baking sheet at least 1 1/2 inches apart. Gently flatten the tops of the cookies with your fingers. Bake in your pre-heated 350 degree oven for 13 minutes or until the edges and bottoms are beginning to turn golden brown. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 15 minutes, then move them to a rack to cool completely before enjoying.
Notes
- Can’t find oat flour? You can make your own! Put rolled oats in a blender and blend until very fine and powdery (i.e. looks like flour).
- I like to chop the dark chocolate it into smaller chunks/shards but feel free to cut larger chunks if you like!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Category: dessert
