Grain free and vegan almond shortbread cookies are sandwiched together with a simple vegan dark chocolate ganache. These cookies are great for enjoying any time of year and can be elevated with a few colorful edible flowers.
I was originally going to shoot and share a savory spring salad with you today, but somehow my mind became fixated on ganache. So, here we are! I’ve been drawn to learning more about French cuisine lately (hence the ganache fixation). I actually have a minor in French, and was fluent at one point, but have not used my français in many, many years. It started with seeing a movie set in the French countryside. And then I found out there’s a Chef’s Table: France. And now, I have two French cookbooks to peruse. C’est charmant!
Obviously it can be a little challenging to make traditional French recipes vegetarian or vegan, but ganache is a pretty easy one to adapt. Ganache is simply chocolate and cream. To make it vegan, I used a vegan dark chocolate and coconut cream. Just two, relatively-easy-to-find ingredients, and you’ve got vegan ganache!
Since it’s spring and there are so many beautiful edible flowers in the garden, I decided to adorn the cookies for the photos. I used violas but lavender or rosemary flowers would be lovely, too! The edible flowers don’t add much flavor-wise, but it definitely makes eating the shortbread sandwiches more delightful. And, it dresses up their relatively plain appearance.
Almond Shortbread Sandwiches with Dark Chocolate Ganache
- Total Time: 42-45 minutes (plus chilling time)
- Yield: 13-14 sandwiches
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Grain free and vegan almond shortbread cookies are sandwiched together with a simple vegan dark chocolate ganache. These cookies are great for enjoying any time of year and can be elevated with a few colorful edible flowers.
Ingredients
for the shortbread cookies
- 250g (2 1/4 cups) almond flour/meal
- 30g (1/4 cup) arrowroot flour
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 100g (1/2 cup) coconut oil, melted
- 95g (1/3 cup) maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
- edible flowers for garnish, optional
for the ganache
- 6 oz vegan dark chocolate
- 6 tbsp coconut cream
Instructions
Whisk together the almond meal, arrowroot, sea salt, and baking soda. Add the coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla. Mix well until you have a cohesive cookie dough.
Divide the dough into two equal portions. Place each portion onto a sheet of plastic wrap or other food wrap and roll it into a long that is roughly 6 to 7 inches long and about 1 1/2 inches wide. Cover the logs of dough with the wrap and place them in the fridge to chill fully for 4-6 hours.
When you’re ready to bake the cookies, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment. Remove the logs of dough from the fridge and unwrap them. Using a serrated knife, carefully slice the logs of dough into roughly 1/4-inch rounds. Place the rounds onto your prepared baking sheet, leaving at least once inch of space between each. Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes in your pre-heated oven or until they are turning golden brown around the edges. Cool the cookies completely on the tray.
While the cookies are cooling, make the ganache. Roughly chop the dark chocolate and add it to a small metal or glass mixing bowl along with the coconut cream. Fill a small pot with about an 1 1/2 inches of water and set it on a burner over medium heat. Set the mixing bowl on the pot. The bowl should rest on top of the pot without the bottom of it making contact with the water. You’ve now created a double boiler! As the water begins to simmer, it will release steam that will begin to warm the mixing bowl and melt the chocolate. Once you see the chocolate beginning to melt, stir it gently until it is fully melted and smooth. Remove the bowl with your ganache and set it on the counter.
At this point, you can let the ganache come to room temperature by letting it sit on the counter at room temperature, or you can place it in the fridge and whisk it every 15-20 minutes until it has thickened to a spreadable consistency (this is what I ended up doing to speed up the process). You don’t want it completely solid but rather at a consistency you’re able to spread or pipe onto the cookies!
When you’re ready to assemble, count the number of cookies you have. You’ll only be putting the ganache on half of them. For the half getting the ganache, you’ll flip them over onto the flat side (the side that was face down on the baking tray). You can use either a palette knife or a piping bag to spread the ganache onto the flat side of half of the cookies. I ended up using about a heaped tablespoon on each. Once you’ve placed ganache on half of the cookies, you’ll sandwich them with the remaining half.
Garnish your shortbread sandwiches with edible flowers if you like before enjoying. Keep leftovers in an airtight container and enjoy within 3-4 days.
Notes
This recipe does require a bit of chilling time, both for the dough and for the ganache, so make sure to factor that into your time. I ended up making the dough the night before I wanted to bake these so it could chill overnight.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 12-15 minutes
