Be Mine Valentine Cookies

I am pretty excited. I joined a local mom and baby group and we have a Valentines get-together on Tuesday. I’m a natural introvert but I think it is important for our son to play with kids his age and I could use a little mom conversation. After a small freak out of “what should I bring?” I decided a simple cookie would be great. These are free of most common allergens (except nuts) so I figured they would be safe for most other kids, but truthfully they are an adult treat. They have a rich and complex chocolate flavor and a nice crispy crunch, but of course Mercury doesn't let to many things go un-baby-tested!

Be My Valentine Cookies

Gluten Free, Vegan

1 cup almond flour

2 tbl cocoa powder

1 tbl coconut flour

2 tbl ground flax

½ tsp vanilla powder

½ tsp baking soda

1 tbl strong coffee

2 tbl coconut oil, softened

3 tbl maple syrup

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl with a spatula, break up any chunks. Add the coffee, softened coconut oil and maple syrup. Mix until thick and well combind. Let it chill in the freezer for about 20 minutes. Once chilled roll out between 2 pieces of wax paper and use a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut. Use a spatula to gently transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet and baked for 8-10 minutes on 350oF. You can put any scrap dough back together and re-roll it out, but you will have to let it chill again in the freezer for about 10 minutes. When the cookies are done let them cool and then ice.

Strawberry White Chocolate Icing 

4 strawberries

3 tbl cocoa butter, melted

1 tbl coconut oil, melted

1 tsp maple syrup

Melt your oils, I just put them in a small ramekin on top of the stove while my cookies cooked and the ambient heat from the stove melted them. Combine all of the ingredients in a blender or small food processor until smooth. Put the icing into a plastic bag and cut the tip off. If the icing is to runny to pipe you can let it chill for a little while until it firms up some. Decorate your cookies anyway you like.

Notes and Substitutions

• You can use any liquid sweetener that you like.
• You can use water instead of the coffee, however the coffee brings out nice flavors in the chocolate.
• If the dough is to warm it will be hard to make cutouts, if it is coming apart you probably need to chill it longer.
• I got about 9 cookies with my cookie cutter

What is your favorite Valentine treat?