Grain Free Double Chocolate Mocha Cookies

I love coffee (decaf – caffeine free since ’95, baby!). The aroma. The flavor. But I always forget to put it in things. Why? Why do I forget?! It’s soooo good with chocolate. Guess what…I remembered this time!

Grain-Free Double Chocolate Mocha Cookies

(vegan, grain-free, gluten-free, oil free, refined sugar-free, soy free, peanut free)

1/2 c almond butter

3 TBSP cocoa powder

1/2 TBSP instant coffee (I used one full packet of instant decaf granules)

1 flax egg

1/2 tsp baking soda (add more if you want fluffier cookies)

1/4 c maple syrup

1/4 c chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla

dash salt

Preheat oven to 350F

Mix everything together until combined. Drop by small cookie scoop or teaspoon onto a parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cookies begin to firm. Remove from the oven and allow to sit on hot cookie sheet for a few minutes (up to 5). Remove parchment or silicone mat from baking sheet and allow cookies to continue to cool for an additional 10 minutes or so. Remove cookies when firm enough to do so and allow to completely cool on a wire rack.

Makes about 16 medium-large cookies

Notes:

These cookies are chewy. Like stick to your teeth chewy. I love that! But, if you don’t get them off of the parchment/silicone mat as soon as they’re transferable, they’ll stick a little. You can still release them by sliding a knife under each cookies, but you’ll lose some of the cookie as it sticks to the knife. (Which was A-OK to me…I thought of it as ‘cookie paper’ [think ‘cheese paper’ from those back-in-the-day fast-food runs].)

If you’re almond butter is dry (Why is my almond butter always so dry?!), heat it up for a few seconds in the microwave. This is a tremendous aid in string!

I made my flax eggs with 1 TBSP water + 2 TBSP water. I also use golden flax for its milder taste.