I don't really bake that many cookies these days, but they are always welcome as a quick little treat, especially on chilly days, with a cup of coffee. Not to mention the power they have to brighten up any dessert platter at any gathering or celebration.
Full of walnuts and almonds, with just a touch of vegan milk chocolate, they are a fantastic sweet snack done fairly quickly, making them perfect for weekdays. They are truly the best the same day they are baked, but if you have some leftovers, store them in a tightly sealed container, and they will be good for a couple of more days.
My tips for success.
Even though many of my cookies do not require chilling, these do, so please chill them in the freezer or refrigerator, depending on how much time you have, until firm. They will spread out regardless, but this will make for a more controlled spread.
I usually decorate half of the cookies generously, and leave the other half plain, so everyone can pick the cookie they like, but if you want, you can use the whole chocolate bar and decorate all of the cookies, of course.
My cookies are usually done after barely 8 minutes, but my oven does run a bit hot, so pay really close attention to them, and take them out as soon as they get some colour.
Ingredients
100 grams vegan block butter, softened
60 grams icing sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
100 grams plain flour
50 grams toasted walnuts, ground
30 grams toasted almonds, ground
25 grams cornflour
50 grams vegan milk chocolate, for the decoration
Preparation
Take a large bowl, add in the softened butter, icing sugar, and vanilla, and beat with an electric mixer on high until blended. Add in the walnuts, almonds, and cornflour, and blend well. Finally, add in the flour and baking powder, switch to a wooden spoon and mix them through, forming a dough.
Roll the dough out immediately between two sheets of baking paper, to about 5mm thickness, and place them in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes. Let the oven preheat to 180°C, and line two large baking sheets with baking paper.
Place the chilled dough onto a lightly floured surface, and use a 5 cm round cookie cutter to get as many cookies as possible, and then arrange them on the baking sheets. Bring together the scraps of the dough, knead briefly, roll it out, and cut out cookies in the same fashion until all of the dough is used up. If it starts to get warm and sticky, place it back into the freezer for about 10 minutes.
Bake them in a nicely preheated oven, at 180°C, for about 8-10 minutes. Keep a close eye on them, as they will spread out, and can burn easily. As soon as they get some colour, they are done. Remove them from the oven, and let them cool down and firm up on the baking sheets.
Meanwhile, melt the vegan milk chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave and decorate the cooled cookies to your liking. There is enough chocolate for a moderate decoration, so do adjust the quantity to your preference. As soon as the chocolate sets, they are ready to serve. Yields 24 cookies.
