Chocolate Orange Cookies
Rich, crunchy, zesty - this is hands down my favourite cookie recipe. These are the bomb.
Vegan, dairy free and gluten free, but definitely NOT nut free. The main bulk of these cookies is made up of ground oats and a significant amount of peanut butter. It’s important to note that high quantities of peanut butter in the diet contributes to inflammation, as it is very high in omega 6. So enjoy these, but they’re not something you need to be making every week! They’re also heaps better than buying packets of biscuits full of processed sugars and inflammatory oils / margarine.
SERVES: 12 cookies
TOTAL PREP AND COOKING TIME: 40 mins
SEASON: All seasons
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup (250g) oats (blended into flour in food processor) (GF variety if you have an allergy or intolerance)
80g dark cocoa or cacao powder
5 large tbsp of peanut butter (crunchy or smooth)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
¼ (60ml) cup extra virgin coconut oil
1 cup (250g) coconut or brown sugar
2 tsp orange essence
Grated orange zest – from 1 large orange, you might want to use 2 if you can’t get the orange essence
¼ cup cacao nibs for more crunch (optional)
1 x 100g bar of dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa)
METHOD:
1. Preheat your oven to 180ºC and line a baking tray with parchment paper
2. Place the oats in a food processor/blender and blitz into flour. Add the cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt, and briefly whizz again to combine.
3. Melt the coconut oil in a pan over a low heat.
4. In a mixing bowl, blend the sugar, peanut butter, oil, and extract with a hand mixer until relatively smooth. Add the oat mixture and mix thoroughly until a wet dough forms. Stir in the orange zest and cacao nibs (optional).
5. Scoop the batter by the level tablespoon onto the prepared baking sheet / roll into balls with your hands. Flatten slightly and be mindful that they will spread a little.
6. Push a chunk of chocolate into the centre of each cookie.
7. Bake for about 15 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking tray for at least 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool fully – this will help them firm up.
Enjoy!