Cats, Roses, and Triple Chocolate – a Few of My Favorite Things

A cute and lovable Ladybug of https://ugurbocegisite.wordpress.com/ who blogs in several languages came to the party with some of my favorite things, cats and red roses.

Thank you, my sweet Ladybug!

I am thrilled that so many friends are coming to my party, but I am running out of cookies! So I whipped up a batch of Triple Chocolate cookies and a chocolate cream liqueur.  My husband is the mixologist in this house, but he wasn’t at home, so I took his Dairy-free Irish Cream recipe (see here) and added a hefty tablespoon of chocolate syrup – extra chocolate never hurts, right? The cookies are also non-dairy, they are loaded with dark chocolate, and take about twenty minutes to make.

To make them non-dairy, I use Smart Balance instead of butter and coconut or almond milk instead of real milk. No eggs! You need brown sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, lots of dark chocolate chips, some olive oil, a splash of vanilla extract, and a dash of baking powder. I use spelt flour which is gluten free for our purposes, but if you are allergic to gluten or have a celiac disorder, please consult your doctor. I am sure gluten free flour will work just fine in this recipe, but you may need to adjust the quantity. I also bake with rum, but if you don’t want to use alcohol, just add some more coconut or almond milk.

Make sure your Smart Balance is room temperature and stir it for a couple of minutes with brown sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract. You should get a creamy mass.

Gradually add flour and keep mixing, then add the rest of the ingredients. Your dough should be moist but not too wet. Lightly dust a cookie sheet with oil and drop spoonfuls of dough on it, leaving about 1/2 inch (1 cm) distance between lumps of dough. I use an ice cream scoop to make them more or less rounded, but a regular tablespoon will suffice. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F for about fifteen minutes. Meanwhile, enjoy Dame Julie Andrews singing “My Favorite Things” from “The Sound of Music.”

Cookies are ready when they pop off the baking sheet. They will be soft and chewy, rather than crispy. Let them cool off a little right on the sheet, and you can serve them warm, but…

…I promised triple chocolate, so drizzle some chocolate syrup on these delicious bites, and let’s light a candle and have a romantic evening!

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup Smart Balance
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups spelt flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon coconut or almond milk
• 1 tablespoon rum
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• Chocolate syrup to drizzle

PROCEDURE

• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Stir Smart Balance with sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract for 1 to 2 minutes, until creamy
• Gradually add flour and baking powder, mix thoroughly.
• Add the rest of ingredients, mix.
• Drop by spoonful onto lightly misted with oil baking sheet at 1/2 inch (1 cm) distance.
• Bake for 12 – 15 minutes until cookies pop off the sheet. Cool on sheet.
• Drizzle with chocolate syrup before serving.

Enjoy!