These glamorous, coffee cream-filled cookies are vegan and gluten-free from Solla Eiríksdóttir’s Vegan at Home: Recipes for a Modern Plant-Based Lifestyle. They’re really fun to make and even more fun to present for a party. We suggest using Miyoko’s vegan butter for these to avoid any processed palm and soy oils. You can also make your own vegan butter — we’re sharing Solla’s recipe from the book here!
Here are the author’s notes…
When looking for a small portion of an elegant dessert, this is a perfect one for a special occasion. I’ve always loved Sarah Bernhardt cookies, and it was a challenge to make a vegan version with my own twist: an almond base with a light butter coffee and cocoa filling and a chocolate coating. You don’t have to make everything from scratch as you can buy the vegan butter and ready-made almond flour in most large grocery stores (supermarkets). These cookies will keep in the refrigerator for up to 10 days or in the freezer for up to 6–9 months.
Chocolate-Dipped Almond Cookies With Coffee Filling
(Vegan + Gluten-Free)
Prep time: 1 hour, plus 30–60 minutes chilling and 10 minutes cooling
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serving Size: Makes 15
Ingredients:
For the base…
2 cups almond flour
½ cup maple syrup
2 tbsp almond butter
½ tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp sea salt flakes
For the filling…
2¼ sticks plus 2 tsp cold vegan butter of your choice, cut into cubes
1½ cups icing sugar
¼ cup minus 1 tsp cacao powder
½ tsp instant coffee powder
¼ tsp sea salt flakes
For the coating…
11 oz vegan semisweet chocolate (at least 70% cocoa), chopped
Directions:
1. Begin by making the cookie base. Put all the ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix at medium speed for 30–60 seconds until it comes together into a sticky dough. Alternatively, mix with electric beaters in a bowl.
2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour or in the freezer for 30 minutes.
3. To make the filling, put the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
4. Add the icing sugar, cacao powder, coffee powder, and sea salt and beat it at medium speed for 2–3 minutes until smooth. Alternatively, mix with electric beaters in a bowl.
5. Transfer the filling to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour or in the freezer for 30 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
7. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
8. Divide the dough into 15 equal pieces, around 1 oz each. Wet your hands and roll each piece into a ball, then flatten it between your palms. It should be 2 inches in diameter and ½ inch thick.
9. Bake for 8–10 minutes until lightly golden. Do not overbake. They should have an almost paper-thin crust and be soft inside.
10. Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a plate, cover with a clean dish towel, and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
11. For the coating, melt the chocolate. Pour 2 inches of water into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat.
12. Put the chopped chocolate into a heatproof bowl, then set the bowl on top of the pan, making sure that the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water, and stir occasionally while the chocolate melts.
13. To finish, put a generous tablespoon of filling onto a cookie base in a dome shape, then dip it into the melted chocolate and place on a serving plate. Continue until all the cookies are covered with filling and coated in chocolate. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready for serving or freeze and defrost before using.
Photography © 2022 by Hildur Ársælsdóttir. Reproduced by permission of Phaidon
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