Chocolate Brownie Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup walnuts
1 cup almond meal
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp instant coffee
1/4 tsp fleur de sel
1 cup pitted dates
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 mashed banana
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup nuts, chopped*
1/2 cup chopped semi-sweet chocolate

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat.

Place the walnuts into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process for 2 to 3 minutes or until the walnuts start to become moist and a bit oily. Add the almond meal and pulse a few times to combine the two ingredients.

Place the ground nuts in a medium bowl. Add the cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt (grind the salt between your fingers, if the crystals are quite large.).

Place the pitted dates into the food processor (no need to clean the bowl) and pulse until they are in very small pieces. The dates should start to come together in a ball and be smaller than a pea, but not paste-like.

Blend mashed banana with water and flavoring extracts. Mix into reserved dry mixture to the date mixture in the food processor. Pulse for just a few turns to combine.

Scrape the mixture back into the mixing bowl. Add the chopped nuts followed by the chopped chocolate wafers.

At this point, add the flax and water to the food processor and blend for a minute or so.

Let the mixture sit for a few minutes before forming. This will give the cookie dough time to soak up a bit of the moisture, making the cookies easier — and less messy — to roll.

To bake the cookies, roll into round balls and then flatten — the cookies will not spread out during baking.

Place the cookies into the preheated oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes. When done, the cookies should hold together, yet still, be moist in the middle.

Let cool for a few minutes on the baking tray and then carefully remove them and let them cool on a cooling rack.

Notes

* I like to use hemp seeds as well.