Crunchy Almond Seed Chocolate Cookies

• servings: 12 servings
• active time: 15 minutes
• total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 cup raw sliced almonds ({See Notes})

1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds (or sunflower seeds)

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes ({See Notes})

1/4 cup honey (or maple syrup)

1 large egg ({See Notes})

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

150 grams (5 oz) dark chocolate (I used 70%)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, add the sliced almonds, pumpkin seeds, unsweetened coconut flakes, honey, egg, vanilla extract, and sea salt. Stir very well until thoroughly combined.

Scoop out small portions of the mixture using a cookie scoop or a spoon and place on the lined baking sheet. Flatten the cookies using the back of a spoon or your fingers, pressing the almonds, pumpkin seeds, and coconut flakes tightly together.

Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until they get golden around the edges. Cool down completely on the baking sheet for at least 15 minutes. This is crucial as the cookies will be very soft when hot and will firm up as they cool.

These cookies tend to stick to the parchment paper. So once they’ve cooled down, slip a knife or straight spatula underneath the cookies to get them off the parchment paper. I find them easier to remove from the baking sheet if they’ve chilled in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

In the meantime, chop dark chocolate into small pieces, place in a shallow bowl, and melt in 30-second intervals in the microwave or using the double boiler method {See Notes}.

Dip the back of the cookies in melted dark chocolate and place on a flat surface lined with parchment paper with the chocolate side up. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt like Maldon, if desired.

Chill the cookies in the fridge for 5 minutes or leave them out at room temperature for about 30 minutes (if not too hot) for the chocolate to firm up. Enjoy and store leftovers in an airtight container over the counter for up to a week, in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Notes

•Feel free to substitute the sliced almonds with raw chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts, or hazelnuts for a different twist, or replace them with more pumpkin seeds to make them nut-free.

•It's best to use raw nuts and seeds since they will get roasted while baking in the oven.

•If you can't have coconut, you could replace them with more nuts and/or seeds of choice.

•If you can't have eggs, a flax egg is the next best thing. Start by mixing 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds with 3 tablespoons of water and let it sit for 10 minutes or more until it thickens up into a gel. Remember that when using a flax egg, the cookies might fall apart and lose their shape a bit once you take them out of the oven. That is OK. Use a spoon to push the cookies together to form circles while they're still hot. As the cookies cool down they will stick together and firm up.

•To melt the chocolate using the double boiler method, break it into small chunks and place it in a small heat-proof bowl. Put the bowl over a pot of boiling water and cover it with a lid until the chocolate has completely melted.