Chocolate Covered Almond Cookies (vegan)

An almond butter based cookie dipped in chocolate, sprinkled with a dash of salt. This cookie wasn't my original plan, but it turned out to perfectly represent a crunchy, salty, chocolate covered almond.

For over a year I've planned to make an Almond Joy inspired cookie. I decided to try that for cookie challenge this year. They were going to look similar to the picture above, but be dipped in shredded coconut as well. So it would be an almond cookie covered in chocolate and coconut. Sounds great! But when I went to assemble these, they didn't turn out exactly as I had imagined, so I sprinkled some salt on top instead. Then I took a bite and BAM. Major choc-covered-almond vibes. So I went with that :))

Similar to my trail mix cookies and chocolate chip cookies, these cookies have a base of almond butter and vegan butter. So not oil-free. Though I do have some oil-free recipes you can see here! The other ingredients are dark brown sugar, vegan milk, vanilla, salt and flour. The ingredients for toppings are only 
sea salt and dark choc. Simple and yet so PRETTY.

The sea salt is what really ties this cookie together. It's the perfect salty spark that really gets the intent of the flavor across. The cookie itself it pretty tasty, but if not for the salt on top, it wouldn't taste like a chocolate covered almond. Just a few pinches is all it takes to nail this awesome flavor.

How is cookie week over?! I created my blog 2 years ago today! It's such a huge part of my life now, and a great way for me to express my creativity. If by some miracle you're reading this, thank you!!!! See the about section of my blog for more about it's creation, and follow my Instagram for Cookie Challenge coverage and daily vegan/baking/food in general inspo. And as always, see the recipe below to try it out. Stay tuned for a week of pumpkin delights coming up pretty soon as well! Stay humble, creative, and kind!

Chocolate Covered Almond Cookies

Makes about 15 cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of soft vegan butter
• 1/3 cup smooth almond butter
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 Tbs vegan milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 10 oz dark vegan chocolate (at least 70% cocoa)
• Sea salt

 Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. On low speed, beat together the soft butter, almond butter and brown sugar until smooth.
3. Beat in the milk and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.
4. Lastly, beat in the salt and all of the flour until the dough comes together completely. It should be soft and beige.
5. Roll the dough into balls 1.5 Tbs in size, and spread out along baking sheets. Press the tops down with your palm to create a wider, flatter cookie. It will be cracked along the edges as in the images above.
6. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, and then allow them to cool completely.
7. While the cookies are cooling, melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Break it into chunks to make it easier to melt, and then heat for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between. Personally, I will melt for thirty seconds, then use a whisk to break up the chocolate even more. I'll then do another thirty seconds, then stir with the whisk until it is completely smooth and free of chunks of half-melted chocolate.
8. Dip the cooled cookies halfway into the chocolate, and then lay them back on the baking sheet to set. 
9. Once the cookies are all dipped, sprinkle 2-3 pinches of sea salt on top of the chocolate part of each cookie.
10. Allow the cookies to fully set, either at room temperature, or in the fridge for faster results. 
11. Store the completed cookies in an air-tight container, in a cool dry place so that the chocolate doesn't melt. The fridge works!
12. Enjoy!!!