Valentine’s Day Chocolate Cookie and Strawberry Jam Sandwiches

Gluten Free cookies, anyone? This “healthier” version of chocolate cookie sandwiches is gluten free by subbing almond flour. The sweet strawberry jam really steals the show. Add in some salty cream cheese, and it makes the cookie feel a little more decadent and like a holiday treat. I adapted the cookie recipe from Living Healthy with Chocolate and the jam recipe from Half Baked Harvest’s Giant Pop Tart. (Yes, I’ve made the GIANT Pop Tart and YES, my family loved it and begged me to make it again. It’s a labor of love!) Mixing these two recipes really knocked it out of the park for me. It’s such a filling dessert, you’ll want to save some room or maybe find someone you love to share! Just a couple of important notes about the recipe: First, don’t over-bake. Because it’s almond flour and it’s mixed with chocolate, you cannot tell how golden brown it is, therefore it’s very easy to burn. Also, if the dough isn’t quite sticking together in a ball, add a little more melted chocolate and coconut oil. That should do the trick! And if you have heart shaped cookie cutters, GO FOR IT! That would be precious. And so would sprinkles or teeny candy hearts. Go WILD you VALENTINE NUT!

INGREDIENTS

Cookies:

·      1 ¾ cup blanched almond flour

·      ½ cup arrowroot powder

·      1 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips (Enjoy Life brand is great!)

·      2 tsp vanilla

·      6 tbsp coconut oil, melted

·      1 tbsp Nutella (or cacao butter)

Jam:

·      4 cups strawberries (raspberries too if you like) chopped

·      1 tbsp maple syrup

·      1 tbsp lemon

·      1 tsp vanilla

·      ½ tsp cinnamon

·      1 pinch salt

·      2.5 oz cream cheese, softened *optional

INSTRUCTIONS

1.     Make the jam first by adding all the berries, syrup, and lemon juice to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil 8-10 minutes until thickened. (You can add a little arrowroot if it’s not thickening enough.) Mix in vanilla, cinnamon and salt.

2.     Preheat oven to 325. Mix arrowroot and almond flour in a medium bowl.

3.     Melt ½ cup of chocolate chips and the coconut oil. Add vanilla and stir until smooth.

4.     Pour wet into dry and mix. If the mix is too dry, add a little more melted chocolate. Roll into a ball and chill in the fridge for a half hour.

5.     Roll out dough between parchment paper until it’s about ¼ inch thick.

6.     Cut 2-inch round cookies and place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Cook 15 minutes, careful not to burn the almond flour, and cool on a rack.

7.     Once cooled, add a smear of cream cheese and a big tbsp of jam and sandwich with another cookie on top.

8.     Melt remaining chocolate chips and Nutella and drizzle or spread on top of the cookies. ENJOY!