"For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul."
~ Judy Garland
Valentine’s Day can bring up a huge range of emotions, which is why dark chocolate is the perfect accompaniment to the day, don’t you think?
Actually, Valentine’s Day holds a very special place in my heart. My husband and I had our first date on Valentine’s Day… ahhemm 13 years ago!
I remember returning to my dorm room that night totally giddy and on cloud 9. I think somewhere in me I knew divine force was working in my life, and that a very special star had aligned when I met him. I still get goose bumps
thinking about it.
Now I am happy to say, we have a couple of more beautiful souls that have joined us to celebrate Valentine’s Day and they love cookies, and chocolate!
Know that you are special, you are loved, and you deserve a life of joy!
Dark Chocolate Heart Cookies
Cookie:
¾ cup (12 Tbsp.) Earth Balance, vegan butter substitute
½ cup cane sugar
¼ cup soy milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. salt
½ cup coconut flour
½ cup cocoa powder
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
Topping:
¾ cup semi-sweet non-dairy chocolate chips, divided ½ cup + ¼ cup
Directions:
In a large bowl, cream earth balance until light and fluffy. Add sugar and continue to mix. Beat in soymilk and vanilla.
In a medium bowl combine dry ingredients: salt, coconut flour, cocoa powder, and all-purpose flour. Whisk gently to sift.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the earth balance mixture, stirring until combined.
Form dough into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat, to prevent sticking.
Roll dough onto a lightly floured surface, about ¼ inch thickness. Cut out desired shapes with a cookie cutter or knife. Carefully place onto the baking sheet.
Allow cookies to cool completely before adding chocolate topping.
For the Chocolate Topping-
In a microwave safe bowl add ½ cup chocolate chips. Microwave for 20 seconds, and then stir well. Repeat until chocolate chips are melted. Approximately 1 minute in total.
Add remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips to melted chocolate, and stir well until melted in order to temper the chocolate.
Using a butter knife apply melted chocolate, covering half of the cookie.
Place on parchment paper and refrigerate until chocolate topping has hardened and set.
Store in an airtight container.
To Gift:
Line a box with red tissue paper and gently stack cookies.
Add a favorite quote, or a few touching words.
"Love is a symbol of eternity. It wipes out all sense of time,
destroying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end."
~ Author Unknown
With love, gratitude, and a whole lot of heart,
Wendy Irene