These vegan dark chocolate and prune cookies have a strong cocoa hit (good if you need some chocolate therapy) and a dark richness courtesy of the prunes and just a drop of molasses.
They are naturally on the soft-bake side due to the moistness of the prunes, but they can be made softer or crunchier by adjusting the baking time down or up a little.
The prunes also make these higher in fibre than the average cookie. It’s always good to be able to add something healthy to a chocolate biscuit that actually complements its flavour and prunes are the perfect example. There is a wealth of scientific literature about the positive effects of prunes on bone density, among other things. Even a handful of prunes a day makes a difference, and this batch of cookies contains 12-14 prunes. (If you’re not already a devotee of prunes, think of a large bowl of fresh plums that have been dried in the sun!)
These are a variation on my recipe for Chocolate Chunk Date Cookies, which are a bit lighter and chewier, but also extremely chocolatey. I have put syrup/molasses quantities in grams for accuracy, which makes it look like a vast amount, but it’s around 80 ml all together.
The recipe will make 24 medium sized cookies that will store well in an airtight tin.
dark chocolate and prune cookies…
ingredients
- 200 g plain white/unbleached flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 100 g ready-to-eat prunes
- 100 g dark (non-dairy) chocolate chips
- 90 g light brown sugar
- 100 g coconut oil
- 100 g golden syrup
- 20 g molasses
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
method
- Set the oven to 180°C/360°F and line or very lightly oil enough baking trays for 24 x 6-inch biscuits.
- Measure the molasses and syrup into a small bowl and warm in the microwave (not to boiling point). Stir in the coconut oil and set aside to finish melting.
- Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl and stir through the sugar and chocolate chips.
- Chop the prunes fairly small (each prune into 8 or so pieces), and add these with the vanilla to the syrup/oil mixture.
- Stir the liquid mixture through before pouring into the dry ingredients, stirring as you go until you have a glossy, sticky cookie dough.
- Roll small balls of dough and place these on the baking trays. Flatten the tops a bit with the back of a spoon. They will expand during baking, but not greatly. Try to avoid having pieces of prune sticking out as exposed bits will become tough when baked.
- Bake for around twelve minutes, until they have expanded and have a cracked surface.
- Allow the cookies to cool before removing them from the tray.
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