Chocolate Peppermint Sandwich Cookies

Cookies...cookies....more cookies!! It all started with trying out Katie's Peanut Butter Secrets which led to cookie baking weekend. Of course, this is the season for candy cane, so I bought a box of candy canes to try out few recipes. The idea behind making my flourless chocolate cookies was to make the chocolate peppermint sandwich cookies. Although, I enjoyed the soft and chewy texture, I wanted to make them slightly firmer to hold the filling. I made these bite-size, so you don't feel guilty about having them. These cookies were not too minty but just the right flavor to set you in the holiday mood.

Adapted from Katie's Chocolate Brownie Cookies

Ingredients:

For the chocolate cookies:

1/2 cup spelt flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp brown sugar
4 tbsp oil
2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the filling:

1/2 tsp peppermint extract (optional)
2 peppermint candy canes, crushed 
3 tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 tsp oil (preferably, flavorless)

Method:

In a bowl, add the spelt flour, cocoa powder,salt, baking soda, baking powder and brown sugar and mix well. 

In another bowl, mix the wet ingredients (oil, applesauce and vanilla extract). Add the wet ingredients to the dry mix and stir well to combine. 

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Make small balls using the dough and place them on the sheet and flatten the cookies. Bake for 8 mins. Allow to cool for 5-10 mins.

Place the candy canes in a plastic bag and crush them using a rolling pin. Set aside.

Using a double boiler (set a bowl over a saucepan with hot water over low heat), melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips. When the chocolate begins to melt, add the oil and stir well. Now, add half of the crushed candy cane into the melted chocolate and mix well. If you are using peppermint extract, add it to the melted chocolate and stir well.

Using a spatula, spread the above filling on the back of a cookie and sprinkle little crushed candy cane on top of the filling, use another cookie to seal the top by slightly pressing it to make them stick together. I spread a little of the melted chocolate on the side of the sandwich cookie and rolled it on the crushed candy cane to make it look a bit more festive but its totally optional. Repeat the process for the remaining cookies.

For a variation, you can try using white chocolate instead of semi-sweet chocolates. I am not a fan of white chocolate (since its technically not chocolate), so I used semi-sweet chocolates chips.

Makes 18-19 cookies (approx. 9 sandwich cookies).