These cookies are great for a number of reasons...
Firstly, they are DELICIOUS. Secondly, they are healthy and can be eaten raw or dehydrated for a raw diet.
And thirdly, the cookie dough can be stored in the freezer for months - ready for you to slice and bake whenever you feel like a cookie or two (or three or four or five!)
Not to mention the fact they are cute and fun to make :-)
To create the 'hidden heart' inside the cookie dough, I used this video as a guide.
It's simply a case of starting with a long sausage shape dough, forming it into a Tobelerone shape and then smoothing out the edges and creating a dip in one side to create the heart shape.
Then you freeze the dough until it's completely hard and add the contrasting dough around it.
If you plan on making these cookies, I recommend watching the video as it's a lot easier to show than it is to explain!
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, these cookies can be eaten raw or cooked.
The above photo shows the cookies raw and chilled - they can be eaten straight from the fridge like this or can be "baked" in a dehydrator for a more cookie-like texture.
The photo below shows the cookies after they have been baked in a conventional oven. They have a shortbread texture and a gorgeous almond taste which goes beautifully with the rose heart centres.
📖 Recipe
Almond & Rose Heart Cookies
Ingredients
- 250 g ground almonds
- 1 heaped tbsp coconut flour
- optional 1 tbsp hibiscus powder
- 110 ml coconut oil, melted
- 6 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp rose water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp beet juice or other natural red food dye
Instructions
- Add 100g of the ground almonds to one bowl and the remaining 150g to another. To the smaller bowl, add the coconut flour and (optional) hibiscus.
- Mix the coconut oil, vanilla and maple syrup together and then divide into one 40ml and one 70ml portions. Add the rose water and beet juice to the 40ml portion.
- Add the 70ml of wet ingredients to the 150g of ground almonds and mix to create a dough. Wrap in cling film and leave in the fridge to firm up.
- Add the 40ml wet ingredients to the 100g dry mixture and mix to create a separate pink dough (for the heart centre of the cookie.) Roll into a long sausage shape and leave in the freezer to firm up for at least 30 minutes.
- Once the pink dough is firm and mailable, start creating the heart shape. To do this, begin with a long triangular shape, like a Toblerone bar. Make an indent in one side and smooth the edges to create a long tubular heart shape, approx 30cm length. Place in the freezer again for at least another 30 minutes to harden.
- One the pink dough is solid, start adding the plain dough around it. Roll it on a surface to create a clean cylinder shape. Cover in cling film and keep in the freezer to firm up before slicing.
- To bake the cookies, use a very sharp knife to make 1cm slices and place on a tray with greaseproof paper. Bake at 150c for 6-12 minutes. Keep a close eye on them to make sure they don't brown too much. Leave to cool before eating.
- If you wish, wrap the rest up in cling film and add another layer of greaseproof paper. Keep in the freezer until your next cookie craving! Enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Yield 30Amount Per Serving Calories 89Carbohydrates 3gProtein 2g
Danielle @ TheCharmItSpot says
These cookies look adorable and are perfect for Valentine's Day! They also sound really tasty! Very interesting ingredients, but in a good way! Thanks for sharing!
Aimee says
Cheers Danielle!
holly ; the hobbit kitchen says
these are so adorable, aimee! i love almond in absolutely anything & if these are healthy then, well, i guess it just makes sense to eat an entire batch to yourself, right?! far too cute to share! :)
the hobbit kitchen x
Aimee says
That really does make sense to me, Holly! x
rika@vm says
Delicious, healthy, raw, frozen, and cute?! I would eat them right away…they are perfect for the upcoming Valentine’s Day - you are a vegan baker genius! xx
Aimee says
Thank you Rika! Glad you like them :-) x
cupcakegirl says
aww these are so CUTE! love them + love the cutesy heart. That sounds like a really interesting flavour combo Aimee.
Aimee says
almond and rose are divine together... the scent alone is heavenly!
Christin@SpicySouthernKitchen says
Love the pink hearts in the middle and that they can be eaten raw. Such a great treat for Valentines!
Aimee says
Cheers Christin :-)