Chocolate, Banana and Pecan Cookies
These cookies are adapted from the gorgeous SWEET cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh. Sweet is an absolute feast for the eye, with beautiful, inventive and never-seen-before dessert recipes, beautifully illustrated with outstanding photographs. The desserts in this book are not healthy by any means - this is not the goal here. They're meant for celebrations, special occasions or just for those moments when you want to offer yourself or your loved ones a special treat.
In the original recipe, these cookies are made with white sugar, butter, eggs and all-purpose flour. My version here uses a flax egg as a substitute for the egg, coconut oil, organic cane sugar and red fife wheat flour (one of my favourites for baking - although any of your favourite all-purpose flour will work just as well). These cookies have a gooey, fudgy center and basically melt in your mouth. The trick here is to undercook them slightly (only 10 minutes), so that the center remains super soft. The pecan and powdered sugar coating makes them extra pretty and add an irresistible little crunch. This has become a go-to recipe of mine, especially during the holiday season. They’re always a big hit and disappear very quickly.
Recipe adapted from Sweet by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh. Copyright © 2017. Reprinted by permission of Appetite by Random House®, a division of Random House LCC.
Note: This recipe requires chilling the dough for a few hours, so you'll need to plan a little ahead of time. Once the unbaked dough has been rolled into balls, they can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days, or frozen for up to 3 months. You can also bake them from frozen; you'll just need to add one minute of cooking time.
*I like to make my own powdered sugar by blending organic cane sugar in a high-speed blender for a few seconds. You can do the same or use regular store-bought powdered sugar if you prefer.
Chocolate, Banana and Pecan Cookies
Makes about 24 cookies
INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp ground flax seeds (+ 3 tbsp water)
8 tbsp softened coconut oil, at room temperature (not liquid)
1/2 cup + 2 tsp organic cane sugar
1 cup organic sifted red fife flour (or your favourite all-purpose flour)
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 1/2 tbsp raw cacao powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup (100 g.) dark chocolate, chopped
2 oz mashed banana (about 1/2 small ripe banana)
1 1/3 cups (165 g.) pecan halves, finely chopped
3/4 cup + 1 tbsp (100 g.) powdered sugar (*see note above)
METHOD
In a small bowl, stir together the ground flax seeds and water and set aside to thicken, for at least 5 minutes.
Place the coconut oil and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment in place (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer). Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, then add the flax mixture and continue to beat until incorporated.
Sift the flour, baking powder, cacao powder, cinnamon, and salt into a bowl, then add to the coconut oil/sugar mixture. Mix on low speed for about 15 seconds, then add the chocolate and banana. Beat until combined, then transfer to the fridge for 2 hours to firm up.
When firm, use your hands to form the dough into 1″/3 cm round balls. You might need to wash your hands a few times when making them, if they get too sticky. Place the finely chopped pecans in a medium bowl and drop the balls into the nuts as you form them, pressing so they stick into the dough.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or silicon mat) and place the cookies onto the sheet - there is no need to space them apart - and transfer to the fridge for at least an hour (or more), until ready to bake.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375F. Place the powdered sugar in a small bowl and roll the cookies in the sugar, pressing it in as you go so it sticks well. Place on a large lined baking sheet, spaced 1 inch/2.5 cm apart, and flatten the cookies to 1/3 inch/1cm thick. Bake for 10 minutes. They will be soft to the touch when they come out of the oven, so allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Serve them warm (they will be slightly gooey in the center), or set aside until completely cool.
