Dark Chocolate-Dipped Pecan Shortbread Cookies
A tasty treat to enjoy with a hot beverage and edifying fellowship. Very easy to make.
Recipe: Yields: approx. 3 dozen
* The yield depends on cut size and thickness*
Dough:
3 cups organic whole wheat flour - chemical free
1 1/4 cups organic pecans - ground
1 1/3 cups organic coconut sugar
2 tsp. Himalayan salt
1 3/4 cups organic butter - cold
** Chocolate dipping sauce options at bottom **
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Place parchment paper on approx. 15 3/4" x 11" sheet pan
In food processor, add the first four ingredients and blend. Then
add in the butter and incorporate well.
Pat dough onto the sheet pan, per your preference in thickness.
Make sure to smooth uniformly so all bakes properly.
Bake for about 30 minutes (again depends on thickness).
Let cool for about 10 minutes. Then using a pastry cutter/crimper
or a long, sharp knife, cut shortbread into strips, lengthwise and then
cut crosswise into pieces (per your preference).
Mine is 1/2" thick x 4" long x 1" wide
Let cool completely.
Place wax paper on large sheet pan.
Prepare chocolate sauce from the choices given below.
Dip the cookies diagonally into chocolate until half of the cookie
is coated. Place on sheet pan to set. Enjoy!
Tip: If you want to hasten the set process, you can put the sheet
pan into the freezer or refrigerator for a short time.
Don't get distracted and forget about them :)
** Dark chocolate dipping sauce **
I have been working on a chocolate recipe for months, that not only taste
delicious, but would also have a good "set," meaning that the end result would have a solid, hard surface like a store bought chocolate bar.
I have tried so many variations to the point of weariness.
I finally have conceded and am willing to settle for a little tackiness in the lack of "setting" rather than have less delicious flavor.
This does occur a few times with the healthier choices in cooking and baking.
*Sugar cane products are one of the first items that need to be eliminated from one's diet and so, this is truly a very minor issue to accept, as having a healthier diet is so much more important than a slight difference in texture.*
The set will be just right if you want to leave them in the refrigerator.
(#1)
1 1/2 cups organic cacoa butter - grated
3/4 cup organic cacao powder
1/2 - 2/3 cups maple syrup (per your preference in sweetness)
1/4 tsp, Himalayan salt
1 tsp. organic vanilla extract
Place the cocoa butter into bain-marie and heat until melted, stirring
with rubber spatula. Add the cacao powder and whisk in well.
Remove from heat and add in the remaining ingredients.
Tip: Or use a stainless steel basin bowl that sits on top of a sauce pan that has 1/3 amount of water in the bottom. Put the chocolate pieces in the basin bowl on top and heat the water up in the bottom pan. The steam will lightly
heat the basin bowl up and melt the chocolate. This prevents the chocolate
from burning in a pan with direct heat.
(#2)
3oz. organic unsweetened dark chocolate baking bar - Sunspire brand
1/4 cup organic agave syrup
2 tbsp. organic cacao butter - grated
1 tsp. organic vanilla extract
14/ tsp. Himalayan salt
Place broken up pieces of chocolate into a bain-marie. Heat until melted, stirring with rubber spatula. Stir in cacao butter to melt.
Remove from heat source and then add agave syrup, salt, and vanilla and
whisk well.
Tip: You can interchange the liquid sweeteners in these two recipes, but if you try to do so with coconut sugar, than the texture and set will be quite off.