Chocolate Hazelnut Cutie Pies

Chocolate-Hazelnut Cutie Pies

Knowing you would all ask for the recipe I decided to go ahead and write it up before posting these photos. These little cuties were the dessert for our Memorial Day lunch and boy are they good! As always, they were an accident, or an afterthought, not intentional at all. At breakfast I noticed we have an abundance of hazelnuts in the freezer which needed using. I used some on the waffles this morning and decided to make a chocolate cookie in order to use more. The cookies turned out "cake-like" as they often do when you are cutting back on fat so while on our apres breakkie walk through the blueberry fields, I announced to David that I thought the cookies would make perfect little whoopie pies or ice cream sandwiches. David was surprised because he knows crisco mixed with sugar is the filling for whoopie pies, which is not on the "plan" (we refer to our low-fat, vegan way of eating as "the plan") nor is any type of ice cream... except for one; Banana Soft Serve..  The cookie recipe is a "reduced" or "low fat" variety,  not an everyday cookie by any means. But it is a holiday, right?? I'll cut right to the chase and give up the recipe without further adoo.

Chocolate Hazelnut Cutie Pies
3 dozen cookies
I had my convection oven at 325 degrees

Ingredients:
cookies
1 c. Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1 c. Unbleached All Purpose Flour
2/3 c. Cocoa
1 t. baking soda
1/4 c. Canola Oil
1/2 c. applesauce
1 c. sugar
2 T ground flax meal
1/2 c. non-dairy milk
1 t. vanilla extract
1 t. almond extract (or hazelnut if you have it, or use hazelnut liqueur)
1/2. c. vegan chocolate chips
1/2 c. toasted hazelnuts
banana soft serve
Frozen, peeled Bananas
maybe some non-dairy milk

Method:
Cookies
1. Sift flours, baking soda and cocoa together and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, blend oil, applesauce, and sugar together.
3. Add flax, milk, vanilla & almond extracts to the sugar mixture and combine well.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in batches and stir until a stiff dough forms.
5. Add chocolate chips and hazelnuts and stir until well incorporated, this will be a bit of a challenge with the stiff dough.
6. Drop by rounded spoonfuls (dough should be nicely shaped 1 " balls in order for the cookies to turn out similar sizes. I use a small scoop) onto parchment or silicone mat-lined sheet pans.
7.Moisten your palms and flatten each cookie dough ball out - SPLAT! to make 2" discs.
8. Bake for 10 minutes and allow to sit on sheet pan for a few minutes, because if you do not, you will loose half of the cookie. The cake-like bit comes out of the bottom if you take these off the pan too soon.
9. Transfer to a rack to cool. You can now enjoy these as cookies or proceed to make Cutie Pies out of them.
Banana Soft Serve
If you are lucky enough to own a masticating juicer or a Yonana machine, you just push the frozen banana through the chute and out comes the yummy dairy, sugar and fat free soft serve. BUT if you do not own one of these, fear not, you can still make this delicious treat in your food processor.

Cut the frozen banana into 1 - 2" chunks and place in food processor. Process for about 3 minutes or until creamy. You might need to add a tiny bit of non-dairy milk, but be sure to do so sparingly.

Cute!

To assemble:
 Use the same cookie scoop or tablespoon to dollup one scoop of banana soft serve onto a cookie then top with another cookie and EAT! I have some in the freezer right this moment to see how they fare. I'll let you know on Facebook.

Have a Happy, Healthy and Peaceful Memorial Day Everyone!!!!

Sláinte!