Makes about 24 cookies.
Chocolate pairs perfectly with the light orange flavor of these oatmeal cookies. Enjoy them with a steaming cup of hot cocoa. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to three days. Freeze for longer storage.
Ingredients:
1½ cups gluten-free rolled oats, divided
¼ cup tapioca starch/flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
5 tablespoons canned coconut milk (not lite)
2 tablespoons ground chia seeds
½ cup organic non-hydrogenated palm shortening
½ cup coconut sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
¾ cup dairy-free chocolate chips
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, process 1 cup oats to form a coarse flour, about 30 seconds. (Alternatively, grind oats in batches in a spice grinder or a clean coffee grinder.) Place oat flour in a medium bowl and add remaining ½ cup oats, tapioca starch/flour, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine.
3. In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the coconut milk until steaming. Remove from stove and stir in the ground chia seeds. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat together palm shortening, coconut sugar and orange zest until creamed. Add flour mixture and beat to form a very crumbly dough. Add coconut milk mixture and beat until dough comes together.
5. Roll tablespoons of dough into balls and place on prepared cookie sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Using your hand or the bottom of a glass, flatten each cookie to about 1/3-inch thickness.
6. Bake in preheated oven 12-15 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Cool completely.
7. In a small saucepan over very low heat, gently melt chocolate chips, stirring constantly. Pour melted chocolate into a bowl. Dip cookies into melted chocolate. Then put them back on prepared baking sheets. Refrigerate or freeze to set the chocolate.
