I am a firm believer that if you are going to consume a lot of calories on something, then whatever is eaten has to be well worth it. These little beauties fit the bill. They are all of the below crammed into delicious mouthfuls.

• Fudgey
• Decadent
• Gooey
• Dense
• Chewy
• Dark & bittersweet

These triple chocolate cookies, not only contain dark melted chocolate but also good quality cocoa or cacao powder plus chocolate chips.

With all those antioxidants bursting into each mouthful, well then surely they must be good for you right, well maybe not, but I love the idea. The downside is they are utterly moreish that before you know it you have eaten a few, with just the telltale crumbs left clinging to your clothes.

I have made a virtual truckful of cookies over the years, being a mum of three boys ( all now grown) there was always an occasion to bake. I didn’t expect to have any more cookie surprises left now but it seems I do.

Maybe this is due to a shift in the ingredients I now use, the flours incorporated in my baking now are all gluten-free, more diverse and easily obtainable now. One flour, with which I have been experimenting around over the last few months is buckwheat flour. The name alone is a little confusing, sounding like it should be given a wide berth by those who are coeliac or those with strong intolerances to wheat & gluten. It contains neither of these ingredients, it is not grass but related to the sorrel and rhubarb family.

I love the fact that even now I am still baking cookies that wow me, my family, & my friends such as these and my peanut butter, banana & choc chip cookies.

*Notes*

1. These cookies do contain a lot of chocolate, so on days when the weather is warm, it is best to store them in the fridge to avoid them turning into a gooey mess.

2. These cookies unlike most of mine which are rolled into balls are dropped onto the tray. This does not make them

perfectly shaped but who cares.

3. If you are coeliac or just following a gluten-free regime then make sure the chocolate is also gluten-free. Also, use gluten-free plain flour and add 1/2 tsp of xanthan gum.

4. These are also delicious with the zest of an orange added.

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Triple chocolate American cookies

Preparation Time

• Preparation Time 10 Minutes
• Baking Time 12-15 Minutes
• Makes 24 cookies

Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free and vegetarian

Ingredients

• 125 g of vegan chocolate, at least 65% cocoa solids
• 185 g of vegan chocolate chips
• 150 g of plain flour
• 25 g of a good quality cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp of bicarbonate of soda
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 60 g of vegan butter
• 55 g of granulated sugar
• 70 g of light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp of ground flaxseeds
• 6 tbsp of hot water

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 180C and line 2 trays with baking parchment.

1. Place a heatproof bowl over a 1/4 filled saucepan of simmering water on medium heat. Break up the dark chocolate and place it in the bowl and melt gently. Make sure no water gets into the bowl as the chocolate seizes up and is of no use. Once melted place to one side to cool.

2. While that is melting, mix the ground fl and the hot water flaxseeds and set aside to thicken.

3. In a bowl mix together the flours, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda and salt

4. In another bowl or mixer, whisk together the sugar and butter along with the vanilla extract until fluffy, then whisk through thoroughly the melted chocolate and then add the flaxseed mix.

5. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, along with the orange zest and chocolate chips.

6. Drop heaped teaspoonfuls onto the baking parchment allowing a little room for spreading.

7. Bake for approximately 12-15 minutes. They will be still soft once removed from the oven and fragile but will soon harden up once on a cooling rack.

These will store quite happily hidden away from anyone else, or for 5 days in an airtight container. You could also freeze them for up to 3 months in a reusable freezer bag.

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• Double Peanut cookies
• Blueberry and lemon Muffins
• Pecan and maple syrup granola
• Buckwheat banana pancakes
• Sunshine citrus curd

If you make this, don’t forget to tag me on Twitter as @veganalchemist1 or my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/thegfveganalchemist I love seeing your versions of the recipes. I would love to hear your comments too.