Recipe: {Chocolate-Drizzled Oatmeal Shortbread Cookies} V+GF Optional

I have been craving more savory than sweet this pregnancy but I do enjoy an occasional treat. One of my favorite cookbooks, The Sprouted Kitchen: A Tastier Take on Whole Foods by Sara Forte has a delicious shortbread cookie recipe. They aren’t overly sweet and can be enjoyed any time of the day. There’s nothing like a freshly baked cookie and cold glass of almond milk. Yum!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (or GF oats)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (or Earth Balance)
• 1/2 cup turbinado sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 egg (or Ener-G egg replacer or a mixture of 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed + 3 tablespoons of water)
• 3/4 cup unbleached or brown rice flour (or GF flour)
• 1/4 teaspoon Sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 1/2 ounces chopped dark chocolate (60 to 72% cacao or vegan dark chocolate)
• Flaked Sea salt, such as Maldon (available at Whole Foods), for garnish. I used Himalayan salt.

Preparation

1. In a food processor, pulse the oats to create a coarse flour. You want a bit of texture to remain, not pureed until completely smooth. Set aside.
2. In the food processor or using a bowl and wooden spoon, cream the butter and sugar together.
3. Add the vanilla and egg and mix again.
4. Add the oat flour, all-purpose flour, salt, and nutmeg and pulse to combine. The dough will be fairy tacky.
5. Using your hands, roll the dough into a uniform log about 3 inches in diameter. Sprinkle a handful of oats and a sugar on your work surface and roll the log in the mixture to create a crust.
6. Roll the log up in plastic wrap or parchment paper and chill in the fridge for at least one hour.
7. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
8. Working quickly, slice the log into half-inch coins and spread them on the baking sheet two inches apart.
9. Bake until the edge just begin to brown, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack.
10. Melt chocolate in a heatproof glass bowl over a pot of simmering water. Don’t let bottom of bowl touch the water.
11. Transfer parchment paper with cookies onto a wire rack. Drizzle the melted chocolate on the tops of the cookies.
12. Sprinkle a little bit of flaked salt onto each cookie. The chocolate will firm up in about 15-20 minutes.

Cookies will store in an air-tight container for up to one week, but I doubt they will last that long!