Chocolate Granola Tea Cookies

Remember the Goji Berry Granola I made last week? This week I turned what remained of the tasty granola into chocolate granola cookies to nibble alongside my morning or afternoon tea.

These cookies are super easy to make and only require a few ingredients, including a new-to-me delicious discovery: chocolate nut butter. I used Justin’s chocolate hazelnut butter here, but Justin’s also makes chocolate almond and chocolate peanut butters. Any of these decadent nut butters will work.

This recipe uses up about three quarters of a jar of Justin’s chocolate hazelnut butter; the stuff is so good that I’ve been sneaking spoonfuls of what’s remaining for a breakfast treat or a late night snack. Trust me, the jar won’t last long once you open it.

Happy cooking and sipping!

Chocolate Granola Tea Cookies

 (Adapted from the Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Cookie recipe in the September 2012 issue of Food & Wine magazine.)

Makes about a dozen cookies

 Ingredients

2 cups Goji Berry Granola (or your favorite granola that has nuts and dried fruit)

1 cup chocolate nut butter (I used Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter)

1 egg

Pinch of salt (optional)

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Pick out the dried fruit from 1 cup of the granola, and add the separated fruit to the remaining 1 cup of granola.

2. Transfer the fruit-free granola to a food processor, and pulse until finely ground.  Transfer the ground granola to a mixing bowl, then add the chocolate nut butter, egg, and salt. Using an electric mixer, beat the mixture at low speed until smooth. Add the remaining fruit-filled granola, and beat the cookie dough just until combined.

3. Form the cookie dough into about 12 balls and arrange them on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten the balls with the tines of a fork to 3-inch rounds. Bake one sheet at a time in the center of the oven for about 15 minutes, until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack, and let them cool completely before nibbling.

Tips

• Taste your granola and nut butter separately. If either seems kind of salty already, omit the dash of salt in the cookie ingredients.
• Depending on how oily either your granola or your nut butter is, the cookies may ooze out some oil while they are baking. Don’t freak out; they will turn out fine. If this happens, just line the cooling rack with a double layer of paper towel; this will soak up any extra oil while the cookies are cooling.
• The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for a couple of days, or they can be frozen for up to a month. If frozen, allow them to thaw to room temperature on the counter before eating, or defrost in the microwave for about 10 seconds.

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