Walnut Chia Chocolate Thumbprints

Ingredients

1 cup walnuts

1 cup cassava flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup chia seeds

1 egg, beaten, room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1/3 cup coconut oil, soft

(Ingredients for ganache)

6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, cut into chip-size pieces

6 - 7 teaspoons coconut sugar (or substitute the same amount dark chocolate)

2 tablespoons coconut cream

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon salt, optional

1. Grind the walnut pieces in a food processor until it resembles a coarse flour (there will likely be visible bits of walnuts…that’s fine!). You should have a little over one cup of walnut meal.

2. In a mixing bowl, blend the walnut meal with the cassava flour, salt, baking soda, and chia seeds.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the egg, vanilla extract, coconut sugar, and coconut oil.

4. Add the wet mixture to the dry and stir to incorporate.

5. Wrap dough in plastic wrap or place in a sealed container. Put in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes (a few hours is fine, too).

6. When ready to work with the dough, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and use a cookie scoop to portion the dough into balls that are placed about two inches apart. You may want to roll the dough balls between your hands after they are portioned out to create a smoother, rounder shape.

7. Using your thumb or the end of a spoon, make an indentation into each cookie (this will also spread the cookie out a bit). Note: You will be able to portion out 35 smaller cookies if using a tablespoon-size cookie scoop and closer to 17 with a two-tablespoon-size scoop.

8. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 11 minutes.

9. Set aside to cool.

10. To make the ganache filling, fill bottom of a double boiler with water—or a saucepan that a small glass or metal bowl can sit on top of—and place on low heat.

11. Place the coarsely chopped chocolate, coconut sugar (if you are using it), coconut cream, coconut oil, and salt in the top of the double boiler—or in a glass or metal bowl—over the hot water and allow it to melt while slowly stirring until smooth and shiny.

12. Use a spoon to drop dollops of chocolate into the indentation of each cookie. Let cool until the chocolate firms up.