So people have been commenting on how I'm on a cut-out cookies {or cookies in general} roll lately, and I have to say that admittedly I totally am! Once you get started with these, it becomes totally addictive! So many options, and they are all so good. While making one batch, I'm already thinking of another! {Does that ever happen to you with cooking/baking?}
So, while I was making a batch of these ginger thins, it occurred to me that gluten-free vegan spicy cocoa bites are the next logical step! If you like a cookie with a little spiced up kick, these will definitely make you happy! {And if you're not a fan of spicy chocolate treats, simply keep the spices out and enjoy some lovely cocoa bites instead ;) }.
Spicy Cocoa Bites
Adorable heart shaped gluten-free chocolate cookies with a spicy kick. Vegan, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Total Time: 21 minutes
- Yield: approx 60 1" cookies {1 cookie sheet's worth}
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
- ¼ cup non-dairy butter, at room temperature OR coconut oil, softened
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp of my gluten-free flour blend {combine: ½ cup brown rice flour, 6 tablespoon tapioca starch, ¼ cup sweet rice flour, ¼ teaspoon guar gum} {or if using a store-bought blend, I highly recommend Pamela's Artisan Flour Blend}
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp non-dairy milk or water
- 1 tsp of each of the following spices: ground ginger, cayenne pepper, cinnamon
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp of each of the following spices: ground black pepper, cloves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Prepare a rolling area with two additional sheets of parchment paper for that, and have your small cookie cutter(s) handy.
- Place butter in a large mixing bowl and whip it with a mixer until it's creamy. Add sweetener and vanilla extract and mix to combine. Add in all remaining ingredients and use a wooden spoon to mix. Then get in there with your hands and mix everything together by working the dough until you can shape it into a ball {note: as depending on the flour mix you use there may be a slight variance, know that the consistency of the dough should not be sticky but should press together when pinched -- be sure to knead it really well first for some time -- and then if it's a little sticky, add a little more flour (try 1-2 tbsp); if it's a little dry add a little more non-dairy milk or water (try 1 tbsp)}. Shape the dough into 2 balls and then flatten each into a disk.
- Roll out one of the dough balls between two sheets of parchment paper to ⅛" thickness {the thinner you roll them out, the crispier they'll be; just don't make them so thin you can't transfer them ;) }. Use a cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. Carefully transfer to a prepared cookie sheets, spacing them ½" apart {they won't spread as they bake}. Gather up any dough scraps and repeat until all dough is used up. Repeat the process with the second dough ball.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven for approximately 6 minutes, until the edges just begin to become golden. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. {Note: cookies will harden a little within minutes of cooling, so don't overbake}. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes and enjoy!
Jen says
Have you ever tried freezing it?
Audrey says
Hi Jen, I don't normally freeze cookies, as they're usually best fresh. That said, I don't see a problem with giving that a try if you need them frozen for some reason.
Dorothea says
Hello, I'm so happy to have found this great resource of your website/ blog. It's a huge treasure. Thank you for sharing all your produce of experimenting countless times....
I don't get here the flour mix you recommend in the recipe above so I mixed the one you wrote down, only I can not get the sweet rice flour, I substitute that with chestnut flour and lupine flour...
Audrey says
Thank you Dorothea! :)
Did you end up trying it with the chestnut or lupine flours? I'm very curious to hear how they turned out!
dorothea says
Yes I did try this recipe above and the cinnamon bunnies, the later ones turned out a bit hard but this was the sweetener I used, maple syrup is very expensive here so I used brown rice syrup, but that has the consistency of honey and I guess that was why the turned out a bit hard... anyway they were all gone in a couple of days ;) the chestnut flour adds sweetness and the lupinflour color, as it is yellow the cookies look like there has to be an egg in.
In this recipe above I used dates syrup because here the dark color doesn't matter and it tastes a bit kind of molasses this blended great with the spices. They were softer and the dough was more workable.
So in the end you see I had to change a lot because of missing ingredients and I hope this can be such an inspiration as your great blog is for me.
Would be cool to meet and bake together!
★★★★★
Audrey says
Aw, I'm so happy it worked out with those substitutions then, Dorothea. I've been curious about lupine flour for a while now. I tried some lupine cookies while traveling in Australia, but here lupine flour is pretty uncommon. I think perhaps because it is related to peanuts and so many people in North America are allergic? Anyways, I have no idea why, but it's not easy to find. I'd still love to experiment with it some day though -- you're right about the yellow flour making the cookies look egg-like. That is a good addition -- I like your thinking :)
Enjoy the recipes and do share any changes you make -- I love getting new ideas or just hearing how it went for people and what ingredients worked and which didn't.
swathi says
Looks delicious, thanks for sharing with Hearth and soul blog hop pinning.
Audrey says
Thank you, Swathi! :)
Audrey says
Thanks for stopping by, Swathi! :)
Christina @ The Beautiful Balance says
That happens to me ALL the time and usually causes me to start more than one recipe at a time just to satisfy the urge to make another. These look incredible and I love that you threw in chili powder into the mix that has to be amazing with the chocolate!
Audrey says
Thanks Christina -- glad to know I'm not the only one :). The chili and cayenne were so good in these chocolate cookies. I had a hard time not eating all the cookie dough before it made it into the oven... ;)