Chocolate Cookies with Mint Chocolate Frosting

Chocolate Cookies

1 1/4 cup almond meal

3 Tbs cocoa powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup butter, softened at room temp

2 Tbs maple syrup or honey

1-2 Tbs coconut or almond milk as needed

Prehead oven to 350. In a medium bowl, cream the butter and syrup with a hand mixer. Add almond meal, cocoa powder, and salt and mix well. If the dough seems dry, add milk as needed. Roll into Tablespoon-sized balls of dough and place on a lined or greased cookie sheet. These cookies don't spread while baking, so go ahead and flatten them with a fork or the bottom of a glass before putting them in the oven. Bake for 8-10 minutes and allow to cool before removing from the pan. Makes 12 cookies. These cookies are fairly un-fancy, but they're really just a vehicle for the frosting!

Mint Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup coconut oil, softened (use refined coconut oil if you don't want the hint of coocnut flavor)
2 Tbs maple syrup
1/4 - 1/2 tsp peppermint extract (add slowly because some brands are more potent than others)
1/2  cup cocoa powder, sifted to remove clumps
1 Tbsp almond (or coconut) milk

Cream the coconut oil, syrup, and milk. Add cocoa powder and mix until smooth. Add the peppermint extract to taste and then enjoy! Be warned that this frosting will become quite melty in really warm temperatures and it will harden in the fridge. But at room temp, it has almost the exact consistency of frosting in a can, but far fewer ingredients. Frost your cookies, garnish with coconut or crushed candy canes, and enoy! 

By the way, you will probably have leftover frosting. If you don't want to eat it stright from the bowl with a spoon, place teaspoon-sized drops of frosting on waxed paper and refridgerate to make some chocolate mint meltaway candies!