Dark Chocolate Blossoms

Yields: 20 cookies

These cookies are a chocoholic’s dream come true! The cookie base practically tastes like brownies, and the dark chocolate in the center makes the cookies even more irresistible. They’ll keep for at least a week if stored in an airtight container—if they last that long!

⅔ cup (80g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
⅓ cup (27g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp (14g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 tbsp (30mL) nonfat milk, room temperature
1 large egg white, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup (96g) coconut sugar
20 Hershey’s special dark chocolate kisses

Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg white, milk, and vanilla. Stir in the coconut sugar. Add in the flour mixture, and stir until incorporated. Chill the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours. (If chilling longer than 2 hours, cover the bowl with plastic wrap or foil to prevent the cookie dough from drying out.)
Using a spoon and spatula, and drop the cookie dough into 20 rounded scoops onto the prepared baking sheet. Moisten your fingers with a tiny bit of water, and flatten each until it’s slightly larger than the base of each chocolate kiss. (Re-moisten your fingers as necessary.) Bake the cookies at 350°F for 7-9 minutes.
While the cookies bake, unwrap the chocolate kisses. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, gently press one kiss into the center of each cookie. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely and allow the chocolate kiss to set.

Notes: Whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour. Regular whole wheat flour may be substituted in a pinch, but the cookies will have detectable “wheat-y” taste.

For a gluten-free flour substitute, I recommend the following: 3 tablespoons (22g) millet flour, 3 tablespoons (22g) tapioca flour, 1 ½ tablespoons (10g) coconut flour, and ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends will work as well, if measured like this.

Make sure you measure the flour and cocoa powder correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (This is the inexpensive kitchen scale that I own, and I absolutely love it!) Too much of either will dry out the cookie dough, and too much cocoa powder will make the cookies taste bitter.

Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.

Light brown sugar may be substituted for the coconut sugar.

If you prefer, a small piece or two of dark chocolate may be substituted for the chocolate kiss for a slightly more “clean eating” version. Two small rectangles of this chocolate would be my top recommendation!

This recipe is easily doubled!

{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}

Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2017/01/29/dark-chocolate-blossoms/