Rich dark chocolate frosting sandwiched between two soft, tender peanut butter cookies. Low carb, gluten-free and grain-free.
I am something of a chocolate snob and I always have been, especially when it comes to commercial chocolate bars. Having grown up in Canada, I have always viewed Cadbury’s chocolate as far superior to brands found south of the border. Not that I even eat these things any more, but give me a Crispy Crunch or a WunderBar over a Snickers or Hershey’s any day. In fact, I’ve always maintained that Hershey’s had a very chalky texture that couldn’t compare to any Cadbury’s product, and I am known to expound on this subject to anyone who will listen. In my former sugar-eating days, my Canadian family and friends always made sure to bring me large packs of Cadbury’s chocolate if they came to visit. I even received a ginornmous Costco sized pack as a wedding present from some friends. True story.
But I am not so set in my chocolate snobbery that I won’t admit when I am wrong. So here I am, admitting that in at least one regard, Hershey’s can actually hold its own against “better” brands. I am referring to Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder. I like really dark chocolate and have at times been disappointed by cocoa powders that are light in colour and result in a light chocolate glaze or frosting that’s light in chocolate taste too. This just doesn’t fly with my chocolate-loving taste buds. But being such a chocolate-brand snob, I’ve always avoided the Hershey’s, thinking it couldn’t possibly be as chocolate-y as other brands.
Then one day, I needed some cocoa powder for a recipe and it was the only brand on the shelves. As I knew was fully gluten-free, unlike some other brands, it made its way into my shopping cart and home with me. I figured I would suffer through until I finished it and could purchase something else. I was pleasantly surprised when I first baked with it to find that the end product was far darker than I can usually achieve when working with cocoa powder and almond flour. And then I was VERY pleasantly surprised when I made some sugar-free frosting and got such a dark colour and a very intense chocolate flavour. The perfect chocolate-y foil for some low carb peanut butter chocolate sandwich cookies.
I am sure this sounds very much like a commercial or a sponsored post, but it’s not. I am not being paid or compensated in any way to say any of this. I still like some other brands of dark cocoa powder, and I am really excited to get into the huge bag of Callebaut that my dear reader, Dianne, sent my way recently. But I know when I need to swallow my pride and eat crow, and this is one of those times. I’ve bashed Hershey’s a great deal over the years, although I am sure they haven’t suffered much for my abuse. But they might glad to know that they’ve won me over when it comes to rich dark chocolate cocoa powder. Go Hershey!
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 cup dark roasted partially de-fatted peanut flour
- ¼ cup Swerve Sweetener
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup butter melted
- ¼ cup peanut butter melted
- 1 large egg
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp liquid stevia extract
- ¼ cup butter melted
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 to 4 tbsp heavy cream
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For the cookies, preheat oven to 300F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat.
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In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, peanut flour, erythritol, baking powder and salt. Stir in melted butter and melted peanut butter. Then stir in egg, vanilla and stevia until dough comes together.
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Turn out dough onto a large sheet of parchment paper and pat into a rough circle. Cover with another sheet of parchment and roll out to 1/4 inch thick.
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Use a 2½ inch round cookie cutter to cut out cookies, and gently lift with an offset spatula or sharp knife to transfer to prepared baking sheet. Re-roll scraps of dough and cut out more cookies until no more can be cut. You should get about 24 cookies, depending on the size of your cookie cutter.
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Bake 18 minutes, or until browned around the edges and just firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool completely (they are fragile when warm).
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For the frosting, beat together melted butter and cocoa powder until combined. Beat in powdered erythritol until thick and combined.
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Beat in vanilla, then beat in heavy cream, one tablespoon at a time, until a spreadable consistency is achieved. How much cream will depend upon your cocoa powder and how absorbent it is.
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Pipe or spread frosting on the bottom of one cookie and then top with another cookie, bottom-side down.
Serves 12. Each serving has 6.9 g of carbs and 3.2 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 3.7 g.
