Give This Chocolate To Someone You REALLY Love

My life is way too busy right now to pull together the type of holiday gift guide I've done in years past (though they're still good and you can find 'em all at the end of this post) but I did not want to let 2013 end without finally giving a shout-out to the truly incredible chocolate made by my good friends Bryan and Dahlia at Fruition Chocolate.

If you're not sure what to give someone, you really can't go wrong with these goodies...

Bryan is a former pastry chef and CIA (Culinary Institute of America) grad who takes chocolate extremely seriously. He imports carefully chosen fair trade and organically grown beans and then roasts and grinds them himself, right here in the Hudson Valley. Hence their slogan, "handmade from bean to bar."

I am especially partial to their dark milk chocolate with fleur de sel bar. If you have not yet tried combining chocolate (or caramel, for that matter) with salt, you are really missing out. Apparently, I'm not the only one who is a fan -- it was a Golden Seal Winner at the 2013 Good Food Awards.

They also have a lot of really creative and beautiful yums. Everything from the types of gorgeous creations in the photo below to glass jars of things like wonderfully nutty chocolate covered roasted cacao nibs, chocolate coated toasted almonds with smoked sea salt, and dark chocolate coated jalapeno dusted corn nuts which are remarkably addictive.

You can visit them in person if you're in the Hudson Valley or, if you're not, buy from their online store. The whole thing is a pleasure - from the rich, delicious chocolate to the beautiful displays and pretty packaging.

And you can feel good knowing that you are supporting a new, small local business created by two of the nicest, most hardworking young people I know, too :)

Enjoy and happy holidays!

You might also like:

• Green Gifts for Food-Lovers
• Gifts for Foodie Bookworms
• Gadgets, Gear & Gew-Gaws for Cooks
• Holiday Gift Guide - Food, Glorious Food!

Want even more recipes, photos, giveaways, and food-related inspiration? "Like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter or Pinterest.

Coconut Almond Chocolate Chunk Cookies (Gluten & Dairy-Free)

Someone I work with likes to use the term "amazeballs" and it is the perfect word to describe these cookies. Each bite is rich and super flavorful - coconut-y, chocolate-y and almond-y - sorta like a Manischewitz chocolate macaroon had a baby with an Almond Joy bar - but better. Wheat flour would just dilute the flavor.

I personally love both wheat and dairy and have to admit that taste, not health, is almost always my primary consideration when I bake. So when I say that these cookies are delicious, I sincerely mean it. But the fact that they are gluten and dairy-free is a nice plus since it means that more people will be able to enjoy them.

My friend Lana handed me one of these cookies, fresh from the oven, a couple of weeks ago as we got in the car for our semi-monthly trek to the nearest Trader Joe's. While I munched in bliss, she chattered enthusiastically about the recipe from her new favorite cookbook, The Sprouted Kitchen.

An hour later we arrived at the TJs, managed to find a parking spot without too much bloodshed (their surprisingly undersized lot is reminiscent of "getting real in the Whole Foods parking lot" video) and headed in, armed with shopping lists, armfuls of canvas tote bags and multiple insulated freezer bags.

I knew I would be making these cookies soon so I added a few more impromptu items to my list - almond meal, shredded coconut, chocolate chunks and coconut oil.

I had an urge to bake the other afternoon and busted out the simple ingredients for these cookies. I even managed to take a picture of them (I am still mourning the loss of the kitchen counters in our last house - the bluestone was so pretty!) However, as seems to be the case any time I attempt to take a "here are all the ingredients you'll need" picture, I left something out - in this case, sugar - but this gives you a pretty good idea, at least.

I mixed the dry ingredients together, adding a little bit of cocoa powder to enhance the chocolate flavor.

Then I melted the coconut oil which solidifies unless it is really hot out. But it melts quickly and easily, especially when placed on top of a woodstove!

Beat the egg and added the vanilla and coconut oil to it. Then added the wet ingredients to the dry and stirred to combine. Into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes while I worked on the rest of dinner (which included a divine kale and avocado salad.)

Formed the dough into balls, placed 'em on the baking sheet and pressed them down a bit then into the oven for a quick bake - 8 minutes only. Took 'em out once the edges began to brown and let them cool a little.

I was glad that I did not cook them for longer as I really enjoyed how soft they are. there are a lot of pretty hearty things in these little cookies so they stand up really well without needing to be super crunchy, unless you like your cookies really crunchy in which case, cook them for a minute or two longer and go to town.

-- print recipe --Coconut Almond Chocolate Chunk Cookies
adapted from The Sprouted Kitchen cookbook
Makes 20 cookies (I strongly suggest you make a double batch - they'll go quickly!)

Ingredients

* 1 1/4 cups almond meal
* 1/4 cup chopped chocolate
* 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
* 1/2 tsp baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
* 2 Tbsp cocoa powder (optional)
* 1/3 cup brown sugar
* 1 egg (try to get pasture-raised from a farm near you)
* 3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
* 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together almond meal, dark chocolate chips, coconut, baking powder, cocoa, salt and sugar.

2. In a separate bowl, beat egg until uniform in color and doubled in volume.

3. Whisk in the coconut oil and vanilla, then add to dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

4. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or even overnight.

5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Shape dough into 1-inch balls, place on baking sheet with 1-1/2 inch space in between each. Press down slightly to flatten a bit. Bake until edges begin to brown, 7-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool before serving.

You might also like:

• Mandarin Coconut Cookies (vegan)
• Thick & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (NOT vegan, NOT gluten-free & NOT dairy-free!)
• Chocolate Hazelnut Spread a.k.a. Homemade Nutella

Want even more recipes, photos, giveaways, and food-related inspiration? "Like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter or Pinterest.