Chocolate Mint Melties

My boyfriend wanted a wheat-free cookie with dark chocolate + he loves mint! Dreena's chocolate mint melties seemed like the perfect candidate to satisfy his craving. I didn't have mint chocolate, so subbed regular dark chocolate chips - gave them a whirl in the food processor, although next time I'm just going to give them a semi-rough rough chop. Although I omitted the dry sugar, the sweetness level was perfect for me. Since I needed more mint flavor, I went with 1/2 tsp vanilla extract & 1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract - next time I will try 1 1/4 tsp peppermint** to see if there's a better balance between chocolate & mint. The cookies are a little crumbly & more cake-like to me, I want to try them again using egg replacer + a little more flour to see if they would result in a slightly denser & chewier cookie texture.

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Chocolate Mint Melties

3 oz/85 grams dark chocolate
1 1/8 cups whole spelt flour
3 tblspn cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp sea salt

¼ cup pure maple syrup
2 tblspn agave nectar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 ½ tsp peppermint extract**
¼ cup organic coconut oil (a touch generous)

• Preheat oven to 350F & line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  
• Give chocolate a thorough chop, leaving small & medium-small chunks.
  
• Transfer chocolate to a bowl & combine with dry ingredients, sifting in flour, cocoa powder, baking powder & baking soda, & whisk to combine.
  
• In a separate bowl, combine syrup, agave nectar, vanilla & mint extracts + oil & stir until well mixed.
  
• Add wet mixture to dry, & stir until just combined (do not overmix).
• Spoon/scoop batter onto baking sheet, spacing evenly.
  
• Place 1 to 2 chocolate chips on top of each cookie & press down slightly to flatten.
  
• Bake for 11 - 12 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies.
  
• Remove from oven & allow to cool for a minute or so on the sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.
• Makes about one dozen/12 cookies.