Samoa Wanna-Be

Ingredients:

2 cups grated coconut, toasted and cooled
1/3 cup coconut oil (or butter)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup coconut milk (or milk)
1 Tbsp ground flax seeds
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp tapioca starch/flour
1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp millet flour
1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp brown rice flour
1/2 tsp xantham gum
(for those who can have gluten, sub the flours and the guar gum for 1 cup all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark chocolate chips
2 Tbsp coconut oil (or butter)


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Scatter the coconut in a thin layer on a cookie sheet. Toast in the oven for about 5-10 minutes. Watch it carefully, it should be golden and smell toasted but will burn quickly. Set aside to cool.

In a mixer, beat the coconut oil with the brown sugar until creamy. Beat in the milk, vanilla, and flax meal.

In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix well. Mix in to the waiting mixer bowl along with the cooled toasted coconut. The batter should be quite thick.

Using about a tablespoon of dough, roll small balls and flatten slightly on a parchment or Silpat lined cookie sheet. Use your finger to make an indentation in the middle (for filling w/ chocolate at the end!).

Bake in the 350 oven for about 8-10 minutes until the edges are just golden. Do not over bake. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

When cookies are fully cool, melt the chocolate and oil together in a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate and oil together. Start with about a minute. Stir, if the chips are melting at this point, continue stirring until the chips turn smooth and fully melt. If needed, microwave for additional 20 second increments and repeat stirring.

Dip the bottoms of the cooled cookies in the melted chocolate. Place on a piece of parchment, wax paper, or my favorite, a Silpat. to cool. When all the bottoms have been coated, use a spoon to fill the indentation and drizzle over the top. Cool to harden!