Dried Plum Sandwich Cookies with Chocolate Ganache Filling

The balance between lightly sweetened cookie and super rich filling has reached perfection here.  The cookie is packed with the healthy goodness of dried plums, oats, almonds and peanut butter but one bite with the chocolate ganache filling and all you’ll be thinking is yum.  If you are looking for a lower calorie, healthier alternative for your cookie cravings, this is perfect, filling & satisfying. These cookies hold up really well frozen too, so you can make a batch, freeze them, and then they’re always there when the sweet cravings hit.

If you’ve never baked with dried plums (or prunes as they are also known) before they are a great way to reduce the fat and sugar in a recipe.  Pureed dried plums, like in this recipe, replace the oil completely, and because they are a fruit, their natural sweetness reduces the need for additional sweeteners in the recipe.  They are also considered a low GI food, which means they won’t cause spikes in blood glucose levels. And as an added bonus, recent studies show that dried plums can increase the bone mineral density in aging adults.

I received free samples of California Dried Plums mentioned in this post.  By posting this recipe, I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by California Dried Plum Board and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest.  I was not compensated for my time.

This recipe has been added to Healthy Vegan Fridays (HVF): check out all the awesome recipes here: Rock My Vegan Socks.  Also added to Plant Based Potluck, another awesome place for recipes and inspiration. And added to Free From Fridays, recipes for those with allergies.

Dried Plum Sandwich Cookies with Chocolate Ganache Filling

(makes 10 3″ cookie sandwiches)

Chocolate Ganache:

• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (the quality of the chocolate really makes a difference here; use a high quality one)
• 1/2 cup full fat canned coconut milk

Cookies:

• 1 cup almonds
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•  pinch salt
• 1/2 cup California Dried Plums
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 1/2 cup all natural peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
• 1/3 cup maple syrup

1.  Make the Ganache first as it needs to chill for about an hour to thicken.
2. Put the chocolate chips and coconut milk in a heat safe bowl and set over a bain marie. Gently whisk until the chocolate is completely melted and the ganache is perfectly smooth.
3. Pour the ganache into a shallow bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of one hour.  It can be kept for up to a week, so feel free to make this days in advance.  It will thicken as it cools and become a spreadable filling.
4. To make  the cookies: Preheat oven to 325F.  Line two baking or cookie sheets with parchment paper or spray lightly with oil.
5. Put the almonds in a food processor and pulse several times until they are small chunks but not completely ground (see pic below).  Dump the almonds in a medium bowl and set aside.
6. Add the oats to the food processor next and pulse just a few times as well until they are slightly broken down, then dump them into the bowl with the almonds.
7. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt to the almonds and oats and mix well.
8. Rinse out the food processor, then add the dried plums and hot water.  Puree them together till mostly smooth.
9. Add the peanut butter and maple syrup to the processor with the dried plums and puree all together.
10. Add the plum mixture to the oats mixture and stir until all combined to form a cohesive dough. You may need to use your hands to get it to come altogether (the dough is great raw – try it, but don’t forget  to save some for cookies!).
11. Roll the dough out between two pieces of wax or parchment paper to about 1/2″ thickness and then cut out rounds.  I used a 3″ cookie cutter but you can make them any size, just be sure to adjust your baking time.
12. Place cookies on prepared baking sheet 1″ apart and bake for 8-10 minutes, until bottoms are lightly browned.
13. Remove from oven and move to a wire cookie rack to cool.
14. When cookies are completely cooled, spread the ganache onto them and sandwich together. If the ganache is hard to spread, let it sit at room temp for 10 minutes and it will soften.
15. Cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days, or in the refrigerator up to 7 days.  They can also be individually covered in plastic wrap and frozen for up to 3 months.  Just let them thaw 5-10 minutes before eating.