Today, I have a delightful vegan treat in store for you, guaranteed to make your heart skip a beat – Vegan Heart Cookies with a luscious Chocolate Ganache Filling. Not only are these cookies ridiculously adorable, but they are also crunchy, scrumptious, and remarkably easy to make. Perfect for any special occasion or simply when you’re craving something sweet and satisfying.
Diving into our Ingredients
To create these yummy Vegan Heart Cookies, you’ll need basic baking ingredients like flour, icing sugar, cornstarch, and a pinch of salt. Here’s where our vegan twist comes in: we’re using vegan margarine (or vegan butter if you prefer), plant-based milk, and dairy-free dark or semi-sweet chocolate. The beauty of this recipe is that it’s so simple, yet it delivers such a deliciously decadent result.
Instructions Breakdown
Our journey towards these delightful Vegan Heart Cookies begins with the ganache. We’re melting dairy-free chocolate in hot coconut milk, stirring until it’s smooth and creamy. This mixture is then chilled, allowing it to thicken into a rich, velvety ganache.
For our cookies, we’re combining all our ingredients to achieve a sandy consistency – a vital step for creating our crunchy, crumbly cookie texture. We’re then pressing this dough into hearts, baking them until golden, and filling them with our prepared ganache. It’s a simple, straightforward process with an absolutely delightful end product.
Cooking Tips
- The key to a perfect ganache is patience – allow the hot milk to sit with the chocolate for a minute before stirring, and give it ample time to chill and thicken in the fridge.
- When making the cookie dough, be sure not to overmix. Overmixing could lead to tough cookies, and we want ours to be tender and crumbly.
- For the best marbled effect, cut small pieces of dough and arrange them randomly on your parchment paper before rolling.
Variations
For a fun, festive twist, try adding a drop of food coloring to a portion of your dough. Red or pink (like we did) would be perfect for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, an anniversary, a birthday, etc., while green could make these a hit at Christmas. You could also experiment with different flavors in your ganache – a hint of peppermint or a splash of orange liqueur could add an exciting twist.
FAQs
Can I use any plant-based milk for the ganache?
Absolutely, you can use other plant-based milks (as long as they are thick), although the ganache may turn out slightly more liquid. I recommend using coconut, oat, or soy milk for best results.
How should I store these Vegan Heart Cookies?
Store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They will stay fresh for about 6 days.
Can I freeze the cookie dough to use later?
Yes, you can freeze the dough for up to 3 months. Just remember to thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before using.
What size should I cut these Vegan Heart Cookies?
For best results, aim for a thickness of around 4-5 mm. This ensures that your cookies have the perfect balance between crispiness and crumbliness.
What if I don’t have a heart-shaped cookie cutter?
No problem! You can cut them into any shape you like using a knife or use a template to create your own unique designs. In my case, I cut out a heart-shaped template from a piece of paper and used it as a guide. I placed it on top of the rolled-out dough and cut around it with a small knife.
How can I make these Vegan Heart Cookies look even more special?
Just like in the picture, consider presenting them as a bouquet by inserting sticks or placing them in a box with strawberries dipped in chocolate. It’s all about the presentation!
These Vegan Heart Cookies with Chocolate Ganache filling are the perfect embodiment of love and care – in the form of a sweet, satisfying treat. They’re a testament to the fact that vegan baking can be just as delicious, if not more so, than traditional baking. So whether you’re baking for a special occasion, or simply treating yourself to something delightful, these heart cookies are sure to impress.
Remember, cooking is all about experimenting and having fun. So feel free to play around with this recipe and make it your own. And when you do, don’t forget to share your creations with us! We’d love to see what delectable variations you come up with.
Happy baking, my friends!
If you like recipes like these Vegan Heart Cookies, you might be interested in:
Vegan Heart Cookie Cake
Vegan Heart-Shaped Conchas
Vegan Vintage Heart Cake
If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @happyvegannie + #happyvegannie. I love seeing your yummy recreations 💕
Vegan Heart Cookies with Chocolate Ganache Filling
Ingredients
Ganache
- 150 g dairy-free dark or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- ½ cup canned coconut milk, really hot
Cookie dough
- 160 g flour (1 ⅓ cups)
- 90 g vegan margarine or butter
- 80 g powdered sugar (⅔ cup)
- 50 g cornstarch (6 ½ tbsp)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp plant-based milk
- ¼ tsp salt
- Pink food coloring optional
Instructions
Chocolate ganache
- To prepare the ganache, add the chopped chocolate to a bowl and pour the hot milk over it.
- Let it sit for a minute and mix until the chocolate is completely melted. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (make sure it touches the chocolate) and chill in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours, or until it reaches a thick consistency (preferably let it sit in the fridge overnight).
Cookie dough
- To prepare the cookie dough, simply combine all the ingredients in a food processor until they form a crumbly consistency. Be careful not to overmix; we want the dough to be tender and delicate. If you prefer to mix the ingredients by hand, use a spatula to incorporate them together, resembling the action of chopping, until you achieve a slightly sandy texture.
- Press the dough into a ball shape and, optionally, take a quarter of it and dye it with pink food coloring. Transfer both doughs to a ziplock bag and refrigerate for 40 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 345°F (170°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Take the doughs out of the refrigerator and divide them into chunks using your hands. Place the chunks randomly on a sheet of parchment paper, allowing them to create a beautiful marbled effect. Use a rolling pin to gently flatten the doughs together, aiming for a thickness of around 4-5 mm.
- Cut out heart-shaped cookies using cookie cutters or a template, and transfer them to the baking sheet.
- Bake for 12-13 minutes, or until they are lightly golden around the edges. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 7 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cookie assembling
- Once the ganache has been chilled, it’s time to assemble the cookies. Remove the ganache from the refrigerator and grab a piping bag.
- Fill the piping bag with the ganache and pipe it onto the flat side of one cookie. Then, gently press another cookie on top to create a sandwich. Repeat this process with the remaining cookies until they are all filled.
- Present them in whichever way you prefer. A couple of options are arranging them as a bouquet by inserting sticks or placing them in a box with strawberries dipped in chocolate.
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