Chocolate Cookie Cauldrons

Ingredients:

Cookies

• 1 ½ C. Gluten-free Baking Flour
• ½ C. Unsweetened Cocoa
• 1 tsp. Baking Soda
• ¼ tsp. Baking Powder
• ½ tsp. Coarse Salt
• ¾ C. Non-hydrogenated Soy Free Shortening
• ½ C. Brown Sugar, packed
• ½ C. Cane Sugar
• ½ C. Apple Sauce
• 1 ½ tsp. Vanilla

 Filling and Garnish

• ½ C. Rice Milk
• 1 ¼ C. free2b Chocolate Chips
• 1 ¼ C. Corn-free Powdered Sugar
• ½ C. Vegan Butter, softened
• Gluten-free Pretzel Sticks, for garnish

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a mini muffin tin with vegan butter or baking papers.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
3. Combine ¾ C. shortening, brown sugar, cane sugar, apple sauce and vanilla in a separate bowl before incorporating the flour mixture.
4. Using a small cookie scoop or two spoons, drop 1 inch balls of dough into each well of the mini muffin tin.
5. Bake for 4 minutes and briefly remove the tin from the oven. Using a round-bottomed measuring spoon, create a divot in the top of each cookie. Return them to the oven and bake for 6 more minutes.
6. Just as the cookies come out of the oven, use the measuring spoon to reinforce the divots. Keep the cookies in the tin and allow them to cool.
7. To begin the chocolate filling, gently warm the rice milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Do not simmer.
8. Add the chocolate chips to the hot milk.
9. Once the chocolate has begun to melt, add the vegan butter and incorporate.
10. Cover the chocolate mixture and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 5 minutes, or until fully melted.
11. Transfer the chocolate mixture to the mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, slowly mix in the powdered sugar until smooth.
12. Pour the chocolate mixture into the cookie divots. Place a pretzel stick into the top of each.
13. Allow the cookies to rest at room temperature until the fillings have firmed.