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Cook this: Double chocolate fennel-buckwheat crinkle cookies from Cannelle et Vanille Bakes Simple

'These cookies are crispy and gooey at the same time — a cross between a brownie and a cookie,' says Aran Goyoaga

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Our cookbook of the week is Cannelle et Vanille Bakes Simple: A New Way to Bake Gluten-Free by Aran Goyoaga. Over the next three days, we’ll feature more recipes from the book and an interview with the author.

To try another recipe from the book, check out: Glazed lemon, yogurt and olive oil pound cake; and fig, honey and lemon tea cakes.

Bringing both cookie and brownie attributes to the table, Aran Goyoaga’s chocolatey treats are crisp on the outside with a soft, gooey interior..

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“It’s not a flourless chocolate cookie, but it’s sort of like those brownie flourless cookies,” says the Seattle-based, Basque Country-born and raised author, food stylist and photographer.

Buckwheat is Goyoaga’s flour of choice here, which makes an ideal partner for chocolate. “Anytime I can use buckwheat and chocolate together, I will use it,” she adds.

The fennel seeds are a nod to her grandmother, who often followed meals with a piece of chocolate and a green anise (a.k.a. aniseed) or mint tisane.

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Since green anise (not to be confused with star anise) can be difficult to find in North America, Goyoaga substituted the more readily available fennel seed. The two share a similar licorice-like flavour but come from different, albeit related, plants: Anise has a more pronounced licorice aroma and is sweeter than fennel.

“I’ve always loved the combination of anise and chocolate,” says Goyoaga. “The flavour is very much about (my grandmother).”

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Cannelle et Vanille Bakes Simple
Cannelle et Vanille Bakes Simple: A New Way to Bake Gluten-Free by Aran Goyoaga. Photo by Sasquatch Books

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE FENNEL-BUCKWHEAT CRINKLE COOKIES

1 to 1 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
8 oz (225 g) 70 per cent chocolate, coarsely chopped, divided
1/4 cup (55 g) unsalted butter or dairy-free butter
3 tbsp almond butter
2 large eggs
1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup (105 g) light buckwheat flour
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Crush the fennel seeds to a powder in a mortar and pestle or clean coffee grinder.

Step 2

Fill a medium saucepan one-quarter full with water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. In a large heatproof bowl, combine the fennel, 7 ounces (200 g) of the chocolate, butter and almond butter, and place over the simmering water. Stir until the chocolate is nearly all melted, then remove from the heat. The residual heat will continue melting the chocolate.

Step 3

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the eggs, brown sugar and vanilla, and beat on high speed until the eggs are pale and very thick, about 5 minutes. Pour in the melted chocolate and beat on medium speed until thick, about 1 minute.

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Step 4

In a small bowl, stir together the buckwheat flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Fold this into the batter using a spatula. Scoop 1 1/2-tablespoon mounds of dough onto each baking sheet, leaving 2 inches of space between. Lightly press small pieces of the remaining 1 ounce (25 g) chocolate into the top of each cookie.

Step 5

Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are crispy but the centres are soft. Be careful not to overbake. They might look a little underdone, but they will set while cooling. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes, or until you are able to pick the cookies up without them falling apart. They will keep for 3 days in an airtight container.

Makes: 16 cookies

Recipe and image excerpted from Cannelle et Vanille Bakes Simple: A New Way to Bake Gluten-Free by permission of Sasquatch Books. ©2021 by Aran Goyoaga.

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