For the Apple Spice Cookies:
Combine coconut oil, almond/peanut butter, applesauce, coconut sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice. Microwave 30 seconds to melt, then whisk until smooth.
Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt. Stir to combine.
Fold in the diced apples.
Freeze the dough for 15 minutes. While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 375 and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Scoop the dough (about 2 tbsp per cookie), roll into balls, and arrange on the baking sheets. Leave room in between for spreading, 6 cookies per pan.
Bake 12-14 minutes at 375°F until the bottom edges are just starting to brown.
Cool 10 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the Green Glaze:
Combine coconut butter and agave in a small bowl.
Microwave 30 seconds to melt the coconut butter, then whisk until smooth.
Add in the matcha powder, and 1-2 tbsp coconut oil if needed to thin it out. It will thicken as it cools.
Dip or spoon onto cooled cookies, letting excess drip off the sides. (Place a piece of wax paper underneath the wire rack for easier cleanup!)
Refrigerate cookies so the glaze hardens.
For the Medjool Date Caramel:
Blend Natural Delights Pitted Medjool Dates with 3/4 cup coconut milk, vanilla, and salt.
Add the remaining milk slowly as needed if the blender gets stuck, you will need to stop and stir/scrape down the sides often. Add as little liquid as possible so you have a thick caramel filling.
Chill 2-3 hours (or overnight) to thicken.
Transfer to a piping bag.
To assemble:
Pipe a generous dollop of Medjool date caramel onto half of the cookies, sandwich with the remaining cookies.
Use a blow torch to melt one end of a chocolate chunk, then immediately press it into the top of a cookie to attach the “stem”. Alternately, you can just press a chocolate chip on top and the glaze will help it stick.
Keep cookies chilled until right before serving.
Notes:
If you don’t have coconut butter, you can make a powdered sugar glaze with: 2 cups powdered sugar + 2-3 tbsp apple juice + 1/2 tsp matcha powder whisked together until smooth.
*While Medjool dates are high in natural sugars, they are low on the glycemic index thanks to a balanced amount of soluble fiber. The complex carbohydrates found in Medjool dates are digested at a slower rate, making them a source of dietary fiber and releasing energy to the body over a longer period of time.
