Step 1

Place flax seeds in a mixing bowl with 30 ml / 2 tbsp of water. Mix well and set aside to thicken. You should end up with a very thick mass when they've had a chance to rehydrate.

Step 2

Meanwhile, chop half of the almonds coarsely - they will be used to coat the cookies in - and the other half less coarsely. You can also grind them but be sure to leave the grind quite chunky.

Step 3

Add maple syrup, orange zest, salt and almond extract to the rehydrated flaxseeds. Whisk well with a wire whisk.

Step 4

Next, fold almond flour and less coarsely chopped / ground almonds. Mix all the ingredients together so that you have a sticky cookie dough.

Step 5

Preheat the oven to 175° C / 350° F.

Step 6

Divide the dough into 12 equally sized pieces. Roll each portion of dough between the palms of your hands and then lightly press the dough into the coarsely chopped almonds to coat on both sides.

Step 7

Place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking tray. Bake for about 20 minutes, until they are lightly browned on top. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool down completely before storing or dipping in chocolate.

Step 8

Melt the chocolate slowly over a water bath. Dip each cookie in the melted chocolate and place on a drying rack to harden. You can store them in an air-tight container for a few days, but these are nicest / crunchiest straight from the oven.