Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love cookies, my boyfriend will attest to the fact that early on in my vegan baking, I made dozens of kinds of cookies.  I had a cookie obsession for several months, and thank all of those that tested out the various cookies I baked, I know you all put your fitness at jeopardy! After a few months we wondered why we were gaining weight on a vegan diet…duh! I used to love when my mother would make fresh cookies out of the oven, I mean who doesn’t like a homemade chocolate chip cookie?! The good news is that you don’t have to give up any of the delicious flavor from your omnivore life to make a cookie, I would even argue these are better!

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat pastry or spelt flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup scant coconut oil

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup vegan chocolate chips (look for dark chocolate, and cocoa butter is vegan!)

1/3 cup chopped nuts (I’ve used pecans, walnuts, and pistachios)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 celsius) This is important because the baking powder and soda will leaven the dough right away, if the oven is not preheated the cookies will come out completely different. You want the leavening process to happen IN the oven…so get that oven preheated people!

2. Add you coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and granulated sugar to a small bowl. Mix with a hand mixer or my preference, a good old fork until the sugar becomes integrated. (The sugar is fat soluble, so the coconut oil will break down the granulated sugar!)

3. Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a large bowl until well combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until combined. Fold in the nuts and chocolate chips.

Before we continue it is really important to get each cookie to have the same amount of cookie dough, so I use my ice cream scoop to insure they all take the same amount of time to cook!

4. Measure out the dough and add place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet (or invest in a silpat for a perfect bake every time!) Place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake for 9-12 min. After they are done let sit for a minute before transferring them to a metal cooling rack! Don’t forget to enjoy because these cookies go fast!