Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Something Sweet


I LOVE to bake and friends always ask me for recipes, so I thought I would share one that anyone who loves cookies is sure to dig!
I make these ALL the time and I swear, you will NEVER know that they contain ABSOLUTELY NO animal products!!

Courtesy of Dreena Burton, an amazing vegan baker and chef.  
When I first became a vegan, this recipe was introduced to me by my incredible friend, Danette, who helped me in so many ways to transition happily and peacefully with my decision to eat and live compassionately.  I love her and she is such an inspiration in my life.  The first time I baked these, the cookies simply amazed me and assured me that living vegan was merely a matter of being a little more mindful of the ingredients I bought and ate.  Scrumptious, I'm telling you!!

**I always quadruple the recipe; but here is the one batch version**

Homestyle Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (see note)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄4 cup unrefined sugar
1⁄4 teaspoon sea salt
1⁄3 cup pure maple syrup
1⁄4 teaspoon blackstrap molasses
1 – 1 1⁄2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1⁄4 cup canola oil
1⁄3 cup non-dairy chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). In a bowl, sift in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the sugar and salt, and stir until well combined. In a separate bowl, combine the maple syrup with the molasses and vanilla, then stir in the oil until well combined. Add the wet mixture to the dry, along with the chocolate chips, and stir through until just well combined (do not over-mix). Place large spoonfuls of the batter on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and flatten a little. Bake for 11 minutes, until just golden (if you bake for much longer, they will dry out). Let cool on the sheet for no more than 1 minute (again, to prevent drying), then transfer to a cooling rack.

Note: Unbleached all-purpose flour or spelt flour produces a more classic cookie taste and texture, but you can use whole-wheat pastry flour and still get a delicious cookie. For a wheat-free version, use spelt flour, but add an extra 2-4 tablespoons of the spelt flour to the dry mix (the amount needed varies with brand of spelt flour and whether you are using a refined spelt flour versus a less processed spelt flour).

Note: If, as you are mixing together your batter it appears quite floury and thick, simply mix together a couple of teaspoons more canola and maple syrup and incorporate it into the batter. Sometimes humidity, type of flour used, and other factors can affect the density of the batter and so a touch more liquid may be needed.

Makes 9-12 large to average sized cookies
ENJOY!!

3 comments:

Renee•Candy Stick Lane said...

(((HOORAY))) THANKS JINXI-BOO <3

Diz Rivera said...

Yah! Jinxi! You were born to be a vegan. You just didn't know it for a while . . .

I know this is a while from now, but are you planning on going to go the Pomona show in July (weekend of July 17)? I want Tim to do some work, but I want to hang out with you for one of those days. We can have like a potluck picinic there. I'd love to plan something before, but we can start with this?
xoxo! Danette

Renee•Candy Stick Lane said...

Hey baby cakes! i was just reading Twinkie Chans blargh - of course you probably read it to - dont you have some of her stuff? any who! did you see the nut burgers her beau made?
http://www.twinkiechan.com/blog/2009/02/24/nutburgers-lovelylittledeers/