There are hundreds of recipes out there that try to recreate the classic chocolate chip cookie into a vegan friendly food. Not many are pass the taste test.
Vegan baking is a joyful experience that can produce outstanding results, if the basics are learned. When making cookies, for example, there are two animal ingredients that are normally used: eggs and butter. Learning to use the proper substitutions is the key to chewy, chocolate treats.
For the eggs, the best substitute in cookies recipes is a flax and water mix. Flax is very gelatinous when mixed with water and gives helps the cookies to rise a bit. The general guideline is to combine 1 Tb. of ground flaxseed with 3 Tb. of water to substitute one egg, cooked over medium heat until it thickens. This recipe calls for two eggs, so it doubles these amounts.
For the butter, there are many fats that are vegan in nature that can be used in vegan baking, including olive oil, vegetable oil, and even shortening. However, for this recipe, it seems the one that produces the best results is a "vegan butter" product, available at any health food store. The particular brand that is used in this recipe is Earth Balance and it's a 100% vegan butter.
Here is the Vegan Chocolate chip Cookie recipe that'll easy get a five star rating:
Ingredients
- 2 cups unbleached flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 stick of Earth Balance, softened
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 Tb. ground flaxseed, mixed with 6 Tb. water (as described above)
- 1 bag of vegan chocolate chips (like semi-sweet)
Directions
- Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Add the vanilla, flax mix, and butter and blend with hands until a firm dough forms.
- Mix in the chocolate chips until thoroughly incorporated.
- Drop by the Tb. onto a greased cookie sheet.
- Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes. The cookies will still looked slightly undercooked at this time. That's good! Allow them to remain on the baking tray for 1 minute before gently removing. They continue to cook during this time, creating a chewy (not crispy) texture.
Also, these can easy be turned into peanut butter chip cookies. Simply omit 3 Tb. of the Earth Balance, add 3 Tb. of natural peanut butter, and substitute vegan peanut butter chips for the chocolate chips.
This recipe has been tested by vegan and unsuspecting carnivores. They animal ingredients were never missed! It's also a great treat to bring to potlucks. Everyone can enjoy these classic, chewy chocolate chip cookies.
Resources:
Raw Vegan Blueberry Strawberry Pie
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