Chocolate Chip Cookies To Die, and Vegan, too! Updated April 2020

I was torn about telling you these unbelievable cookies were vegan, worried it would put off the bacon-cheeseburger set (of which I, too, am a member). But these are so dang good I feel a sudden urge to wear Birkenstocks–which I pray will pass. Recipe by Stephanie Valentine, below.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Vegan or not, these are the best I’ve ever had. If vegan is not your thing, or not in your pantry, substitute an egg for the ground flaxseed and ½ cup butter for the coconut oil.

1 tablespoon ground flaxseed

½ cup coconut oil, room temperature

1 cup coconut sugar, or brown sugar (light or dark)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ¼ cups whole wheat pastry flour*

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup chocolate chips

½ cup oats

½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans

 

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

In a small bowl, stir the ground flaxseed into 3 tablespoons of water and let sit.  It will gel into an egg-like consistency.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the coconut oil with the sugar until lightened and fluffy. Add the soaked flax and vanilla and blend well.  Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt, and fold into to the oil and sugar mixture until just combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips, oats and nuts.  Form into walnut size balls and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly with your hand. Bake for 10 minutes.

Variation: Add two tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds to enhance the nutty flavor, and/or substitute other chopped nuts for the walnuts or pecans.

*Pastry flour substitute: From 1 1/4 cups regular whole wheat flour, remove 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon, and add 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon cornstarch.

For those of you who have copies of our California Cooking and Southern Style, sorry to say this recipe is not in there, so if you are a “paper person” you can copy-print the recipe and tuck it into the book or your files. If you do not yet have California Cooking and Southern Style, WTF?! Get one signed and personalized for you, or as a gift to someone, here, now, and all proceeds to charity, including our local Santa Ynez Valley Community Kitchen during Corona Virus lockdown…. Or order from your local indie bookshop 🙂 which I love to support.