vegan chocolate chip cookies

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vegan chocolate chip cookies

After having gone vegan, I made it my mission to find a replacement for each and every food that I had to temporarily give up. Some of them were challenging (to say the least), but eventually my dogged persistence would pay off. I desperately wanted a vegan chocolate chip cookie that was soft and sweet without any refined sugar or added oil and it felt like it took me forever to strike it rich with these guys, but my patience paid off again. They're a huge hit in my home, and I hope they'll be in yours, too. If you scroll all the way to the bottom of this post, I've included my chocolate chip recipe, just in case you need it :)

Cookie Ingredients

• 1 cup organic rolled oats

• 1 cup organic raw cashews

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar

• 10 organic Medjool dates (pitted & soaked until soft)

• ½ cup chocolate chips

• ½ cup water

• ½ (scant) cup organic unsweetened applesauce

• ¼ cup organic almond butter

• 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder + 3 tablespoons water (mixed well)

• 2 teaspoons organic vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F

2. Using a small coffee grinder, grind both the rolled oats and the cashews into flour. Add the flours, baking soda, and cream of tartar to a mixing bowl; stir well to combine.

3. Add the softened dates, water, almond butter, applesauce, arrowroot/water mixture, and vanilla to the food processor; process until smooth. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and mix again until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

4. Drop the cookie batter onto a parchment-lined baking sheet (I get 20 cookies out of this recipe). Bake for 10 minutes or until the cookies are cooked throughout and the bottoms are lightly browned.

Optional: In place of the arrowroot/water mixture, use ¼ cup chia or flax egg.

Optional: In place of the dates, use ¼ cup maple syrup.

Optional: In place of the water, use a plant-based milk of your choice.

cookie notes

Originally, all of my baked goods were made with chia (or flax) eggs, but as of late, those nutrient-dense seeds seem to be slightly irritating to my body. The arrowroot/water mixture is what I found to replace them and while it does make for a deliciously moist cookie, the health benefits of both chia and flax are definitely superior.

As you probably guessed, both the chia egg and flax egg are vegan substitutes for bird eggs; ¼ cup of chia or flax egg is equal to 1 egg. I have found chia and flax to be interchangeable when it comes to using them in recipes, and they provide a host of health benefits!

CHIA EGG:

• 2 tablespoons chia seed

• 1 cup water

Using a small coffee grinder, grind the chia seeds thoroughly and pour them into a small bowl along with the water; whisk immediately. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes to thicken. Store any extra chia egg in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

FLAX EGG:

• ¼ cup flax seed

• 1 cup water

Using a small coffee grinder, grind the flax seeds thoroughly and pour them into a small bowl along with the water; whisk immediately. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes to thicken. Store any extra flax egg in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Chocolate Chips Ingredients

• ¼ cup organic cacao butter (equal to about 24 wafers)

• ¼ cup organic cacao powder

• ¼ teaspoon SweetLeaf stevia powder

• ½ teaspoon organic vanilla extract (optional)

Chocolate Chips Directions

1. Melt the cacao butter over low heat until completely melted. Add in all of the other ingredients and whisk until smooth.

2. Spoon the batter into chocolate chip molds and freeze.

   
   

chocolate chips notes

Don't have a cute little chocolate chip mold? Simply line a small, lightly-greased baking sheet with parchment paper and pour the melted chocolate mixture over the sheet. Place the sheet in the freezer until the chocolate has hardened. Once hard, remove from the freezer and chop into bit-sized pieces (move fast, this recipe melts quickly!). Store chips in the freezer.

I actually use only half of the amount of stevia listed above because we're all fans of dark chocolate in my home! Adjust according to your taste buds, and if it's your first time using stevia, go lightly! A little goes a very long way.

And that's a wrap. I just baked a batch of these treats today and they're just as awesome as I remember. If you have any questions, or if you've also made some and love them as much as we do, please drop a comment below! And for more healthy, vegan recipes, don't forget to subscribe :)

Hope your day is an awesome one!

Much love,

Melinda