Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

You can be as hipster as you'd like - but I know deep down your favorite cookie is a chocolate chip cookie. Go on and take your fancy sandwich cookies, pizzelles, and macaroons set them aside for a moment, and lets talk about the classic. The OG: Chocolate Chip Cookie. AND let me be real quick to say - these aren't any fancy variety of chocolate chip cookies. No nuts, seeds, dried fruits, oats, fancy flours, or any add-ons. This isn't gluten free, keto, or made of fairy dust. These are vegan, but we aren't using anything you can't find in most grocery stores.

Who here has been scouring the internet looking for a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe?

I know I can't be alone.

When I started trying to veganize my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, it took me a few times to iron out the details. They came out too flat, or had an off flavor so many times. And then you try and make it chocolate chunk, and sure its good, but we are talking about craving the classic chocolate CHIP cookie. Chocolate Chunks throw off that delicious chocolate to (vegan)buttery cookie dough ratio. THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT RATIO TO KEEP. People forget that the carrier of the chocolate is just as important, if not more important than the type of chocolate you use. Just ask yourself, what is better? Eating chocolate chips straight out of a bag, or inside a chocolate chip cookie? Right???? It is not just about the mix-ins.

Then we have to figure out the egg replacement. Apple sauce and bananas work great in some things. Not in cookies. If you want to destroy any chewy texture of your chocolate chip cookie and eat a sticky sweet puddle of disappointment, use apple sauce. I'll use flax egg. Just take ground flax, and let it get gelled in some warm water. Honestly - I am not even 100% sure you need this, but I am too afraid to leave it out.

Finally, lets talk about the butter. Vegan butter has too much water in it. If you straight up use earth balance like how you used to do it with regular butter, you end up with flat cookies. Like a dime width. To counteract this, I use the vegan butter (I use Earth Balance) and start cold and end cold. Do not soften your butter, do not pass Go, do not collect $200. And once your mix is made, even though you really want your cookies like RIGHT NOW, throw it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. If you NEED a cookie right now, just grab a spoonful of that batter (yay vegan dough!!) and go watch an episode of the Office or something. Your patience will be rewarded.

VEGAN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Oven @ 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Bake time ~ 12 minutes

Ingredients:

1 Cup Vegan Butter (I use earth balance)

3/4 Cup Brown Sugar

3/4 Cup Cane Sugar

2 tbsp ground flax + 6 tbsp warm water

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 1/4 Cup White Flour

2 Cups Vegan Chocolate Chips

Method:

In an electric mixer: Mix together butter and sugars until well combined and fluffy. Add in flax once it is gelled (this takes a few minutes) and mix until combined. Add vanilla, baking soda, and salt until incorporated. Slowly add in flour, be sure to scrape the bottoms and sides here. Finally mix in chocolate chips (slowly) until evenly incorporated. (Don't over do the mixing).

Scrape down bowl so its in one big ball, and throw in the refrigerator for approximately 30 minutes, or until dough is cooled and slightly hardened. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees while the dough is chilling.

Scoop out dough into your desired serving size (I typically use a kitchen tablespoon) evenly across an unlined baking sheet. I find when you line it they don't brown properly. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until golden brown and delicious!

Let cool on a wire rack before digging in (or not).