{I adapted this recipe from Dreena Burton’s Vive le Vegan}.
Here’s my recipe. I doubled it, I mean come on, really, who wants to go through all of that work only to get 10 cookies?
I used chia seed gel to replace the oil. I’m pretty adamant about not using oil in my baking/cooking even for desserts, so I’m always trying new ways to replace the oil with something better.
The great thing about chia seeds, as I’ve said before is that for one, they are a whole food, unlike oil which has been stripped of fiber, protein, carbohydrates, so all you are left with is 100% pure fat. Two, they are an excellent source of omega-3 fats, just as good as flaxseeds which are the highest source of omega-3’s. Chia seeds contain fiber, which of course adds to a feeling of fullness (so you eat less cookies). To be honest, I wasn’t really sure how these would turn out as it was my first time using chia seed gel as a replacer, but I really loved the outcome. The cookies were cookie-like, not cake-like, which occurs when you use applesauce as an oil replacer.
My favorite thing to do is to make a batch then form a roll with the remaining dough, wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the freezer. When I’m ready to use it, I take the dough and cut 1/4 inch slices and cook for 2-3 minutes longer. This creates perfectly round and flat cookies, which reminds me of the Ottis Spunkmeyer cookies I used to crave and eat daily in high school. These I assure you, are just as tasty, and much easier on the digestive system.
GF (gluten-free), SF (soy-free), NF (nut-free), OF (oil-free)
2 c. brown rice flour mixture*
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/3 c. unrefined sugar (I use sucanant)
1 TBS. green leaf stevia (or 3 more TBS. of sucanant)
1/2 tsp. Celtic sea salt
1/3 c. pure maple syrup
1/3 c. brown rice syrup (or 2/3 c. of either; I split this up because maple syrup is like liquid gold–very pricey)
1 TBS. vanilla extract
1/2 c. chia seed gel*
2/3 c. grain sweetened carob chips (I didn’t have any chocolate chips on hand, but feel free to use non-dairy chocolate chips)
Preheat oven to 350 F. Sift dry ingredients, except for sugar and salt. Add, sugar and salt and mix well. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients. Add wet to dry ingredients, mix. Fold in carob or chocolate chips. Using a tablespoon, put dough in tablespoon, pack down and drop on cookie sheet (spray with non-stick spray) or use a baking stone (which I use, and swear by to make the perfect cookie). Flatten a little. Bake for 11 minutes. Let cool for 1 minute then transfer to a cooling rack.
Brown Rice Flour Mixture
7 c. brown rice flour
2 c. potato starch flour
1 c. tapioca starch flour
2 TBS. xanthan gum
Chia Seed Gel
1 part chia seeds/10 parts water
So for example:
1/4 c. chia seeds
2 1/2 c. water
Put chia seeds in blender. Cover with water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. At this point, the chia seeds will have soaked up all of the water. Blend on high until very smooth. Store in a jar and refrigerate.
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