This post is dedicated to my sister Colette, for whom life would not be worth living without a decent chocolate chip cookie on which to rely.
This cookie is for you Colette.
And don’t worry, it’s for you too, dear reader.
{I know, chocolate chip cookies aren’t health food, but life really is so much better with some really great chocolate chip cookies now & then, don’t you think?
Yes, I do have an oil-free version, but there are a few recipes that just taste remarkably better with some oil. What I think about oils, here. I use these higher calorie foods judiciously, but I also enjoy them when I eat them!}
First, I must say, I have Dreena to thank, for introducing me to amazingly delicious chocolate chip cookies when I first went vegan 6 years ago. She’s shown the world that the vegan version can hold it’s weight.
Recently, I wanted to create my own recipe, my own take on this classic (I actually did, a few years back, without oil, here). I have worked hard to create a decadent cookie that doesn’t use eggs, butter, or gluten. {You can also make this soy-free by using soy-free Earth Balance.}
I have memories of making chocolate chip cookies as a kid, every Sunday after we got home from church. They were pleasant ones. I also have memories (not so pleasant) of the stomach aches I used to have afterwards.
Might have had something to do with the fact that I ate a half a dozen or more cookies in one sitting, perhaps. Might also have something to do with that they were made from the four ingredients (white flour, white sugar, butter & eggs), that when combined, make me positively ill. I still retain my extremist tendencies (darn it!), but I’ve wisened up & no longer eat foods that make me regret it later (usually).
Yes, this cookie is rich & calorie-dense, but it doesn’t make me feel down afterward. In fact I feel just fine after eating it. (I can say that because I had taste test several batches, before I got it just right.)
No regrets, just a thick, chewy, chocolate chip cookie, gluten-free, vegan.
It took a few tries, but I think I may have hit a formula that you’ll be pleased to eat (I hope!). I know it made my taste buds happy & it passed the husband AND the kid test (doesn’t happen very often).
The first go around, I used Bob’s Red Mill GF all-purpose flour.
It was okay, but I don’t like the aftertaste of garbanzo bean flour, which is a part of the the all-purpose mix. The second time around I changed the flours, adjusted the sweetener & added a bit more vanilla. I like the texture of that the almond meal/flour provides & I like that the white rice flour has a very neutral taste, similar to white flour in that way.
The cookie is still more dense than your average white flour, butter & eggs cookie, but the beauty of this cookie, especially when you make it big (make sure to gently press down the cookie mound before baking if you use a cookie scoop), is that the outside get’s a little crispy while the inside is soft & chewy.
A chewy, satisfying gluten-free vegan version of America's favorite--the chocolate chip cookie.
Ingredients
- 1 c. white rice flour
- 1/4 c. almond flour
- 3/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 c. organic turbinado sugar
- 1/4 c. pure maple syrup
- 1/2 c. non-dairy butter (I used Earth Balance)
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla
- 3 TBS. water + 1 TBS. ground flax seed
- 3/4 c. non-dairy chocolate chips
- 1/4 c. walnuts, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Turn your oven on to 350 F.
- Get your supplies ready: measuring cups, ingredients, two mixing bowls, spatulas. Put on your favorite apron, turn on some good music. You're making chocolate chip cookies for heaven's sake. It's going to be good.
- In one bowl, combine flours, salt & baking soda. Sift. I used a wire whisk, which'll do. Just make sure salt & soda are mixed thoroughly with the flours nicely.
- In another bowl, dump combine sugar, syrup, vanilla & butter.
- Whisk the flax seed with water for about 30 seconds until fluffy, then dump the flax mixture in with the other wet ingredients.
- Use wire whisk to whip the wet ingredients into shape for a minute or two.
- Combine wet & dry ingredients.
- Mix gently, but be careful only to mix just enough so that the mixture is barely incorporated. You don't want to over mix, otherwise you'll have cake-y cookies. We're not making cake here.
- Once that's done, add the chocolate chips & walnuts, but only mix enough so that the chocolate chips & walnuts are in the dough.
- The dough works better if chilled. You can skip this step, but your cookies won't be as pretty & uniform. 30 minutes in the fridge (or freezer for 20 minutes) should do the trick.
- These cookies taste best, in my opinion as a ginormous cookie, so use a big cookie scoop (3-4 TBS., depending on brand & scoop.) to scoop cookies onto cookie sheet. (I like this one.) You can also use a small cookie scoop, if you must. (I like this one). Space cookies 1-2 inches a part & use the palm of your hand to gently shmoosh the cookie so that it's flat, otherwise it won't bake in a uniform way & some parts will be undercooked.
- Bake at 350 F. For big cookies, bake for 18-20 minutes. I know it seems like a long time, but these cookies are huge & ingredients are different from a traditional eggs & gluten flour cookie which bakes differently. For smaller cookies (1 TBS or less), cook for 9 minutes. Make sure not to over bake, otherwise you'll get a dry cookie. Another "secret" is to take your cookies out when they still look not-quite done. Let them cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, then use a spatula & let cool further on the cookie rack. Or eat one while you wait for the rest to cool. Nothing like a cookie hot out of the oven,especially these ones. Cookies should be "set" or firm in 15-20 minutes, depending on how hot it is in your kitchen.
Additional nutrition info: Per extra large cookie, 4 g protein, 45 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 127 mg. sodium.
Substitute ingredients at your own risk! Recipe is only guaranteed to taste amazing if you follow instructions exactly & use all ingredients listed.
Like cookie dough in ice cream? Check out my recipe for chocolate, chocolate chip cookie dough at the Blissful Chef’s blog, here.
(That would be Asher’s little 5 year old hand, below, trying to grab the cookie while I was taking photos.)
♥♥♥
Did you grow up making homemade chocolate chip cookies?
Do you like to eat milk with your cookies? (I have to. A glass of cold almond milk, please.)
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