Good evening!
Our friend Dan’s birthday get together is tomorrow night and I got this great idea to make Dan healthier vegan chocolate chip cookies. You see, Dan is a great guy and he deserves only the best on his birthday. He also loves my vegan baked goods.
Little did I know that my quest to bake a delicious vegan chocolate chip cookie would take 5 trials! Oye. However, I do not go down without a fight. If it takes 5 trials of taste testing cookies, I will roll up my sleeves and dig in. Someone’s gotta do it.
I started with a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe that one of my family members gave me years ago. I decided it was time to veganize this baby! Out went 1 egg, 1/2 cup butter, and a cup of sugar.
See ya, won’t miss ya, I said.
For some reason, I decided I would also turn this recipe into a s’more cookie. I was feeling a bit crazy and delirious, clearly…
Trial 1:
The S’more sandwich.
Hrmm.
It tasted good, but it was nothing to write home about.
Back to the drawing board!
Trial 2:
The S’more Cookie
Oozing with vegan marshmallows, it was good, but not great. Nor amazing.
Next!
Trial 3:
Vegan Chunky Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Whoops. It got a little crowded in there! ;)
I was sick of the s’more cookies and decided to go back to the classic chocolate chip cookie with a nut butter twist. This version tasted phenomenal, but the cookie was a bit thin for my liking.
I was now on a quest to plump it up!
Trial 4:
The thicker chocolate chip cookie
Too thick and cake like. :(
I am now weak. It feels like I have been in the kitchen for days on end. My throat is dry.
This is what happened when I added a chia egg (1 T ground chia + 3 T water) and a bit more flour. Interesting, but much too muffin like in texture and not crispy at all.
I need the crisp factor!
Scratch.
Trial 5:
The Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie…with a twist!
I said a little prayer for this batch. My golden hairs were turning grey. Something had to give….
[This recipe is BACK after popular request!! Sorry for the inconvenience guys!]
Salt-Kissed Chunky Peanut Butter Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 + 1/4 cup whole grain spelt flour* (see note below)
- 1/4 cup organic sugar
- 1/4 tsp fleur de sel (or reg. salt)
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1.5 tbsp cacao nibs (optional, but they add crunch!)
- 3-4 tsp non-dairy dark chocolate chips
- 1.5 tbsp chunky peanut butter
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 3.5 tbsp canola oil
- Fleur de sel, for garnish
- Turbinado sugar, for garnish (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with oil. In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients (spelt flour, baking soda, baking powder, fleur de sel, sugar).
- Whisk together. In a medium sized bowl mix all wet ingredients (peanut butter, maple syrup, oil. vanilla). Mix well making sure the PB is thoroughly mixed in.
- Now add wet to dry and stir. Mix with hands if necessary until fully incorporated. Stir in cacao nibs and chocolate chips. Wet hands and shape small cookies about 1.5 inches in diameter and place on baking sheet.
- Bake for just 10 minutes. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack after a couple minutes. Cool for 10 minutes. Makes 14 medium sized cookies.
See this post for my favourite chocolate chip cookie recipe!
Happy Birthday Dan. If we eat all of them before tomorrow night, this post is proof that the thought was there anyways. ;)
You can send those “bad” cookies to me! :)
Happy Birthday Dan. If I baked those cookies for you they would be long gone by tomorrow!
Angela, you’re genius. Pure genius. I love all your recipes and this one’s no different. PB..chocolate..cookies?! Heck yes please!! :D
And happy birthday, Dan!
Mmm those look delish! The “flops” don’t look half bad either:)
Oh, how I miss the rain. It’s high 90’s today! Enjoy : )
Holy Yum! I wish I was there to have one or two or three :)
THey Look Great! You had me on the the first one…a smore sandwich…sold! but then the chunky peanut butter chocolate chip cookie… I am sold as well! You needed a litttle taste tester! :) I wish I could reach in and have one. :) Looks perfect to have with the little rain (drizzle) and some warm almond milk or tea, I agree. Great touch with the turbinado sugar
Peanut butter and chocolate… you can’t go wrong there!
Fantastic as always! I am always on the hunt for vegan cookies!
I think this must be the reason your recipes are always SO good!! I would have given up way before you did!! And now you have all those dangerous cookies lurking in your kitchen.
Good perseverance Ang!! teehee!!
They look amazing!
Those look amazing!! I have been looking for a vegan recipe for chocolate chip cookies lately and I think I may have found the one :) Thanks so much for all your hard work and trials !!
This guy is getting bookmarked. Now I know what I’m making the next time I want to bake. I love that it doesn’t ask for any complicated ingredients. Built to be vegan from the ground up with no replacements.
Thanks for sharing these!
I am sure all the trails were worth it, those look fabulous.
If only I could bite into one right now!
Fleur de sel is one of the most amazing baking additions I’ve come across – I love the bit of salt with the sweet, and it makes for excellent lemon-tinged sugar cookies!
Wow… these are dreamy. Love salt + sweet.
Those all look delish! And I swear, Hamilton is the only place in Southern Ont. that didn’t get rain today…I’d like a break from this humidity; please send rain stat!
I love topping my brownies and cookies with a little sea salt… YUM
You have my address, right?? I’ll take those s’more cookies off your hands – I’m generous like that :)
Omigosh those look to die for! I just tried out your mushroom pizza today by the way. It was phenomenal. Here’s the link: http://givemethealmondbutter.wordpress.com/2010/09/02/messes/
You my dear a fabulous and true baker!!! Five trials..impressive! ;) and they look delish!
Those will be on my upcoming treat for a rant day
Angela- you are UNSTOPPABLE!
I am making these tomorrow. I would make them tonight but I don’t have chocolate chips and I have had too much wine. The cookies must wait.
PS- Thank you so much for your mushroom post!! Mushrooms have been the one food I do not like for such a long time. I have recently (as in last month) started warming up to them, and I love what you did!
I used to HATE Portabellas! Now I love all mushrooms.
I love cookies with a little bit of saltyness! These look great – I don’t know how you made it through 5 trials, I would have called it a day after just two!