Chocolate Chip Cookies To Die, and Vegan, too! Updated April 2020

Vegan chocolate Chip Cookies

I was torn about telling you these unbelievable cookies were vegan, worried it would put off the bacon-cheeseburger set (of which I, too, am a member). But these are so dang good I feel a sudden urge to wear Birkenstocks–which I pray will pass. Recipe by Stephanie Valentine, below.

Vegan chocolate Chip Cookies
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies, and yes, they are as good as they look.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Vegan or not, these are the best I’ve ever had. If vegan is not your thing, or not in your pantry, substitute an egg for the ground flaxseed and ½ cup butter for the coconut oil.

1 tablespoon ground flaxseed

½ cup coconut oil, room temperature

1 cup coconut sugar, or brown sugar (light or dark)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ¼ cups whole wheat pastry flour*

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup chocolate chips

½ cup oats

½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans

 

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

In a small bowl, stir the ground flaxseed into 3 tablespoons of water and let sit.  It will gel into an egg-like consistency.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the coconut oil with the sugar until lightened and fluffy. Add the soaked flax and vanilla and blend well.  Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt, and fold into to the oil and sugar mixture until just combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips, oats and nuts.  Form into walnut size balls and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly with your hand. Bake for 10 minutes.

Variation: Add two tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds to enhance the nutty flavor, and/or substitute other chopped nuts for the walnuts or pecans.

*Pastry flour substitute: From 1 1/4 cups regular whole wheat flour, remove 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon, and add 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon cornstarch.

cookie ingredients California Cooking and Southern Style
Chocolate Chip Cookie ingredients – this one’s not in the book California Cooking and Southern Style, but you can always find it right here 🙂

For those of you who have copies of our California Cooking and Southern Style, sorry to say this recipe is not in there, so if you are a “paper person” you can copy-print the recipe and tuck it into the book or your files. If you do not yet have California Cooking and Southern Style, WTF?! Get one signed and personalized for you, or as a gift to someone, here, now, and all proceeds to charity, including our local Santa Ynez Valley Community Kitchen during Corona Virus lockdown…. Or order from your local indie bookshop 🙂 which I love to support.

Vegan chocolate Chip Cookies
Chef Stephanie Valentine’s Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies, though the “vegan” part is optional. If you want to use eggs and butter, go for it baby.

 

 

12 comments

  1. Merci! I am addicted to chocolate chip cookies but am supposed to be off dairy for my 40 day yoga challenge.

  2. I love to bake and actually went thru a vegan phase for a while. I wonder if Chef Stephanie has tried using mashed bananas in her chocolate chip cookies, it gives a creaminess akin to eggs and if you use the right amount (not a whole lot) doesn’t add any banana flavor.

    Great to see all your posts, Frances. xo
    Kelly

    1. Woo, Kelly, this sounds like a very good idea and I’d love to hear Stephanie’s input on this. She was a chef at San Francisco’s primo RAW restaurant and knows from vegan, raw, and what all. Stand by…

  3. Hi Frances!
    Bravo to you, Stephanie and Erika…dee-lish! Look out, Mrs. Fields! Perfect for a Super Bowl party…or any party!
    xxx
    Susie

  4. Frances, I’ve been making these cookies non-stop lately, including the yummy molasses ginger version. Today we were out of sesame seeds and the dough was easier to manage and the kids love them more than ever. Then I realized I had forgotten to add the sugar as well! No one can tell, so they could be sugar free, too (except for the chocolate chips!)

  5. I should add that I am using Uncle Luke’s organic maple syrup, Canada #3: dark, which is very sweet and rich.

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