Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

I can relate to Cookie Monster and his extreme love for cookies.  I love all kinds of cookies, but I have to say my favorite is the classic chocolate chip cookie.  When I was little, I made sure my mom always stocked our house with Chips Ahoy. When Chips Ahoy introduced their Chewy version and I followed its microwave suggestion, I marked the day I bit into that warm, chewy cookie as a milestone in my life.

I wanted to share my love of chocolate chip cookies with my friends this past Christmas, so I baked vegan chocolate chip cookies and gave them as Christmas gifts.  They're pretty easy to make.  The hardest part of the whole process was waiting for the cookies to be ready to taste.  Three items that are critical for this vegan recipe are Earth Balance Natural Butter Spread, Ener-G Egg Replacer, and Sunspire Vegan Carob Chips.  All work great as substitutes so there's no need to worry about sacrificing taste.  Carob chips serve as chocolate chip substitutes and are made from the Carob tree.  It's not too sweet and can actually act as a dark chocolate substitute.  I purchased all of them at Simply Food. 

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 24 cookies

7 tablespoons Earth Balance

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 Ener-G Egg Replacer egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

 

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, make the Ener-G Egg Replacer egg by following the package's instructions.  With an electric mixer or in a stand mixer, beat the Earth Balance until fluffy. Add the brown sugar and cane sugar and beat for 1-2 minutes until creamy. Beat in the egg.  Beat in the remaining ingredients and fold in the chocolate chips.  Shape balls of dough using a tablespoon and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack for another 10 minutes.  To retain the crispy factor of the cookies place them in the freezer after cooling in a container.  Simply thaw out on a counter-top or table before serving.