There is a great satisfaction that comes out of baking the perfect chocolate chip cookie - and even more out of eating one. I still remember the best chocolate chip cookie I ever had, and that was from Mrs. Fields in 1984 and a friend of my parents gave me this incredible cookie in La Jolla, California. I had never tasted anything like this cookie before, and even after many attempts to recreate that same flavor and texture, I have not found it. The cookie was soft, chewy, dense, and full of chocolate and other flavor that even at 12 years old I knew had a level of complexity that went beyond a regular cookie. Since then, I have not found anything that filled that void. I suppose that could be a good thing since cookie are the kind of thing that do not last very long if placed in front of me (and they are ones that I tend to like!).
So a few days ago I started thinking about creating a cookie recipe with items that I had in my kitchen and I had it in my head that I was going to make vegan cookies. To my surprise, the end was result was reminiscent of the cookies that I had years ago in 1984. Dense, chewy (but not at all cake-like), rich, and full of chocolate. Plus, the coconut added a great level of flavor.
When I started mixing the cookie dough, I was a bit concerned as it seemed a dry and did not come together like dough that contains butter and eggs. However, I formed the dough with my hands once I mixed it with the stand mixer, and had no problems. Also, because there is no butter, the cookies will not spread out on the baking sheet. Remember to put them into the shape/size that you want them to end up in, and this is how they will appear once they are done baking. The benefit of the cookies not spreading out is that you are able to place more on the sheet than you would if you were making cookies that contained butter. If you are not a fan of coconut, it can be omitted, and you can simply make chocolate chunk cookies.
Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or butter a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the oven while it is preheating. Makes 2 dozen cookies.
1 1/3 C all purpose flour
2/3 C white whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C canola oil
1/2 C light coconut milk
8 oz chopped chocolate (I used 2 different kinds of Ghiradelli: 60% and 70%, use what ever kind you prefer) chop into small chunks that are suitable for the cookies - have fun here, and there is not hard/set rule. Substitute a more vegan friendly chocolate if that suits your dietary needs.
2/3 C organic unsweetened shredded coconut
Mix the dry ingredients and shredded coconut together. Add in the oil and the coconut milk and mix on a slow speed with a stand mixer, and then add the chocolate. The indregients will start to bind together, but will not combine like a cookie dough that contains butter and eggs. Do not worry. Use your hands if the lack of cohesion with the dough stresses you out. When it comes time to form the cookies, use a spoon to form the initial size and then roll the cookie in between your hands to form a ball. Continue to do this until you do through all of the dough. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and place the cookies on the sheet. Flatten the cookie dough balls down a bit, since they will not do this while cooking. You might be able to fit more than 12 per sheet (depending on the size of your sheet etc...). Place the sheet in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Remove the sheet from the oven, flip the cookies over, and rotate the sheet front to back, place back in the over for 4-5 more minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 3 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. The cookies WILL BE SOFT, but will harden as they continue to cool, however they will not reach the crispy texture that some of you out there might really love.
I hope you enjoy these cookies - comments are welcomed and encouraged!
