I have never meet anyone who has not liked chocolate chip cookies. I have met many people whose opinion differs as to what kind of chocolate chip cookie they like - chewy, crispy, full of chips, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, etc. But never, ever, have I met anyone who has not liked them. With this post, I am sure that they will make themselves known, but until they do, I will hold tight to my convictions.
I have tried many, many different kinds of chocolate chip cookie recipes in my 30+ years, and have found some that I like more than others. Perhaps the best kind are those that are made with someone else, whether it be a good friend, or the help of little hands...
I recently started baking with more non-traditional ingredients and incorporating these into my cookies, cakes, and confections. Whether it be agave nectar for sugar, whole wheat flour for white flour, or even coconut oil for butter, I wanted to see what I could do to "bake better" for myself. Sure, I am positive that many people would disagree, and tell me that it is a waste of time, money, and energy to stray away from butter and eggs and good old flour. But I actually enjoy the chemistry that goes into finding out why the ingredients react - or fail to react - based on what goes into the mix. I also tell myself that I am doing something good for myself, and whether this is the case or not, that is my story, and I am sticking to it so there!
It actually all started with a chocolate chip cookie you know... A coconut chocolate chip cookie that led me down the path to baking without eggs, and trying out alternative recipes. I then stumbled on the Baby Cakes NYC Cookbook and made several batches of those cupcakes, which are perfect little snacks (I make mini unfrosted ones, keep them in the freezer, and defrost a few when I need something sweet). For full disclosure, following my Baby Cakes post, I was contacted by a publicist for the new cookbook "The Flying Apron", which is a vegan and gluten free bakery out in Seattle. I received a copy of the book, and looked through it nightly for several weeks until today, when I opened it up and finally decided to make the chocolate chip cookie recipe. I had the ingredients all collected, so I really had no excuse to not give it a go.
Following recipes to the 1/8 of a teaspoon in gluten free / vegan baking is critical, and I tend to not be the best at that. I like to add a little here and a little there, and make things up as I go. However, if I plan to post things on a blog, and expect people to follow a recipe, that will not really work. So, when I opened up the Flying Apron's Gluten-Free & Vegan Baking Book I already started to see substitutes for ingredients listed in my mind... coconut oil instead of the recommended canola oil. Agave nectar instead of the recommended organic cane sugar, almond milk instead of the recommended rice milk etc. So there was really only one solution - I have both recipes below for you... you can do either one, or you can make them both! I made the one in purple, and the cookie is not the crispy one that you might find with heaps of butter, but the result is a cookie, a substantial cookie, with a small hint of the coconut and crispy edges, with a soft middle. Enjoy, from the bottom of my heart...
Flying Apron Chocolate Chip Cookies (with adaptations...)
2 3/4 cups brown rice flour
1 1/2 cups + 1tbsp garbanzo bean flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp sea salt
1 c canola oil [1/2 c canola oil+1/2 c coconut oil]
1 c organic whole cane sugar [2/3 c agave nectar]
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 c rice milk [1 c almond milk]
1 c vegan chocolate chips [1 1/2 c vegan chocolate chips]
optional: 1/4 c chopped nuts
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Combine the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. The a standing bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment add the oil(s), sugar (agave nectar), and vanilla and combine until well mixed. With the speed on low, add the flour mixture and the milk (almond or rice) and mix until well combined - this will take about 2 minutes. Add in the chocolate and nuts if you are using them. Scoop out the dough onto a greased cookie sheet about 1 inch apart...
and bake for about 14-16 minutes until the top is golden brown. (I like to under bake my cookies, so I bake them for 14 minutes).
