The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies - Ever

This weekend was a busy one with a lot of working out, a wedding (which my pianist husband was playing for), church, and then the inevitable crash afterwards when the tiredness finally caught up with me.  Over the weekend we visited two farmers markets and brought home quite a haul!  We got heirloom tomatoes, pattypan squash, cherries, pluots, peaches, cherry tomatoes, about 15 avocados, and local honey (which, though we are vegan, we do eat).  All for under $20!  Most of our meals since then have been simple.  Raw fruits and veggies!

I did have the chance, however, to cook up two dessert recipes late last week.  (The second one is coming in my next blog post!)  After a hard workout on Friday I came home really wanting chocolate chip cookies.  I'm picky when it comes to my cookies.  I no longer like the crispy greasy texture of a cookie baked with butter, or even Smart Balance.  I don't like my cookies to leave grease imprints anywhere, on my napkin, hands or arteries!  I have tried a few chocolate chip cookie recipes that are vegan and oil-free that I like, but none come close to the one from Lindsey Nixon's cookbook, The Happy Herbivore.  I made up a batch (it only took about 5 minutes).  They were amazing, and before the day was out, John and I had together, eaten the whole batch.  I made up another batch on Saturday, and, again, we ate the whole thing in a day!  So good!

A few notes.  These cookies are delicious, but they are not thin and crispy like some cookies are.  These have a chewy, cakey consistency due to the use of applesauce instead of oil.  They are also best hot, right out of the oven.  If you must wait to eat them, pop them in the microwave or back in the oven for a bit to warm up the cookie and get the chocolate to be melty.  mmmmm.  My husband who is not generally a chocolate chip cookie fan (he used to ask for Tollhouse cookies without the chocolate chips!) liked these warm.  He suggested that I increase the vanilla and leave out the cinnamon.  I tried that for the second batch.  Different flavor from the first but still really good.

Here is the recipe!  Check out Lindsey's website for more delicious ideas!

Happy Herbivore Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 16 cookies

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup non-dairy milk
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine salt
1 tbsp cornstarch
a few dashes of ground cinnamon
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

1.  Preheat oven to 350
2.)  Grease cookies sheet
3.)  Combine applesauce, sugar, vanilla and milk.
4.)  In a small bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt, cornstarch, and cinnamon.
5.) Transfer the dry mixture into the wet mixture in three batches.  Stir until almost combined.
6.) Fold in chips.
7.)  Drop spoonfuls on cookie sheet and bake for 7-10 minutes for a soft and light cookie or a few minutes more for a firmer cookies, being careful not to burn.

Try not to eat the whole batch.  If you do though, it's not TERRIBLE.  They are only 61 calories a cookie!