These cookies are a version of Dreena’s Vegan cookies, I am not vegan, and if you are use her version for some tasty cookies, this recipe is foolproof and I have made it a couple times now. They are chewy on the outer and soft in the centre, and are perfect with a large glass of cold milk. My last effort used maple syrup we picked up when travelling through Saugatuck and Douglas in Michigan, and 70% dark Papua New Guinea chocolate from Neuhaus Chocolatier in Brussels, that we picked up on a big northern hemisphere holiday a few months ago.
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1?2 tsp baking soda
1?4 cup unrefined sugar
1?4 tsp sea salt
1?3 cup pure maple syrup
1?4 tsp blackstrap molasses
1 – 1 1?2 tsp vanilla bean paste
1?4 cup organic canola oil (a little generous 1/4 cup)
1?3 cup 70% dark chocolate chopped into chips
Preheat oven to 175°C. In a bowl, sift in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the sugar and salt, and stir until well combined. In a separate bowl, combine the maple syrup with the molasses and vanilla, then stir in the oil until well combined. Add the wet mixture to the dry, along with the chocolate chips, and stir through until just well combined (do not overmix). Place large spoonfuls of the batter on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and flatten a little. Bake for 11 minutes, until just golden (if you bake for much longer, they will dry out). Let cool on the sheet for no more than 1 minute (again, to prevent drying), then transfer to a cooling rack. Makes 8-10 large cookies.
Note: Unbleached all-purpose flour produces a cookie with a very classic taste and texture, but you can use whole-wheat pastry flour and still have delicious cookies.
Idea: I have a fantastic pure vanilla ice-cream recipe that I will post in the next few weeks if I get time; that will make frickin awesome ice cream cookie sandwiches! Using two cookies that have been completely cooled in the fridge, spread some softened ice cream on the underside of one cookie, then place the other cookie on top. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze until firm.
