classic chocolate chip cookies

I've been working on the perfect classic chocolate chip cookie recipe since I became vegan, and finally, here they are, soft, chewy, and fluffy all at the same time. Don't ask me how coconut oil, olive oil, and almond flour unite to create a buttery, eggy flavor, but just trust me. It works.

TIPS

• The dough needs to be refrigerated for at least an hour so it doesn't spread as much in the oven, but I think the flavor improves the longer it sits--I recommend letting it chill overnight.
• The pecans add an excellent flavor, but if you have to use a different nut, I think toasted, chopped almonds are second-best. Be sure to buy the nuts raw and toast them yourself just before chopping for the most delicious flavor. I toast them in the skillet over low heat for a few minutes, stirring often, until browned and fragrant. 
• Almond flour can be found in the gluten-free baking section of most grocery stores, but is usually cheapest in the bulk sections of health food stores. You can also grind blanched slivered almonds in a coffee grinder or food processor, scraping the sides occasionally, until the ground nuts just begin to clump. 
• Any leftover cookies (really?) can be stored in an airtight container for several days. 

Makes 2 dozen large cookies
Needs at least 1 hour to chill

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed (preferably golden)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup nondairy milk (I use almond)
1-2 tablespoons vanilla

1.5 cup brown sugar or Sucanat

3 tablespoons melted coconut oil

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup almond flour
1+1/3 cup all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1.5 teaspoons salt

2 cups pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped (see TIPS)
1.5 cups vegan chocolate chips

Whisk together the flax, cornstarch, and milk for a few minutes, until thick and goopy. Add the vanilla, sugar, and oils, and whisk for a few minutes, until the oils have solidified a bit.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients, and stir until just combined. Add the nuts and chocolate chips.

Wrap tightly in parchment paper and refrigerate at least an hour, or up to a couple days (see TIPS). If you're going to let it sit more then a few hours, place in a sealed container so that it doesn't dry out or pick up refrigerator flavors.

Preheat the oven to 350. Shape the dough into balls 1.5"-2" in diameter. Place on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until well browned around the edges. Bake one sheet at a time for even baking, and keep the rest of the dough in the fridge until ready to cook. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a minute, then transfer to a plate or cooling rack. Best served with a tall glass of almond milk.

gluten-free almond coconut cookies

I developed this recipe at the request of my dad, whose favorite cookie at a local bakery is called "Almond Joe's" (pun intended), made with almonds, coconut, and chocolate. I accepted the challenge with pleasure and after half a dozen failures (too dry or too soft, though they were always all too edible), I found a cookie my dad says is so good that he could hardly enjoy the original anymore.

Makes 2 dozen

3/4 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoon arrowroot powder

2 tablespoon ground flaxseed

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon vanilla

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup almond flour

1/2 cup oats, finely ground in a spice mill/coffee grinder (or 1/3 cup garbanzo bean flour)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 cup sliced almonds

4 oz dark chocolate, chopped into roughly 1/3" chunks, or 2/3 cup dark chocolate chips

Vigorously stir together the maple syrup, arrowroot, flaxseed, cinnamon, and vanilla. Add the coconut oil and stir well. Chill until the coconut oil hardens.

Meanwhile, whisk together the dry ingredients. Stir in the maple mixture, then fold in the coconut, almonds, and chopped chocolate. Shape the dough into a round with your hands, wrap with parchment paper, and seal in an airtight container. Chill for at least 1 hour, but I think the flavor improves if you let it sit overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375F. Shape the dough into roughly 1.5" balls, place on a baking sheet (I reuse the parchment paper from wrapping the dough), and flatten slightly. Bake 10-12 minutes, until the edges are well browned.

spicy, chewy ginger cookies

I hoped to make a ginger cookie not like the hard, biscuit-like ginger snaps, but the kind that's soft and chewy on the inside, cracked and crispy on the outside, and intensely spiced. If you're half as crazy about fresh ginger as I am, you will like these cookies.

Makes 2 dozen

Time: 1.5 hours (including 1 hour chill time)

2/3 cup coconut oil, melted

1/3 cup molasses

1/2 cup coconut milk

2/3 cup unrefined cane sugar or brown sugar

3-4 tablespoons peeled, minced fresh ginger

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 teaspoons cinnamon

4 teaspoons cocoa powder

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground clove

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

2 cups (250g) whole wheat pastry flour

2 tablespoons arrowroot powder

2 teaspoons soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup vegan granulated sugar

In a liquid measuring cup, measure out the coconut oil, molasses, and coconut milk, and whisk together with a fork until the oil firms up. Stir in the sugar and spices.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Stir in the wet ingredients, then wrap the dough with parchment or wax paper and chill for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375F. Place the sugar in a small bowl. Shape the dough into 1.5" balls, flatten slightly, then roll the entire cookie in the sugar and place on a greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through, until the edges are set but the center looks slightly wet beneath the cracks. Let cool.

gluten-free oatmeal raisin cookies

Oatmeal cookies are my ultimate comfort food: crisp on the outside and moist and chewy on the inside, generously-spiced, and perfect for dunking in a strong cup of coffee. I don't even like raisins that much, but for some reason they are unbeatable with cinnamon and walnuts in oatmeal cookies. One of the main drawbacks of these cookies being vegan is that they don't have raw eggs in the batter, which means I usually end up eating half the cookie dough.

Whoever had the genius of putting raisins in oatmeal cookies is unknown, but we do know oatmeal cookies are a descendent of oat cakes, baked in Scotland as far back as 1000 BC. The cakes were more like a staple food, and didn't evolve into a cookie until the 1800s, when oatmeal had become more popular throughout the world. They then gained popularity as a health food, which is unfortunately misleading.

Notes:

• The dough stays well in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for much longer.
• While I like to make most pastries as small as possible, these are better large because the outside can be crispy while the interior remains soft.
• The cookies freeze very well and make phenomenal ice cream sandwiches. I bet you can also heat them up and crumble on top of an ice cream sundae, although they've never lasted in the freezer long enough for me to try this. 

Substitutions:

• If you don't need wheat-free cookies and you don't have arrowroot, brown rice flour, or xantham gum, omit these ingredients and add 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour. The cookies will be a bit chewier.
• Can't find affordable maple syrup? No problem--just replace with 1-1/3 cups vegan brown sugar or Sucanat and 1/2 cup non-dairy milk. 
• If coconut oil is also a splurge, you can replace up to half with another oil. I usually use 1/4 cup coconut oil, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 2 tablespoons of a neutral oil, such as sunflower or canola (don't be afraid to use olive oil in sweets--it gives a subtle savory backdrop). The coconut oil definitely gives the cookies a buttery richness, so I wouldn't omit entirely. 
• If you don't have almond flour, grind 1/2 cup almonds or hazelnuts in a food processor or sturdy coffee grinder until the ground nuts just begin to clump.
• VARIATION: Chocolate Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies
  Omit the nutmeg and raisins, double or triple the cinnamon, and add 4 oz (115g) chopped dark chocolate bar and 2/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes.
  
  

Makes 2 dozen smallish or 1 dozen huge cookies

Total time: 1.5 hours

1 cup (320g) maple syrup

2 tablespoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed 

1/2 cup (110g) melted coconut oil

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2/3 cup (100g) brown rice flour

1/3 cup (40g) almond flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon xantham gum

2 cups (200g) gluten-free oats

1 cup (150g) raisins

2/3 cup (70g) walnuts or pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

With a fork, whisk together the maple syrup, arrowroot, and flax for several minutes. Whisk in the coconut oil, vanilla, and spices and stir until hardened. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, baking soda, and xantham gum. Stir the mixtures together vigorously for 1-2 minutes, then add the oats, raisins, and walnuts. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375F. Roll dough into 1.5" balls, flatten with your palms slightly, and place on a greased cookie sheet. Cook the sheets one at a time for the most even baking. Halfway through baking, tap a spatula lightly on each cookie to flatten the tops of the domes, rotate baking sheet, and continue cooking. Remove the cookies after 12-14 minutes, when browned around the edges but still soft and slightly wet in the center, and let cool. However, if you're like me, you'll dive into the cookies while they're still hot and get a fistful of crumbly oat goodness. These also taste ridiculously good dunked in coffee.

gluten-free maple coconut shortbread bars

Shortbread, a buttery, crumbly type of unleavened biscuit, originated in Scotland perhaps as early as the 12th century, although some attribute its invention to Mary Queen of Scots in the 16th century. The name "shortbread" originated from the early-19th century sense of the word "short," meaning "easily crumbled." This is also where the word "shortening" comes from, referring to any fat used to create a short (as in crumbly) texture.

Shortbread was traditionally made from one part sugar, two parts butter, and three parts oatmeal flour. Today it's more commonly made with white wheat flour, but I decided to try oat flour and liked it. However, nothing else about these bars is traditional: maple syrup stands in for the sugar, coconut oil for the butter, and I couldn't resist adding a chewy maple-coconut-pecan topping.

Total time: 40 minutes

Makes 18-24 bars

2 cups (200g) gluten-free oats, finely ground in a coffee grinder or food processor

1/4 cup (50g) arrowroot powder (or substitute cornstarch)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup maple syrup

2/3 cup coconut oil, melted

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 cup (50g) pecans, toasted at 350F for 6-7 minutes then finely chopped

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the over to 350F. Grease a 11" x 7" (28 x 18 cm) or similar-sized baking pan and line with parchment paper.

Whisk together the oat flour, arrowroot, and salt. Whisk together the maple syrup and coconut oil and then add to the dry ingredients, stirring for 2-3 minutes. Pour into the pan and spread evenly. Bake about 14-15 minutes, just until firm in the center.

While the shortbread is cooking, combine the ingredients for the topping in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer for 7-8 minutes until the coconut flakes have absorbed all the liquid. Remove from heat and cover. When the shortbread is done, remove from the oven and spread the coconut mixture evenly over the top. Bake another 12-14 minutes, until well browned around the edges.

Remove from the oven, let cool, then cut into rectangles or triangles with a sharp knife. It may take several hours to cool completely, but if you cut it while still warm you may find yourself with a very tasty, crumbly mess.

grandma's rhubarb bars with orange and cardamom

Most of us know and love rhubarb (aka "pie plant") for its sweet-tart flavor found most often in pies, tarts, and sauces. The leaves of the rhubarb plant are toxic, but the beautiful red stalks are edible. Raw, the celery-like rhubarb stalks have a very strong tart flavor, so they're usually cooked and sweetened (such as in strawberry-rhubarb pie) to soften them and counteract the tartness. Though used as a fruit in cooking, rhubarb technically falls into the vegetable category. Its season varies from April to September with location, but in our yard ripens in July or August. Besides the classic rhubarb and strawberry, rhubarb also pairs nicely with caramel, mint, or orange and cardamom (hence this recipe).

These bars come from a veganized version of my grandma's recipe. I also added cardamom and orange to her rhubarb filling because I had them sitting around and it sounded good. The crust/crumble part is very versatile, so you could try any filling you want, with whatever fruit or spices you have on hand. (For example, raspberry bars sound good, and so do orange-chocolate bars or blackberry-ginger-peach bars.) These bars can be made ahead of time and frozen. I think they actually taste better when they're very cold.

Total time: 45 minutes

Makes 10-15 bars

2 cups sliced fresh or frozen rhubarb (4-6 stalks)

2 zested, peeled, segmented, and sliced orange

1 tablespoon ground cardamom (if you want more traditional rhubarb bars, omit the orange and cardamom but use 1.5 cups of rhubarb)

1/2 cup agave

2 tablespoons arrowroot powder

1 cup sliced almonds

2 cups oats

1 cup Florida Crystals (or another vegan sugar)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup coconut oil, melted

Grease a 9"x13" baking pan. Preheat the oven to 375F.

For the filing, combine the rhubarb, orange segments and zest, cardamom, and agave in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes. Add in the arrowroot and stir in over medium-low heat for another minute or so, until thickened. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, in a coffee grinder or food processor, coarsely grind the almonds (there should still be large pieces) and then coarsely grind the oats. Whisk together the almonds, oats, sugar, salt, and soda in a small bowl. Blend in the melted coconut oil with your hands. Remove 1 cup of the crumb mixture for topping, and place in the freezer to set the crumbs.

Press the remaining crumb mixture in the bottom of the prepared pan. Evenly spread the rhubarb mixture on top, and sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden. Cool in pan and place in the freezer. Once completely cooled, cut into bars, and store in a sealed container in the freezer (if you don't store them in the freezer, the crust can get slightly soggy). Take them out several minutes before serving to thaw slightly. They will get less tart the longer they thaw.

gluten-free peanut butter cookies

Peanut butter cookies are relatively new confection because peanut butter itself is relatively new. It all started in 1890, when Dr. John Kellogg of cornflake fame created peanut butter as a healthy protein substitute that his toothless patients could easily consume. Meanwhile, George Washington Carver, founder of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, was promoting peanuts as a replacement for the cotton crop, which the boll weevil destroyed in the 1890s. Carver developed hundreds of recipes using peanuts, and in his 1916 research bulletin How to Grow the Peanut and 105 Ways of Preparing it for Human Consumption, he had three recipes for peanut cookies calling for crushed peanuts as an ingredient. The commercial production of peanut butter began in the 1920s when J. L. Rosenfield perfected a process to prevent the oil from separating from the peanut butter and spoilage prevention methods, resulting in the Skippy brand peanut butter. In the 1930s, peanut butter finally began to appear in cookie recipes, which often called for flattening the cookie with the tines of a fork, a tradition still practiced today.

Most peanut butter cookies I've tasted have a rather weak peanut butter taste, while the few that use peanut butter as the sole flour and oil taste a bit too rich. Trying to find a compromise, I made batches and batches of peanut butter cookies which turned out good but rather chewy and greasy, until one time I accidentally used a teaspoon of baking soda in place of baking powder, and they turned out crumbly and delicious like peanut butter cookies are meant to be. These always vanish immediately no matter how many you make, so make a double batch if you plan on sharing. One carnivore told me "this is the best cookie I've EVER had."

Crunchy peanut butter is my favorite for this recipe, but I don't recommend using the bulk peanut butter available at some grocery stores. I wanted to use this kind because I can save packaging by using my own container for the peanut butter, but I've tried to use it countless times for this recipe and it always ruins the texture.

Also, an obvious complement to peanut butter is chocolate, so I recommend throwing some chocolate chips into the batter or half-dipping the cookies in melted chocolate. I would advise chocolate chips over dipping if you're in a time crunch or if the weather's hot (because the chocolate won't set up), but the half-dipped look is very pretty. 

Makes 1 dozen

Total time: 1 hour

2/3 cup (175g) crunchy peanut butter

1/4 cup unrefined cane sugar (or vegan brown sugar)

3 tablespoons (40g) melted coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup maple syrup 

1/4 cup brown rice flour

1/4 cup (30g) garbanzo bean flour

1/4 teaspoon salt (or up to 1/2 teaspoon if your peanut butter doesn't have any salt)

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

Optional:

4 oz vegan chocolate, chopped, or 1/2 cup chocolate chips

several pinches coarse sea salt for garnish

In a medium bowl, beat together the peanut butter, sugar, and coconut oil, vanilla, and maple syrup for several minutes. In a separate bowl, thoroughly whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients and stir until combined. If using, mix in the chocolate chips. Cover and chill for at least 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough on a greased baking sheet, setting them about 2 inches apart. Dip a fork in melted water and press the tines to flatten the dough in a crisscross manner. If desired, sprinkle each cookie with a few grains of coarse salt.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until beginning to brown around the edges. The cookies will be very, very soft right when you take them out of the oven, which may be quite deceiving, but they should firm up to a crisp, crumbly cookie after they have completely cooled.

To dip the cookies in chocolate, fill a small saucepan an inch or two high with water and place a small, heat-proof bowl on top to create a double boiler. Bring water to a boil, then reduce to barely simmering. Place the chocolate in the bowl and with a spatula, gently stir until consistently creamy, then remove from heat. Spread the melted chocolate over half of each cookie with a spoon, and place the cookies back on the parchment-lined baking sheet to until the chocolate sets. If you're pressed for time you can set the sheet in the fridge.


Store in an airtight container in the fridge for several days, or freeze them and I guarantee they will be eaten before they go bad. They are good defrosted on the counter or in the microwave, but they are also really good frozen. 

gluten-free coconut macaroons

The word "macaroon" is used to describe a wide variety of light, baked goods. The word comes from the Italian maccarone, meaning paste; the earliest recorded macaroons were made from almond paste and egg whites, similar to amaretti. Some historians claim macaroons can be traced back to Italian monasteries where they were modeled after the monks' belly buttons. Italian Jews adopted the macaroon because it has no flour or leavening so can be eaten during Passover. Soon it was introduced to other European Jews and became popular year-round. Some cooks added coconut to recipes, occasionally replacing the almonds altogether. Today, what exactly a "macaroon" refers to varies from country to country. Coconut macaroons are the most popular type in North America, Britain, Germany, and the Netherlands, partly because they're easier to make and transport than the fragile almond meringues.

The three principle ingredients in traditional coconut macaroons are coconut, egg whites, and sugar. To me, as well as to many others, the use of coconut milk makes these macaroons even better and more coconut-intense than the traditional type. The coconut flavor is so delicious you may not want to disturb it with chocolate, but I like to half-dip the macaroons to create a more elegant and appealing look, and to break up the coconut intensity without covering it up. And although it may be overkill, I like to add a dash of orange oil or zest to the chocolate. In my opinion, the flavor combination of coconut, chocolate, and orange is unbeatable.

Makes about 2 dozen small cookies

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

1/2 can coconut milk (about 3/4 cup, 200 g)

1/3 cup (100 g) maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)

1/4 cup brown rice flour (substitute any type of flour—its used mainly as a thickener here)

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 tablespoons unrefined cane sugar or brown sugar

2 cups (160 g) unsweetened shredded coconut (the finer the better unless you want a very chewy macaroon)

Optional:

1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips or 3 oz (85g) chopped chocolate

1/4 teaspoon orange oil or zest of 1 orange

Stir together the coconut milk, maple syrup, and salt in a medium stainless-steel saucepan. Heat until it's just about to boil, then reduce heat to low. Whisk in the arrowroot powder and brown rice flour until there are no more lumps, then add the vanilla. Continue to cook, whisking often, until thickened. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Stir in the sugar, then the coconut flakes. Pack a tablespoon-measure with batter and place on a greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet, and mold slightly with your hands to form a circular mound (or whatever shape you want—the shape will not change much after baking). Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the edges are well browned. They should have a crusty outside and soft center.

If you want to dip them in chocolate, fill a small saucepan an inch or two high with water and place a small, heat-proof bowl on top to create a double boiler. Bring water to a boil, then reduce to barely simmering. Place the chocolate in the bowl (and orange oil or zest, if using) and with a spatula, gently stir until consistently creamy, then remove from heat. You might want to add half the orange oil and taste it, adding a few drops at a time, until you get the desired intensity, as orange oils seem to vary in strength from brand to brand. To half-dip, roll half of the top of each macaroon in the melted chocolate. The chocolate will harden if the macaroons are left at room temperature for a few hours. If you're pressed for time, set the cookie sheet in the fridge.