Vegan Cookie Carine Hell Yeah!

For Matt, who is the Carine to my Daphne. With love, from your friend, Elaine

Carine
images from fashionfascista

Below--the cookies mentioned in Number 2 of my Recovery list. Don't trick yourself into thinking this means I'm making them yet. I'm still too tired. But y'all enjoy!


The Ultimate Old-Fashioned Chocolate Chip Cookie New Fashioned Vegan Style
Recipe a variation of the original from Rosemary Serviss

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, toasted and ground to a coarse meal in a food processor (blender, whatever; instructions below)
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup whole raw almonds, toasted and chopped, optional (instructions below)
1 cup chocolate chips (vegan ones, if you're strict like that)
1/2 cup canola oil (I've used olive oil to good success too)
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla syrup (because duh! yum)

1. To prepare oats: distribute oats evenly on a baking sheet, and bake them at 350 F until lightly colored. This should take 5 to 6 minutes in the middle of the oven. Let cool slightly. Then grind into a coarse meal. To prepare almonds: spread evenly on a baking sheet and bake at 350 F in the middle of the oven until fragrant and lightly colored. Takes about 8 to 10 minutes. Allow to cool enough to touch, then chop coarsely. Yum.

2. Preheat over to 375 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.

3. Mix ground oats, flour, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Stir well. Add nuts and chocolate chips, then stir again.

4. Combine oil, syrup and vanilla in a small bowl (don't pretend to be efficient by skipping this and just chucking it all into the first bowl. It'll mix all yucky. You don't want that. These are too yum for that.). Whisk vigorously until emulsified (air bubbles in the liquid little bit). Make a little indent in the dry ingredients, and pour the wet ingredients into the indent. Stir the wet and dry ingredients together just until the wet is absorbed by the dry. Do not over mix. If the dough seems too sticky to handle, put into the fridge for 15 minutes, and then proceed.

5. Drop round tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets and 1 1/2 inches apart. Flatten dough with fingers until they are about 1/3 inch thick. Smooth the edges so they cook evenly. (Since there is no butter, this dough will not spread when cooking. So, you must pre-shape the cookies for the to bake properly.)

6. Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are lightly browned on bottom. About 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer cookies onto a rack and allow them to cool completely (they'll be crumbly until then). Repeat with remaining dough.