Old Fashioned Chocolate Chip Cookies w/ Gluten Free Options!

Ever since I was little, I always loved to bake. My mom would let me help in the kitchen and taught me how to follow recipes but I often saw her adapt them and add her own twist. My Dad loves dessert (and I've got his sweet tooth) and the best part of baking was seeing my Dad enjoy the sweets. When I went vegan more than two decades ago, the first dessert recipe I adapted was good old fashioned chocolate chip cookies, my Dad's favorite. I've been baking this recipe for pot lucks, house warming parties and birthdays for years. It's tried and true and it will satisfy vegans AND omnivores alike!

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour (substitute for Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free Baking Flour)

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Salt

3/4 cup organic fine turbinado sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread

1 tsp vanilla

2 Egg Replacer Eggs  (I use Ener-G Egg Replacer Powder)

1/4 - 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life mini chips)

Preheat oven to 350 & Line a large baking sheet with Parchment paper.

Mix Flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside. In a large bowl or stand mixer mix brown sugar, white sugar and buttery spread until fluffy. Add vanilla and egg replacer eggs and mix until smooth. Gradually add and mix the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Carefully mix in chocolate chips.

Use a scoop or a spoon to drop dough onto the parchment paper. Leave 1-2" in between each scoop and if you like thinner cookies, gently press each dough ball down. Bake 8-10 min. For softer style cookies take them out of the oven when bottoms are slightly brown but tops appear undercooked. For crispy cookies wait until tops appear slightly brown to remove.

Let cool on cookie racks and store in airtight container.

Oatmeal Raisin & Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are super simple and perfect for dipping in your alternative milk of choice!  Add or omit raisins/chocolate or any other add-in you prefer!

Ingredients

makes 24, 3" cookies

1/2 cup melted vegan butter (I use Earth Balance)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

2 egg replacer eggs

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups whole oats

1 cup flour

1/4 cup mini vegan chocolate chips

1/2 cup organic raisins

Preheat the oven to 350. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars. Once blended, add egg replacer and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine flour, cinnamon, cloves, salt, oats and baking powder. Add the dry mix to the wet and mix thoroughly. Add the chips and raisins and mix until well combined. Drop spoonfulls of dough mixture onto a cookie sheet and flatten a bit with the back side of a spoon.

Bake 10-15 min or until lightly browned on top. Cool on a rack and store in an airtight container (if they last that long!)