Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Vegan baking is kind of a fascinating thing. The chemistry of it astounds and amazes. For example, I’ve discovered that very often you do not need an egg substitute for a recipe to work, and that popular substitutes such as flax or chia mixed with water can really bring down a recipe rather than elevating it. These cookies are delicious and use no egg substitute whatever.

A word about coconut oil. There are two kinds: refined and unrefined. Unrefined oil retains coconut flavor while refined does not. I make these cookies with unrefined coconut oil because my husband and I both like the resulting subtle infusion of coconut. It goes well with almond butter and chocolate. If you are offended by the taste of coconut, go ahead and use refined oil. There is no difference to health regarding which you use. The bottom line is that coconut oil is not a health food and should be consumed sparingly, just like any other saturated fat. For more information about the nutritional properties of coconut oil, here is a link to the relevant page at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Enjoy these cookies with your favorite coffee or tea. They are a nice break in the late afternoon. Husband likes to reheat them in the microwave for 10 seconds on half power.

Ingredients

• 1⅔ cups all purpose flour
• 1¼ cups old fashioned rolled oats (Do not use instant or quick cooking oats.)
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt 
• 1⅓ cup packed brown sugar
• ½ cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
• 3½ ounces (90 ml or 6 tablespoons) water at room temperature
• ⅓ cup almond butter
• 6oz (170 g) chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips, which contain no milk fat but are not labeled vegan or suitable for those with dairy allergies because they are made in a facility that produces milk chocolate.) Lily’s is a brand labeled vegan.

Method

• Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
• Spread the oats on a sheet pan and toast for 10 minutes. Let cool completely before using in cookie dough.
• Stir flour, baking powder, soda and salt together in a medium sized bowl.
• Whisk sugar, melted oil, water, almond butter, and vanilla together in a large bowl until smooth, with an almost caramel-like consistency.
• Stir flour mixture into the oil mixture until combined into a consistent dough.
• Fold in chocolate chips and oats.
• If the dough looks a little dry at this point, add a bit more water. Too dry results in a crumbly cookie.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit for one hour at room temperature. Dough can be left out for up to four hours or refrigerated for a day. Make sure you bring it back up to room temperature before portioning out cookies.
• Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Form dough into 16 mounds (I use a large serving spoon to form them), and space them 2 inches apart on cookie sheets (8 per sheet).
• Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 12-15 minutes.
• Cool cookies before eating.

These can be stored at room temperature for 3 days.