Eggless Chocolate Chips Cookies

My oven has been resting for sometime now, and I think it's the perfect time to make it work before its owner goes on vacation next week!

This is a recipe I saw from Anna's blog. It was supposed to be a vegan recipe. In case you are unfamiliar with the term Vegan like me, the following is its definition on Wikipedia:

"Veganism is a philosophy and lifestyle that "seeks to exclude — as far as is possible and practical — all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment."

In practice, a vegan (an adherent to veganism) commits to the abstention from consumption or use of all animal products, including honey, eggs and dairy products, as well as articles made of fur, wool, bone, leather, feathers, pearls, mother of pearl, coral, and other materials of animal origin. Many vegans also avoid products that have been tested on animals. People who avoid eating all animal products, but who otherwise use animal by-products (for example, leather shoes) are commonly referred to as dietary vegans."

Uh...I guess I can never be a Vegan. Because I love my chocolate, cheese and ice cream. I am sure there must be Vegan versions of chocolate and ice cream, just like the mock meat that my vegetarian friends enjoy. My vegetarian friend ML who happens to be a good cook used to cook "Chicken soup" for us back in College, using mock chicken, of course. But I guess, I like the real thing better...

Because I used dairy chocolate chunk in the recipe, I guess I can't call this recipe Vegan Chocolate Chips cookies nor "Almost vegan chocolate chips cookies", so I call it Eggless Chocolate chips cookies! It's a pretty healthy recipe, using whole wheat flour and maple syrup, without butter and eggs.

I really need a healthy cookies recipe to quench my cookies crave. Did I tell you the fate of half batch of the chocolate chips cookies I made for last Sunday's picnic? They were all gobbled up by me! OCT tried to stop me but to no avail. He grumbled that I have finished all up without leaving one or two for him. But I really couldn't stop myself! The first night when the cookies were baked, they were so so only. After refrigerated overnight in the fridge, they had transformed! I don't know why, but they tasted better on the subsequent days....

Needless to say, the last recipe wasn't the healthiest cookies I have ever made. This recipe sounds healthy enough though, and I am really curious of its texture and flavor, without the fat from eggs and butter, and the substitution of white flour with whole wheat flour.

Because it requires no butter and eggs, this has shorten my baking process tremendously. I don't have to wait for the butter to come to room temperature, and beat with mixer etc. From start time to pulling the cookies out from oven, it took less than 40 minutes.

It has an interesting nutty flavor and chewing texture. A healthy recipe that certainly worth trying. One thing to note though. The cookies spread quite a bit because of the lack of structural support from butter and eggs, so be sure to leave enough space between the doughs.

Eggless Chocolate Chips Cookies ( Adapted from Cookie Madness and Vive le Vegan!)

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (see note below for wheat-free version)- I used WW flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup unrefined sugar (I used white sugar)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 tsp blackstrap molasses (omitted this)
1 - 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup canola oil (a little generous 1/4 cup)
1/3 cup non-dairy chocolate chips ( I used dark chocolate chunk!)

Preheat oven to 350°F (176°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 parchment 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! For a wheat-free version, use barley or spelt flour. With spelt flour, you may need to add an extra 2-4 TB of flour, if it is a refined spelt flour.

Idea: Make a really special dessert treat... ice cream cookie sandwiches! Using two cookies that have been completely cooled in the refrigerator, spread some softened soy ice cream on the underside of one cookie, then place the other cookie on top. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze until firm!

Makes 12 cookies