Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies - VeganMoFo #3

 

Craving sweets lately? You're not alone. The cooler Autumn weather makes me crave the comforts of my childhood, like mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and yes, COOKIES. Who doesn't love cookies, really? I prefer my chocolate chip cookies kind of simple and with lots of toasted walnuts. Don't like nuts? That's just wrong.

Here's a trick I learned a long time ago to really make your cookies rock: toast your nuts before you add them to the dough. I lay mine out on a cookie sheet and bake them at 375 for about 6 minutes. Then remove them from the oven and set out for a few minutes to cool. Kapow! Your nuts are toasty.

So, depending on the size of your cookie scoops, this makes close to 2 dozen. I used a 2-TB scoop and it yielded 18 cookies.

What I used:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup room temp vegan butter
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 egg substitute (I used Ener-G egg replacer)
• 1 cup plus 3 TB flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 bag chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts (optional, but recommended)

What I did:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. I toasted my nuts while I made my cookie dough.
2. Using a stand mixer or a hand beater, cream together the sugars, vanilla, and the butter until well mixed and sort of creamy looking.
3. Add in the egg, flour, baking soda, and salt and beat until combined with no dry spots. 
4. Fold in the chocolate chips and the walnuts, if using. 
5. Scoop out onto a baking sheet covered in parchment or a silicone mat. If lining with foil, you may want to very lightly spritz the foil with cooking spray. I kept mine about 2-3 inches apart because they will spread out some. If you like a flatter cookie, you may want to smoosh the scoops down just a bit before baking.
6. Bake for 7-11 minutes, until golden around the edges and still soft in the middle (soft,but not raw). Then remove from oven and leave on pan to cool about 5-10 minutes. If you like a crispier/crunchier cookie then,by all means, bake them longer. We just prefer a crispy edge with a chewy interior here.