Vegan Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies (naturally sweetened)

I’ve been on a bit of a cookie baking spree. The time I’ve devoted to adapting and creating this recipe is quite ridiculous. There have probably been four or five batches of them baked in the past week and a half.

Anyways, I think this cookie comes in second to my Black Bean Chocolate Chip Cookies as being one of the healthiest cookies of all time. It’s vegan and naturally sweetened, as in NO refined sugar. Nothing processed except for the whole wheat flour and chocolate chips. I was inspired by The Crepes of Wrath’s olive oil chocolate chip cookie recipe. I basically replaced all of the ingredients with healthier alternatives.

I spent all week researching and playing around with the recipe. I had to throw out 2 disgusting batches of cookies and suffer being reprimanded by my grandma for wasting food to finally get this one to the consistency and taste that I was searching for. FYI, it was totally worth it!

Unlike many people, I don’t usually like the taste of artificially sweetened baked goods. I much prefer the earthier or ‘wheat-y’ flavor, which is what this cookie has. It has a soft ‘cakier’ consistency and is a lot less sweet than other baked goods; however, it is still yummy and is a good source of fiber and omega 3s. I raffled a few off during the week to my fourth graders and they gobbled them up without really noticing (or caring) a difference between these cookies and the regular store bought ones. The plus side to all of this was that I didn’t have to deal with any hyper nine year olds because there’s no refined sugar that’ll cause their blood sugar to spike. Whoo hoo!

You’re going to need some type of electric mixer to make this cookie. The dough is extremely thick. Notice below. When mixing it, it’ll look really crumbly and you’ll be cursing me for causing you to waste so many good ingredients. However, don’t give up! Add the almond milk and just watch it mix. It’ll magically form before your eyes.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup rolled oats (old fashioned or quick oats)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil or coconut oil (use whichever one you have or prefer, doesn’t affect the taste or texture)
• 1 cup organic deglet noor dates (medjool dates should also work, and you can add more if you want it sweeter)
• 6 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk
• 2 Tbsp chia seeds and 6 Tbsp water (mix and let sit for 5 minutes) or if you’re not vegan you can use 2 eggs instead
• 2/3 cups dark chocolate chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven 375 degrees Fahrenheit

1. Make the ‘egg’s by mixing the chia seeds and water in a bowl and letting it sit for about 5 minutes until it thickens and becomes a similar consistency to eggs. Stir every now and then.
2. In a food processor, process the dates in your food processor. They’ll end up spinning around and forming a ball a little larger than a golf ball.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, oats, salt, and baking soda, mix and set aside.
4. In a kitchen aid or electric mixer bowl (you’ll need it because it thickens a lot…but I guess it could also be an arm work out), combine the dates, olive oil, and vanilla extract.
5. Mix on medium until it’s evenly mixed, slowly add the chia seed mixture or 2 ‘eggs’. Keep the mixer running and slowly add the flour mixture. The dough will look really crumbly and dry. Just keep on mixing.
6. While the mixer is running (you may want to turn the power up higher) add the almond milk. If it still looks too dry, add a few more table spoons of almond milk and then watch it mix.
7.  Once the dough has formed, add your preferred amount of chocolate chips and continue mixing.
8. Scoop the cookies, roll them in a ball, and flatten them before placing them on parchment paper lined baking tray (flatten them or else you’ll have a really ‘cake-y’ and dense cookie). They don’t expand much, so you don’t have to worry about leaving huge gaps in between.

These are currently on my kitchen table battling it out for who will get to be eaten first. I’ll admit that I definitely like my Black Bean Chocolate Chip Cookies more because of the chocolatey-ness that comes from the cacao powder. They don’t look as appetizing, but I prefer their consistency. My aunts on the other hand prefer these cookies, so I guess it’s all up to your taste buds to decide.

These whole wheat cookies are pretty much my own creation, so they have a special place in my heart and belly. Besides, with the dates, chia seeds, rolled oats, and other heart healthy ingredients, they’re a close second to being one of the healthiest dessert cookies out there. Guilt free cookies, oh yes! Time to do a victory dance.

All right, I hope you enjoy them! I’m off to finish grading those Rock Cycle quizzes. Stay tuned for a Ramen recipe and a healthy grocery shopping post (I went to the farmer’s market this Sunday, exciting stuff). I think I’m getting much better at living a balanced life.

Here, just one more photo. I’ve taken so many that I don’t know what to do with them! The recipe is also on my yummly page, so you can check that out and spread the word about them here.