Chocolate Chip Cookies

And now, a classic.

Chocolate chip cookies, obviously, are an American favorite. And believe it or not, the very first chocolate chip cookie was created by accident! Ruth Wakefield, owner of the Toll House Inn (sound familiar?) in Massachusetts, stumbled upon the delicious happy accident in 1934. They were an instant hit, and she began giving them to customers as a dessert to take home with their leftovers. In 1936, the recipe for these popular treats appeared for the very first time in Mrs. Wakefield's cookbook, Toll House Tried and True Recipes.

Today, these morsels of chocolaty goodness are still wildly popular. And, easy to veganize! So, when left with the conundrum of what to make for Girl's Night, I decided to give these a go. Chocolate chip cookies are the perfect side dish for gossip/cheesy movies, if you ask me. The girls seemed to agree.

I started with the recipe from Vegan With A Vengeance, and realized I didn't have all the proper ingredients. So, as usual, I winged it. And they turned out great. They were fluffy, soft, and had the perfect salt/sweet ratio. We ate the entire plate, though, admittedly, most of that was probably my fault. What can I say? I love cookies. Here's the recipe I came up with.

NOTE: Since Isa says it, I feel the need to say it. Just because it's vegan doesn't mean it's low-fat or good for you. Just like regular chocolate chip cookies, these ain't healthy, folks. But they are delicious. So screw your diet, eat them anyway.



INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup earth balance (or similar non-hydrogenated) margarine
1/2 vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup vegan sugar
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 vegan chocolate chips (available at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Begin by combining the margarine, oil, and sugar in a bowl. Beat with a hand- or stand-mixer until fluffy (I, of course, used my lovely pink Kitchen Aid stand mixer). Add the maple syrup and vanilla extract, and mix in thoroughly. Now, for the dry ingredients. Mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix until well combined and creamy-ish. Fold in the chocolate chips. Here's what my dough looked like:



Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls on an ungreased cookie sheet about two inches apart. Bake each batch about 8 to 10 minutes, or until ever so slightly browned (the bottom will be browner than you think). Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack, and let them chill out until they're no longer scalding. Dig in.



Om nom nom.