The BEST Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies EVER!

Okay, I know what you all are thinking - vegan cookies....really Christina?! Yes, I am serious. Vegan cookies. And since we've already been a few weeks in to all those new years resolutions, I thought I would share a great AMAZING cookie recipe. We can eat those again, right? I have been testing this one out for awhile and think now is the time to give away my vegan cookie secret. Just stay with me here. I promise it's worth it.

Vegan cookies may not sound the least bit appetizing to you. I get it. What's the point of eating a cookie without eggs and butter, right? I am not going to lie. I thought the same thing. My husband and I recently went on a date night to a local wine bar and restaurant not too far from our house. After dinner, we wanted a sweet treat (duh) and came across a local bakery down the street from where we were. Of course we had to go. We walked in and there wasn't much left since it was close to closing time. Little did we know, it was a vegan bakery. We thought we would expand our baked good horizons and give it a go. Why not, right? So, we picked a double chocolate and walnut cookie. It looked really good and you usually can't go wrong with chocolate and nuts. At least that's what we thought. While that bakery was cute and everything smelled delicious, that cookie was not. It was dry, crumbly and left us wishing for a different cookie. Boo. #sadcookies

From that point on, I was determined to start trying some vegan baking. It did not have to be much or anything wild, but I figured it was time to add some of it to my baking back pocket. I must have spent hours upon hours researching vegan baking and what people loved, liked and hated. I think there was a lot more vegan hate than love, but I was determined to keep on pushing. Then, I came across the BEST vegan chocolate chip cookies. The best, really? We've all seen recipes that say the best, but then come to find out, they aren't. How many different ways can one make a chocolate chip cookie? Well, apparently, a lot. But we won't go there right now. That's for another time.

So, since these were the BEST and all the ingredients seemed normal (at least to me), I made my shopping list and headed to the store. And by normal, I  mean ingredients I would use more than once and not something I would have to spend $20 to never use it again. While these cookies have all the usual suspects - flour, brown sugar, vanilla, salt and baking soda - I also needed to stock up on coconut oil, unsweetened apple sauce, coconut milk and vegan chocolate chips. Here's a tip. If you use coconut oil in other recipes, Costco is the best place to buy it. Otherwise, I recommend Trader Joes, if you have one near you. If not, most grocery stores sell it these days and it's in the aisle with all the other oils. As for the coconut milk, use the kind in the can. Thai Kitchen is the best brand I've used (I've tried two others), but any of the canned kind will work. Just make sure to shake the can before opening and give it a good stir before measuring. There may be chunks, but that's okay! As for the chocolate chips, most stores now sell dairy free and other vegan friendly chips in the baking aisle. Use what looks good to you. I really, really love the Enjoy Life! brand. They are SO good and you'd never know they were vegan. Really! I've been able to find them at Whole Foods, my local grocery stores and Amazon! Just remember, if you get wild and use regular chocolate chips, these won't be 100% vegan. The choice is yours!

These cookies are really simple to throw together and the best part is, you don't have to soften any butter. I never thought I would say that, but it's a win in my book. If I forget to leave it out, I usually end up accidentally melting it in my microwave. That never fun to clean up. Nevertheless, you simply throw the coconut oil (not melted!), brown sugar and vanilla in to the mixer. Mix until well combined and then add in the applesauce and coconut milk. Give it a stir and then add in all the dry ingredients. At this point, the batter will be thick, but that's okay. If the batter looks a little dry, add a splash more coconut milk. If it looks a little too wet, add in a tablespoon or two of flour. Then, stir in the chocolate chips and use those muscles to mix them in! Now, it's time to bake up these cookies. I can smell them now! These cookies will bake for about 10 minutes until they look just about set and the edges are just starting to get brown. Do not over bake them. I repeat. Do not over bake them or you will have hard cookies. You want these to be nice and soft and ooey gooey. Just as a chocolate chip cookie should be! When the cookies are done, I like to give them a little sprinkle of flaky sea salt for something a little extra special. 

And I can now tell you that these vegan chocolate chip cookies really THE BEST. My husband loved them. My coworkers ate more than I can count. My hairdresser and friend loved them so much she asked for six dozen for the holidays and people have been requesting them left and right since I started making them. Another person tried them and had no idea they were even vegan. In fact, they thought I was joking! But nope. No joking here. These are simply the best and something I will be making for a long time to come. In fact, I think you should try them too. They are not just for vegans - they are for all cookie lovers! And I am willing to bet that you will love these as much as I do (and I am not even vegan!)!

That cookie though!

The BEST Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies EVER! (Slightly adapted from Baker by Nature)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut oil (solid, not melted!)
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup coconut milk (make sure it's in a can!)
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
2 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups vegan chocolate chips
Flaky sea salt (I like to use Maldon)


Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil. 

In a mixing bowl, add the coconut oil, brown sugar and vanilla. Beat until everything is combined well and nice and creamy. Then, add in the coconut milk and applesauce. Mix until combined and then add in all of the dry ingredients - flour, baking soda and salt. Mix well (batter will be thick!) and then fold in 1 3/4 cups of the chocolate chips. Set aside the other 1/4 cup of chocolate chips for later.

Using a large cookie scoop (or 2-3 tablespoons worth), scoop the dough and placed on the lined cookie sheet. Make sure to leave an inch or two between the cookies as they will spread out. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the cookies look just set in the middle and the edges are starting to brown. Do not over bake! When the cookies come out, add on a few extra chocolate chips to the tops for looks and sprinkle with sea salt. Let cookies cool on the sheet for about 15 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. ENJOY!

I dare you to try to eat just one of these. They are THAT good. Especially warm and just out of the oven!

One-Pan Peas, Ham and Creamy Noodles

Looking for a quick way to use up all that leftover holiday ham that isn't soup? Don't get me wrong. I love me a good bowl of homemade ham and bean soup, but there is only so much soup one girl can eat. And I love soup. After the Christmas holiday, my husband and I were lucky enough to have been sent home lots of leftover ham. We had it in soup (duh), mixed some in to our eggs in the morning and even on sandwiches. As much as we loved ham in all those ways, we wondered what else we could do with it. Then came peas, ham and creamy noodles!

When my hubby was flying us home after Christmas (I've told you he's a pilot, right? If not, well, I'll tell you all about that another time), I was able to get a bit of reception over wonderful I-5, even at 7,000 feet in the air. I used it to my advantage and researched leftover ham recipes. There were all the usual suspects - ham and bean soup, ham and scalloped potatoes, etc. None of them sounded all that intriguing, until I found something about ham and noodles. I mentioned to my hubby and he said it sounded great (and like something he had before!). So, it was settled. That night, I was trying out a new recipe. All I needed to do when we landed was stop by the store and pick up the few things I didn't already have (i.e. egg noodles and peas). Little did I know I would forget a lemon. Don't you hate it when you double check your list at the store only to forget one little thing? Please tell me that I am not the only one that does that! But I digress. Enough about my lemon drama.

Okay, back to the ham and noodles. This recipe is so easy, it's one pan and it takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish. Now that's what I am talking about. It makes enough for a family or just two, with leftovers for an extra meal or two. Now who doesn't love leftovers? This recipe starts off with a little onion and garlic (okay, a lot of garlic) that are cooked down until they are tender and start to brown. Once your whole house smells like heaven, you add in the egg noodles, chicken broth, ham and bit of half and half. Give it all a good stir, bring to a boil and then cover and simmer for 10 minutes, give or take. Once the noodles are tender, add in a bit of cornstarch and water to thicken everything up, a big pinch of salt and pepper and then a bit of lemon juice and a good handful of peas. Give it one more good stir to combine and then here is where we get fancy. I also added in about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese. This is totally optional here, but I think it takes this dish up a notch.  Plus, who doesn't like cheese. Serve this with a little salad on the side and you have the perfect meal in less than 30 minutes.

This dish is creamy, super easy and so delicious. It's now on holiday ham rotation at our house and I think it should be on yours too!

Leftover ham isn't just for soup and potatoes!!

One-Pan Peas, Ham and Creamy Noodles (Slightly adapted from Kevin & Amanda)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
2 cups of diced onion
2-5 cloves chopped garlic
2 cups chicken stock or broth
1 cup half and half or any milk of your choice
1 pound diced, cooked ham
1 cup frozen peas
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 grated parmesan
Salt and pepper, to taste

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat and cook onions and garlic until nice and golden brown. Don't burn the garlic! Once the onions and garlic are nice and brown, add in the broth, half and half and noodles and bring to a boil. Then, add the diced ham, cover the pan with a lid and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook noodles until they are tender, about 10 minutes. 

While the noodles are cooking, combine one tablespoon of cornstarch and three tablespoons water together and add to pan once the noodles are cooked. This will thicken the sauce up nicely! Season with salt and pepper to taste and then add in the frozen peas and lemon juice. Stir to combine, add in the grated parmesan and then enjoy!

It doesn't have to be the holidays to enjoy this dish! You can make this anytime of the year - just look for ham steak in the lunch meat section of your grocery store. If you can't find it there, visit your local deli counter and ask them to slice your ham like a ham steak. Trust me, they'll know what you're talking about!