Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with Macadamia Chunks and Toasted Coconut





So. Long name for a cookie, right? But these cookies pack a wallop of flavor. I finished one cookie and thought, "I'm not sure if these are quite done. Perhaps I should sample another one..." I'm glad I have a measure of self control, or the entire pan of cookies might have just ended up in my mouth.

This is a great recipe to experiment with. Instead of macadamia nuts, I've substituted hazelnuts. You could use pecans or walnuts, too. Instead of chocolate chips, why not try white chocolate, peanut butter, or butterscotch chips? So many options, so little time. Oooh! I think next time I'll try white chocolate, cranberry, and walnut.




Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup Earth Balance or other non-dairy margarine
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg (or 1 Tb. ground flax seed combined with 3 Tb. warm water to form a gel)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup coarsely chopped raw macadamia nuts
1/3 to 1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, non-dairy (I use Kirkland brand from Costco, but there are others you can find, too.)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flours, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. Cream Earth Balance and brown sugar together with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy. Add flax gel and vanilla, and mix again until well blended. Gradually add in flour mixture, continuing to beat on low under all flour is incorporated. Stir in oats, coconut, macadamia nuts, and chocolate chips. 

Scoop by rounded tablespoons onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Cookies should be about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow to cool on baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.


Yield: 24 cookies