Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today our great nephew/godson is coming to visit with us while his sister goes to the ballet with her parents and my sister. No, it’s not a sexist thing. He just isn’t ready to sit still through the ballet yet. As I have mentioned before, this beloved child is deathly allergic to eggs AND his family keeps Kosher. This definitely presents dessert challenges, but I am determined that he never misses out on anything, so I have been working hard to find – and tweak – the best recipes for everything from an eggless challah to chocolate “cream” pie. A wonderful baking book to start with is The Food Allergy Mama’s Baking Book by Kelly Rudnicki. However, I’m always searching the web and experimenting because I will never make a poor substitute for the real thing. It’s a labor of love and one that I am happy to do. The oatmeal, raisin, chocolate chip cookies below are a delicious and chewy cookie that anyone would enjoy. I usually make them with dried cranberries and raisins, but I decided to use choclate chips and raisins today. When switching out ingredients always keep in mind the proportions if you want a good outcome. So if you like nuts in your oatmeal raisin cookies, then switch out half of the raisins. You get the idea.

Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: About 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup dairy-free shortening (I like Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks)

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1/3 cup molasses

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 rounded teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

2 cups quick-cooking or old fashioned rolled oats

3/4 cup raisins

3/4 cup semi-sweet or 53% cacao chocolate chips (I would not recommend going any darker on the chocolate chips)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the shortening, sugar, applesauce and molasses until smooth. I find that there always is a bit of separation still, but don’t worry, it all works out.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt and mix well with a fork or wire whisk.
4. Add the flour mixture to the shortening mixture and beat well to combine.
5. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a Silpat (treat yourself – it  is so worth it!) Stir by hand the oats, raisins and chocolate chips into the cookie dough, using a spatula or wooden spoon. Using a cookie scoop (mine is 1.5 Tablespoons) or a rounded measuring Tablespoon, place dough on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until lightly browned. (This part always depends on your oven, the size of your cookie and on personal preference, so just watch them.) Remove from the oven and wait 2 minutes before moving the cookies off of the pan and onto a cooling rack.