The Very Best Gluten-free Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Guys, stop what you're doing because I made the absolute very best gluten-free vegan chocolate chip cookies in all of the world. I have very little experience with gluten-free baking and up until now I've avoided it at all costs. I had my jar of all-purpose wheat flour, so why would I go out and buy 10 different gluten-free flours to make a cookie that would more closely resemble crumbly cardboard than a cookie? Now that my cupboard is full of all sorts of flour alternatives and my husband was craving some chocolate chip cookies, I figured I'd give it a try.

I decided to start off with my regular chocolate chip cookie recipe and make substitutions rather than find an existing recipe online. Mostly since I knew I've perfected my chocolate chip cookies to exactly suit my tastes. I threw in all sorts of gluten-free flours in a somewhat educated manner and oddly enough, my concoction worked on the first try (which never happens) and the cookies turned out great.

This recipe makes super soft, non-crumbly, perfect cookies that you wouldn't even know were vegan, let alone gluten-free. They have even been likened to a "chewier Chips Ahoy" (direct quote from my husband).

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe got its beginnings up in Troy, New York while my mom was getting her Masters in math (she's a smarty). She bought a bag of Price Chopper store brand semi-sweet chocolate chips and because she was away from home decided to use the recipe for chocolate chip cookies on the back of the bag rather than trying to hunt down the one we normally used. As luck would have it, the cookies ended up being way better than the ones we normally made. As soon as she got home, the old recipe was out and the Price Chopper chocolate chip cookies were in. We've since then made some modifications and improvements making it what it is today: the recipe for the best chocolate chip cookies you'll ever have...added bonus: they're cholesterol free!  

Cupcakes for your Cupcake

My mom volunteered to bake Valentine's Day themed cupcakes for a church function on Thursday, so then inspired by her generosity, I volunteered to bake them for her. I had some mighty grandiose plans for these cupcakes, but then when Wednesday ended up being a particularly long and stressful day, I resorted to my standard Red Velvet recipe. I did, however, make some modifications to the standard. I decided to opt out of the red food coloring, add a bit of almond extract, double up on the cocoa powder for half of the batch and leave it out entirely for the other half. I ended up with a dozen white cupcakes and a dozen chocolate, which I mixed and matched with a chocolate cream cheese frosting and a vanilla buttercream.  

S'mores Cheesecake

On Christmas Eve, as we all were finishing our last tamales, it occurred to Little E that no one had thought about a dessert. There is no worse tragedy than a dessert-less holiday meal in her mind so dinner quickly transformed into a brainstorming session. Collectively we listed the various ingredients we had in the kitchen and it became immediately apparent what had to be made: a S'mores Cheesecake. 

I am quite adept at figuring out how to make a recipe better, but that is only if I have a recipe to begin with. Little E, on the other hand, has a gift. She can just make things up as she goes along and it almost always results in something delicious. For example, this last minute S'mores Cheesecake. 

The one problem with her method is that the only recipe I can give you is mix some tofutti cream cheese with failed pomegranate chocolate truffles, pour into a graham cracker crust, and cover with marshmallows. Next time I'll make her write her process down so I have something a bit more concrete than a recipe that sounds like it should belong in The Biggest Cookie in the World.

Vegan Samoas/Caramel deLites

Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person who does not look forward to Girl Scout Cookie-Selling Time. While everyone is raving about how he/she would sacrifice his/her first born child for a Tagalog, I'm sitting there munching on the Lemonades. Don't get me wrong, I'm appreciative that they have some vegan options at all, but those lemon shortbread cookies are a far cry from the others that are smothered in caramel, chocolate, coconut, mint, and peanut butter goodness.

In honor of Girl Scout Leader Appreciation Day today, and because I wanted to see if I could tackle these coconutty, caramely, chocolatey creations, I bring to you Vegan Samoas a.k.a Caramel deLites. 

I also wrote a post over at Joonbug.com about these. The recipe is exactly the same, but I've included more pictures here, because like my mama always said, they're not going to buy the cow if they can get the milk for free. That saying's applicable here, right?

Holiday Treats - Sisterly Love

I have my sister to thank for this delicious vegan holiday dessert plate. There's almond toffee, sugar cookies, peanut butter cups, caramel chocolate covered pretzels, turtle thumbprint cookies, and almond candy cake cookies. Or in other words, a lot of yummy stuff.

Holiday Treats - Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Chocolate covered pretzels are probably the easiest thing to make. All you need is some chocolate, some pretzels, a pan, and a little bit of time.

Holiday Treats - Red Velvet Cupcakes

This is my all-time favorite recipe for red velvet cake. I got it from the blog, Mac & Cheese, and haven't had to change a single thing about it. It's fluffy, and moist, and perfect every time.

Holiday Treats - Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

It's almost Christmas, which at my house means it's time to start making holiday goodies! For years my family has been making holiday treats ranging from chocolate peanut butter cups, toffee, and chocolate covered pretzels,  to bread, cinnamon rolls, sugar cookies, and so on. Once these treats are made we pass them out to neighbors, friends, family, and basically anyone who comes by the house.

This is the first Christmas that I haven't lived with my family and haven't been a part of the craziness that goes into making these goodies, but that didn't mean I was just going to sit at home and not do anything. Now I have my own neighbors, friends, and people coming over to my house, so I'm carrying on the tradition...on a smaller scale, but I'm carrying it on nonetheless.

This vegan chocolate peanut butter cup recipe is just the first in a series of posts on holiday treat-making. It's a big crowd pleaser, and the best part is, it's not hard to make at all...although, I will admit, it's a little time consuming...but it's worth it!