a vegan cookie and a not so vegan cookie

Surprise! They're the same cookie. Here's a recipe for my vegan friends and my non-vegan friends. A chocolatley cookie, somewhere half between the land of crispy and soft, perfect for a summer potluck or picnic when you need something that vegans and carnivores will appreciate equally. Or, if you're like me, make them into a drippy, delicious ice cream sandwich. Feeling virtuous? Use whole wheat pastry flour, flax eggs and Earth Balance (vegan margarine). Feeling decadent? Use white flour, eggs and butter. Either way, its a forgivable recipe, and its gonna taste good no matter what (it's a chocolate chip cookie, right?).

(trying out a sketching program for mac, surprise, it's not markers! and I wish I had a touchscreen.)

Chocolate chocolate chip cookies
adapted from this recipe on Epicurious, makes 16 large cookies

3/4 cup softened, unsalted butter (OR Earth Balance margarine)
1 cup white sugar
1 large egg (OR 1 tbsp ground flax seeds, whisked with 3 tbsp water)
1 tsp vanilla paste or extract

1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or all purpose flour)
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1 cup chocolate chips
(make sure they're dairy free if you're making the vegan cookies, most semi-sweet varieties are vegan.)

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, cream together butter/margarine and sugar with a wooden spoon. Add egg/flax egg and vanilla, and beat until well combined.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, soda, baking powder and salt. Add these dry ingredients to the wet mixture, and stir until well combined. If the mixture is too dry, add a few splashes of soy milk or water (I had to add 2 or 3 tablespoons). Finally, stir in the chocolate chips.

Scoop tablespoon-size balls of dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Flatten slightly with your hand. Leave an inch or two between each cookie, they will spread out a bit. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the centre of the cookies no longer looks doughy and jiggly. The cookies will not be crispy. Let them rest on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Now, you're ready to make...

Chocolate chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches
You'll need two cookies for each sandwich. Hopefully you haven't eaten them all yet.

chocolate chocolate chip cookies
softened vanilla ice cream (leave it on the counter for 10 minutes)

Scoop spoonfuls of ice cream onto an upside-down cookie. Put another cookie on top. Wrap the whole thing in parchment paper or plastic wrap (you could reuse the paper you baked the cookies on), and put them in the freezer for at least a half hour. Resist! Let them get nice and cold and frozen, before devouring them, like cookie monster. COOKIE!