chocolate chips

Name: Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 4 h
Yield: 16
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/2 cup (1 stick) vegan butter, melted; 1/2 cup coconut sugar; 1/4 cup brown sugar; 1 large egg, room temp; 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract; 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1/2 tsp baking powder; 2 tsp arrowroot starch; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips, divided

Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (dairy-free!)

May 6, 2019 by Rachael Ng 3 Comments

If you’ve been following my blog or Instagram then you know how much I love a good chocolate chip cookie. There’s just something about a warm, gooey cookie loaded with melted chocolate that just gets me. And if you’re here, then I’m sure you can relate.

These cookies are made with melted vegan butter instead of coconut oil (which is what I usually use), and they may just become my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe! They’re soft, a little chewy, and taste like a regular, buttery cookie. I’m pretty sure there isn’t a thing to not like about these cookies!

This recipe takes some time, which can be a little jarring if you’re used to the kind of cookies that go straight into the oven after mixing. Since we use melted vegan butter for maximum softness, you’ll need to refrigerate your dough for at least three hours. If it’s easier for you, you can also refrigerate the dough the night before.

I like to chill my dough for two hours, take it out to make my dough balls, and then chill the dough balls for another hour. I find it’s easier to roll the dough balls at the two hour mark while the dough is still a little soft. You’ll want roll these cookies into “balls” that are taller than they are wide (see photos below). This helps keep the cookies thick while they bake. And for added aesthetic, you’ll press chocolate chips into the tops of your dough balls!

Some of the ingredients I love for this recipe:

Vegan butter gives these cookies that classic, buttery chocolate chip cookie taste. Melting the vegan butter helps create the soft-for-days texture these cookies have. I like using Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks in my baking, and I highly recommend you use them, too!

Coconut sugar is my favorite unrefined, low GI sweetener. It replaces regular granulated 1:1, doesn’t taste like coconut, and is less likely to spike blood sugar.

Brown sugar has molasses mixed into it, which also helps these cookies with their softness.

Arrowroot starch (like corn starch) ups the chew factor in these cookies. I like arrowroot starch because it’s allergy-friendly for people allergic to corn. If you don’t have arrowroot starch on hand, feel free to use corn starch instead.

Yield: 16 Cookies

Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Soft and tender dairy-free Chocolate Chip Cookies made to stay soft for days!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 3 hours

Total Time 4 hours

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) vegan butter, melted
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg, room temp
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp arrowroot starch
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips, divided

Instructions

Bring your egg to room temperature by placing it in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted vegan butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla extract; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, arrowroot starch, and salt.
Add liquid ingredients to dry and gently mix using a large spatula or wooden spoon. With a few flour streaks remaining, add 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips and combine. Cover and refrigerate dough for 2 hours.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop dough balls 2 Tbsp in size and then roll them smooth, making them a little taller than they are wide (see photo) and placing them on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Using the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips, press extra chips into the tops of the dough "balls", reshaping as necessary. Refrigerate dough balls for 1 hour.
Preheat your oven to 325°F and line another baking sheet with parchment paper. Add 6 dough balls to your prepared baking sheet and bake at 325°F for 8-10 minutes or until cookies look slightly golden at the edges - you don't want to over-bake these!
Allow cookies to cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet before moving to a wire rack to cool completely. If your cookies come out of the oven a little misshapen, you can gently (and carefully - they'll be hot!) use your fingers to press the edges in to make the cookies more round.
Continue baking the rest of the cookies, making sure you let your baking sheet cool down to room temp before adding the dough balls.

Notes

Sugars: I don't recommend any sugar substitutes, but you can use light or dark brown sugar, depending on what you have on hand.

Arrowroot Starch can be swapped out for Corn Starch

Chocolate Chip Muffins (dairy-free!)

March 26, 2019 by Rachael Ng 4 Comments

Sometimes you just need a simple and quick chocolate chip muffin. I mean, what’s better than biting into a fluffy, moist muffin loaded with melted chocolate chips?! Not a lot. That’s what.

And these muffins are all of that and more since they’re sweetened with low GI coconut sugar (which doesn’t taste like coconut!) and unsweetened applesauce! Coconut sugar acts a bit like brown sugar, which is why these muffins take on that delicious caramel-like color.

You can play around with this recipe, adding more or less chocolate, adding nuts, changing up the spices, or even making them vegan or gluten-free (see my notes below). Quick breads, like these muffins, are easy to manipulate, so have fun! And, as always, happy baking.

Yield: 9 Standard Muffins

Chocolate Chip Muffins

These chocolate chip muffins are ultra fluffy and loaded with chocolate! They're made free of dairy + sweetened with low GI coconut sugar and unsweetened applesauce.

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

2 eggs, room temp
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, room temp
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 + 1/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with 9 liners or spray with olive oil. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and coconut sugar. Add the applesauce, almond milk, coconut oil, and vanilla extract, mixing until ingredients are well combined; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry until nearly combined. Add 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips, gently mixing until no flour pockets remain.
Divide the batter into the 9 prepared muffin wells, filling them nearly to the top, and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out with a few crumbs.
Allow the baked muffins to rest in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Enjoy warm! Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

I like using whole wheat pastry flour in my muffins as it lends to a fluffy, moist muffin. All-purpose flour will work just fine, or you could even use a mix of 1/2 regular whole wheat + 1/2 all-purpose

For Vegan: replace the two eggs with two flax eggs. Mix 2 Tbsp flaxseed meal with 6 Tbsp water. Allow to thicken for around 5 minutes.

For Gluten-Free: replace the flour and baking powder + baking soda with the following...

1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp white rice flour

1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp GF oat flour

1/2 cup tapioca starch/flour

1/4 cup almond flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Gluten-Free Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins (dairy-free)

February 22, 2019 by Rachael Ng 2 Comments

I’m so excited to bring you guys these Gluten-Free Muffins! Some of you have been asking for GF recipes, and I’m happy to report that these muffins are also dairy-free, can easily be made vegan, and they taste like regular, glutenous muffins! Yes!! While researching how to come up with my own GF flour mix, I stumbled upon this super helpful formula by The Heritage Cook – check it out if you’re interested in coming up with your own mix!

These muffins are a super moist (thank you, zucchini!), better-for-you muffin that I think you’ll love. Once you have all of your ingredients ready, they’re super easy to get together. As noted in the recipe below, I recommend using paper muffin liners, along with non-stick spray. These muffins will stick to your pan without a liner (thank you, almond flour), and they may even stick to your liners – I found that spraying the inside of the liners with olive oil remedied this. Happy baking!

Gluten-Free Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins
Makes 9 regular muffins

1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp white rice flour
1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp GF oat flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch/flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom (optional)
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, room temp
2 large eggs, room temp (or two flax eggs* if vegan)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups finely shredded zucchini (about 1 1/2 medium zucchinis)
1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips + more to top each muffin

1.) Preheat your oven to 300°F and line your muffin pan with liners. Then, spray the liners with non-stick spray (I used olive oil spray). I don’t recommend making these muffins without liners, as baked goods made with almond flour tend to stick. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for 10 minutes.

2.) In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, tapioca starch, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut sugar, coconut oil, almond milk, eggs, and vanilla extract.

3.) Shred your zucchini until you have 1 1/2 cups. Then place the zucchini shreds on a paper towel or cheesecloth and squeeze out and discard the excess juice. Add zucchini shreds to your wet ingredients, breaking up the clumps and mixing in.

4.) Pour wet ingredients into dry and gently mix until no flour pockets remain. Mix in the chocolate chips. Fill the muffin wells all the way to the top (I distributed my batter between 9 muffin wells). Top each muffin with extra chocolate chips.

5.) Bake at 300°F for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out with a few crumbs. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan on top of a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Carefully remove each muffin and enjoy warm or allow to cool on the cooling rack. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature. Enjoy!

*two flax eggs = 2 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 6 Tbsp water. Allow “eggs” to thicken for a few minutes before adding to your mix

Zucchini Tahini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

January 2, 2019 by Rachael Ng 2 Comments

Delicious, soft-baked Zucchini Tahini Oatmeal Cookies stuffed with loads of chocolate chips, undetectable zucchini shreds, and warm, nutty tahini. Topped with toasted sesame seeds, these cookies are a unique, dairy-free & oil-free twist on the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies we all know and love!

Zucchini Tahini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Have you ever had zucchini in a cookie? I seriously considered eating these for breakfast, because, ya now, oatmeal + zucchini = breakfast, right? Consider these the better-for-you, not-so-traditional version of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies! I wanted to use tahini in these because I love the nutty taste, and I really liked the idea of creating a cookie that’s free of both dairy and oil.

These cookies are so easy (and quick!) to get together – shredding your zucchini will be the “hardest” part! I like to use coconut sugar when I can since it’s a low GI sweetener (maple syrup and honey are not). You can really play with this recipe, adding and subtracting whatever add-ins you like: add nuts or seeds, leave out some of the chocolate chips, add dried fruit, etc!

Yield: 24 Cookies

Zucchini Tahini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Delicious, soft-baked cookies stuffed with undetectable zucchini shreds, loads of chocolate chips, and warm, nutty tahini. Topped with toasted sesame seeds, these cookies are a unique, dairy-free & oil-free twist on the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies we all know and love!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

1/2 cup tahini
3/4 cup coconut sugar (or lightly packed brown sugar)
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, room temp
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup oat flour
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
3/4 cup finely grated zucchini (excess juice squeezed out after measuring)
3/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds (optional - see notes below)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes. Meanwhile, finely shred the zucchini until you have 3/4 cup. Place the shreds on a paper towel and squeeze out + discard the excess liquid.
In a large bowl, mix together the tahini, coconut sugar, egg + egg yolk, and vanilla extract until totally combined; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, oats, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
Gently mix in the shredded zucchini and 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips (the remaining 1/2 cup is for topping the dough balls).
Scoop 1.5 Tbsp dough balls onto your prepared baking sheet - 8 per batch - and top each dough ball with chocolate chips, pressing the chips in slightly (it's okay if the dough balls flatten a bit). Bake at 350°F for 6-8 minutes or until the cookies no longer look wet. Be careful not to over-bake these!
Immediately top the baked cookies with toasted sesame seeds. Let the cookies cool for 2 minutes on your baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack. Repeat until all cookies are baked.
Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature. The cookies will soften as they sit.

Notes

These cookies will be softer the next day, after they've been stored in an airtight container
To toast sesame seeds: add 1-4 Tbsp of sesame seeds to a dry pan on medium heat. Stir constantly until seeds begin to turn darker in color and a nutty aroma fills the air - they will burn easily if left to sit on the heat for too long. Once toasted, immediately remove from the heat and transfer to a small bowl to cool

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 253Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 168mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 3gSugar: 18gProtein: 6g

calculated nutrition information may not always be accurate

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Pumpkin Coffee Chocolate Chip Muffins (DF + vegan option)

November 15, 2018 by Rachael Ng 3 Comments

So I’ve been meaning to make a pumpkin quick bread for quite a while now, but then Halloween came and went and I was afraid everybody would be over pumpkin. Well, turns out, people are still totally into pumpkin leading up to Thanksgiving, too! Unlike gingerbread or peppermint, pumpkin basically has two holidays. Good news for me – and you 😉

When Nathan started talking about a coffee pumpkin bread that he used to bake (complete with tons of sugar + milk-filled butterscotch chips) I knew I wanted to tackle a recipe for dairy-free, healthier Pumpkin Coffee Muffins. I decided to add chocolate chips – no one is surprised – because there’s nothing better than biting into a warm, freshly baked muffin loaded with melted chocolate! I’ve been craving that exact bite for over a week, and these muffins did not disappoint. We all love them, including my toddler who couldn’t get enough. I just might be adding these to the Thanksgiving playlist.

Some of the ingredients I love for this recipe:

Pumpkin puree bulks these muffins up and gives them a delightful pumpkin taste.

Instant coffee makes for a quick coffee addition to these muffins. They dissolve, well, instantly, and the flavor pairs well with the familiar fall spices.

Whole wheat pastry flour is my go-to quick bread flour (think muffins, banana bread loaves, etc). It creates an irresistibly fluffier, softer texture than regular, all-purpose flour. You may have to check your local “healthier” grocer to find my favorite version.

Coconut sugar is an unrefined, low GI alternative to white sugar. It doesn’t taste like coconut, and it gives these muffins the perfect sweetness!

Coconut oil adds moisture to these muffins!

Yield: 9 Regular Muffins

Pumpkin Coffee Chocolate Chip Muffins

Delicious and moist spiced pumpkin muffins with a touch of coffee and loads of chocolate chips! A warm and cozy treat perfect for Fall!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

1/4 cup plant-based milk, room temp
2 Tbsp instant coffee granules
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil, liquid
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temp (or 2 flax eggs if vegan)
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup + 1/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips

Notes

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Prepare your muffin pan by spraying with non-stick spray or lining with paper liners. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for about 10 minutes.

2. In a medium bowl, mix the almond milk and instant coffee until granules have dissolved. Whisk in the coconut sugar, coconut oil, vanilla, and eggs until totally combined. Whisk in the pumpkin until smooth.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Whisk in 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips. Add the pumpkin coffee mixture and gently mix until no flour pockets remain.

4. Divide your batter into nine regular muffin wells, filling each well nearly to the top. Sprinkle with chocolate chips, pressing the chips slightly into the batter. Bake at 350°F for 18-24 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean - be careful not to over bake as you'll have to prick around the melty chocolate chips.

5. Allow your muffins to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Enjoy warm! Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

chocolate chips

Some of the ingredients I love for this recipe:

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes