coconut sugar

Name: Vegan Olive Oil Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 Tbsp coconut oil, liquid (*measured as a liquid); 6 Tbsp olive oil or light olive oil; 1/2 cup coconut sugar; 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed; 1 tsp pure vanilla extract; 1 flax egg (1 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 3 Tbsp lukewarm water); 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour; 3/4 tsp baking soda; 2 tsp arrowroot starch (or corn starch); 1/4 tsp salt; 3/4 cup dairy-free chopped chocolate chunks or chocolate chips; Maldon salt to sprinkle

Vegan Olive Oil Chocolate Chunk Cookies

May 25, 2019 by Rachael Ng 8 Comments

A delicious, plant-based cookie loaded with dark chocolate chunks? I’m so in. These cookies are undetectably vegan, which means they’re good. It took me a few attempts to nail a vegan cookie that is thick, soft, and delicious. I found vegan butter to lend too much of a flavor I wasn’t fond of, and a cookie with all coconut oil was a little crispier than I wanted. But with a mix of olive oil and a bit of coconut oil, the texture of these cookies is perfect!

This recipe calls for two kinds of sugar to make them a little on the healthier side (as coconut sugar is less likely to spike your blood sugar as high as white sugar, honey, or maple syrup). I added a bit of brown sugar to add moisture and flavor to these cookies. The molasses in the brown sugar adds so much to these cookies!

The dough requires no refrigeration (hello, quick cookies!!), but I found that it was best to let the dough balls rest for a few minutes after hand rolling them. This allowed the coconut oil (which melts in our hands) to re-solidify a bit before baking, creating a more even bake amongst all the cookies. But if you’re using a cookie scoop instead of the scoop and roll method, you can bake these babies right away! Just preheat your oven at the start of your mixing.

Some of the ingredients I love for this recipe:

Coconut sugar is my favorite, go-to sweetener. It’s unrefined and low glycemic index. It tastes nothing like coconut and makes for a great 1:1 substitute for white sugar.

Brown sugar brings moisture (through the molasses) and flavor to these cookies. I highly recommend using light or dark brown sugar. Brown sugar has more molasses, which means more moisture.

Flaxseed meal mixed with water creates a great egg substitute.

Olive oil adds moisture and softness to these cookies. For a lighter taste, feel free to use light olive oil.

Coconut oil adds moisture and a bit of crunch to the outside of the baked cookies. Since there is so little in this recipe, the taste is unnoticeable, but you can use refined coconut oil to make sure there is absolutely no coconut taste.

Arrowroot starch adds to the chew factor in these cookies. Feel free to use corn starch instead.

Yield: 12 Cookies

Vegan Olive Oil Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Classic Chocolate Chunk Cookies made vegan using a blend of olive and coconut oil and flaxseed meal. Delicious and packed with lots of chocolate, these cookies will please both vegans and non vegans alike!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Additional Time 15 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

3 Tbsp coconut oil, liquid (*measured as a liquid)
6 Tbsp olive oil or light olive oil
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 flax egg (1 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 3 Tbsp lukewarm water)
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp arrowroot starch (or corn starch)
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup dairy-free chopped chocolate chunks or chocolate chips
Maldon salt to sprinkle

Instructions

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Prepare your flax egg using lukewarm water and allow to thicken for around 5 minutes.
In a medium bowl, combine the liquid coconut oil and olive oil. Whisk in the coconut sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Finally, whisk in the flax egg until all ingredients are totally combined - it may take a minute for the oil and water to mix together; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, arrowroot starch, and salt. Add in the liquid ingredients and use a large wooden spoon or spatula to mix until nearly combined. Add 1/2 cup of the chopped chocolate or chocolate chips and mix. The dough will be oily, so it's normal for the chocolate to fall away from the dough.
Scoop dough balls 2 Tbsp in size. Press and roll each dough ball smooth, placing pieces of extra chocolate into the tops of each one and reshaping as necessary. Place all of the dough balls onto one parchment-lined baking sheet and allow to rest at room temperature while you preheat your oven to 350°F. This gives the coconut oil a chance to solidify a bit (evenly) across all dough balls.
Bake dough balls 6 at a time at 350°F for 7 minutes. Be careful not to over-bake them! Remove from the oven, sprinkle with sea salt flakes, and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Let your baking sheet cool to room temperature before baking another batch.
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

If you prefer to use only a cookie scoop instead of the scoop and roll method, your cookie dough balls won't need to rest as long. Feel free to bake them right away!

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

Dark Chocolate Mini Peanut Butter Cups

April 25, 2019 by Rachael Ng 3 Comments

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (and eggs!) ~~have to be~~ were one of my all-time favorite candies before I began my dairy-free journey. Now I’m talking low-key obsessed. When I lived in San Francisco I would stop by the store on my walk home and buy two King-Size packs. And eat them all (would not recommend). So I love chocolate peanut butter cups!

When Bon Appetit came out with a Gourmet Makes episode about Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, I was S-O-L-D. I had to try this better, more Reese’s-like version of peanut butter cups! I took Claire’s recipe from the video and made it with dairy-free dark chocolate and coconut sugar. The results were stellar. Soft, delicious peanut butter cups that I could store at room temperature without worrying about the peanut butter being a gooey mess.

Since these Peanut Butter Cups are created by a professional pastry chef, they’re a little different (and more time consuming) than the ‘ole melt-pour-freeze method we all know and love. For these cups, you will boil the coconut sugar with a bit of water and then slowly beat that into the peanut butter. This creates a firm and pliable peanut butter “dough” that you’ll be able to cut out and press into your melted chocolate pools. You’ll top those with more chocolate and voila! Peanut Butter Cups!

The recipe below makes quite a few candies, so feel free to halve it. And if you prefer regular size cups vs the minis then you can make that happen, too. Just trim your regular muffin liners down and be sure your peanut butter circles are slightly smaller than the liners (you’ll need a bigger circle cutter than what I used for the minis).

Some of the ingredients I love for this recipe:

Natural unsalted peanut butter is made solely from peanuts and doesn’t include any added sugars, salts, or oils.

Dark Chocolate is the easiest (and most affordable) chocolate to find without dairy. I recommend the Pound Plus bars from Trader Joe’s if you have one near you!

Coconut Sugar is an unrefined, low GI sugar. It has no coconut flavor and makes for a great better-for-you alternative to white, granulated sugar.

Yield: ~30 Mini Cups

Dark Chocolate Mini Peanut Butter Cups

These Vegan Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups are ultra rich and creamy! A better-for-you version of a favorite childhood candy that no one can pass up!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 2 hours

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted, natural creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup coconut sugar
3 Tbsp water
12oz dairy-free dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 tsp coconut oil

Instructions

In a medium or large bowl, beat together the peanut butter, vanilla extract, and salt until just combined; set aside.
In a small saucepan, bring the coconut sugar and water to a boil and cook until mixture reaches 248°F (firm-ball stage). Remove from heat and slowly pour/beat into the peanut butter mixture.
Scrape the mixture out onto a piece of parchment paper and allow to cool slightly. Place another piece of parchment paper on top and roll the mixture into a slab 1/4" thick. Allow to cool completely.
Using a small cookie cutter (or other round object - I used a 1" piping tip) cut circles out of the peanut butter slab. The size of your circle cutter depends on the size of your muffin or candy liners. Keep circles on the parchment paper and freeze.
Line a mini muffin pan with muffin liners. If you don't have a mini muffin pan, you should still be able to fill mini muffin liners without one.
Melt your chocolate, along with 1/2 tsp of coconut oil, using the double boiler method or a microwave, being careful not to burn the chocolate.
Remove peanut butter cut outs from the freezer and double them up (stack 2 together). Spoon enough chocolate into each liner to cover the bottom. Add 2 stacked peanut butter cut outs to each, pressing down slightly. Add enough chocolate over each one until the peanut butter is totally covered.
Allow your peanut butter cups to set at room temperature. I recommend storing leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature to keep the peanut butter from drying out.

Notes

For the double boiler method: in a medium saucepan bring 1" of water to simmer. Add your chopped chocolate and 1/2 tsp of coconut oil to a heatproof bowl - one that's big enough to sit on top of your saucepan without touching the water. Place bowl on saucepan and stir often until chocolate is melted.

Recipe loosely adapted from Bon Appetit

Vegan Chocolate Flax Cookies

April 12, 2019 by Rachael Ng 5 Comments

This is a recipe I created around the time I first started recipe testing. Back then, I would try to come up with new recipes off the top of my head. And with that came a lot of trial and error. Baking cookies with coconut oil was super tricky for me at first. Sometimes the cookies would spread way too much, get too crispy at the edges, or even not spread enough!

These cookies have such a lovely flavor and texture. I’d actually forgotten just how good they are. The best part? They’re vegan and packed with good-for-you flaxseed meal! And they’re delicious. Tender, melt-in-your-mouth cookies with lots of chocolate flavor and the tiniest bit of crunch thanks to the flaxseed meal.

I love these cookies, and I enjoyed re-baking them after so long. But you must follow the ingredients and method precisely. You’ll want to measure your coconut oil as a solid and then melt it. If it’s already melted, then pour it into your liquid measuring cup until you have a bit more than 1/3 cup (I know. I know.).

As for the refrigeration, it is mandatory. If your dough is too greasy to handle after it’s first mixed (this has to do with the temperature in your home affecting the coconut oil) pop your scooped dough balls into the refrigerator for 10 minutes before rolling them smooth. Then (no matter what) you must refrigerate your dough balls for 20 minutes prior to baking. Don’t worry, this is all outlined below.

Some of the ingredients I love for this recipe:

Flaxseed meal (along with water) makes for a wonderful egg replacement. It’s the only vegan egg replacer that I use when baking. Flax seeds are also high in fiber and omega-3 fatty acids.

Coconut sugar is my go-to low Glycemic Index sweetener. It’s less likely to spike your blood sugar as intensely as cane sugar, honey, or maple syrup.

Coconut oil is a great butter substitute when it comes to cookies. For this recipe, we melt it first to make sure our cookies are tender and soft. If you don’t like the taste of coconut (or just prefer your treats without the flavor) you can use refined coconut oil which has no flavor.

Cocoa powder helps give these cookies that rich double-chocolate flavor. You’ll want to use the natural, regular cocoa powder, or even cacao powder, for this recipe.

Baking powder helps these cookies keep their shape. Be sure to use powder instead of soda.

Yield: 12 cookies

Vegan Chocolate Flax Cookies

Rich and chocolate-y cookies made vegan with high fiber, good-for-you flaxseed meal! These cookies taste so good, no one will be able to tell they're better for you than the average cookie!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 7 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 47 minutes

Ingredients

1 flax egg (1 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 3 Tbsp water)
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted (measure solid and then melt)
2/3 cup coconut sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup flaxseed meal
3/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips

Instructions

Make your flax egg by combining 1 Tbsp flaxseed meal with 3 Tbsp water; set aside to thicken. In a medium bowl, mix together the melted coconut oil, coconut sugar, and vanilla extract; set aside.
In a large bowl, sift the flour and cocoa powder. Whisk in the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flaxseed meal until totally combined.
Stir flax egg into wet ingredients and add wet ingredients to dry. Use a wooden spoon or large spatula to mix the ingredients together. Add 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips and mix.
Scoop dough balls 1.5 Tbsp in size onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Roll dough balls smooth and press extra chocolate chips into the tops. Refrigerate for another 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350°F.
Prepare a second baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer dough balls to room temperature baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 6 minutes.
Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes. Move to a cooling rack. Store leftover in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

refrigerating the dough balls is super important for proper shape! Don't skip this step!

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

coconut sugar

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