Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies with Holiday Nog

There's nothing better than a warm cookie. Mint chocolate chip has always been one of my favorite flavors and these cookies scratch the itch for the flavor combination. I owe the base to Lunch Box Lunch's fantastic post of vegan cookie secrets. Check it out before you bake these cookies for everything you need to know about baking great vegan cookies.

For the fat/oils you can use coconut oil or vegan butter, whichever you have/prefer. The coconut oil will impart a bit of coconut flavor so if you want more of a classic cookie use Earth Balance or your preferred. You could also do a blend of them. As far as flours go, I've done these with all whole wheat flour, whole wheat/white, and most recently (the ones pictured) with spelt/white. They flatten out and take classic cookie shape the best with the spelt and white flours. If you use wheat expect a thicker cookie, but still a delicious one none the less.

Since I don't use a microwave, and you'll want your butter/oil fully melted and blended with the other wet ingredients, I add all my wet ingredients to a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup and put it in front of the oven vent until you're able to mix it smooth.

Califia Farms has been my recent go-to milk choice. I picked up their holiday nog today because it was on sale and it's great! Thicker than the Rice Dream brand and really close to what I remember egg nog being like. A real nice holiday flavor pair with these cookies.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes a dozen medium-large cookies.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Spelt Flour
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. Unbleached White Flour
• 1/3 tsp. Sea Salt
• 1 1/2 tbsp. ground Flax Seeds
• 1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. Organic Coconut Sugar
• 2 tsp. Peanut Butter
• 1/2 cup + 2 tsp. melted Coconut Oil
• 2 tbsp. Almond Milk
• 1/2 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. Bourbon Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 cup Fair Trade Chocolate Chips
• 1 tsp. Peppermint Extract

Instructions:

1. Put your chocolate chips in a small cup/dish and coat with the peppermint extract and refrigerate for at least 1 hour prior to mixing in to cookie dough.
2. Preheat your oven to 400°. Grab a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper.
3. In a large mixing bowl add the flours, salt, baking powder, and ground flax seeds and mix.
4. In a glass bowl or measuring cup add the coconut oil, sugar, peanut butter, and almond milk. Melt with the heat of the oven (or if you must, in the microwave) until you can mix it smooth.
5. Add the vanilla extract to your butter/sugar mixture then add the wet to the dry bowl. Stir until you have a wet, thick yet oily dough.
6. Fold in the vinegar and minted chocolate chips.
7. Place the dough in the fridge for 10-15 minutes until it firms up slightly. You want the dough to roll into a ball easily in the palms of your hands. Roll dough into approximately 1 inch balls and place, evenly spaced on your baking sheet.
8. Put your cookies in the oven and turn the temperature down to 375°. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the tops are turning slightly golden. They may look soft, but as they cool they firm up nicely. Let sit undisturbed (it will be tough) for 10-15 minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack. Enjoy.