Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies and Vanilla Brownies

First- thank you all for your kind and compassionate wishes for a speedy recovery from emergency hip surgery. Such fabulous readers you are- every one of you. As our Italian friend, Sandra, once said to us- in her dead gorgeous Tuscan accent- I love you too much!

So. I feel human again.

Yesterday- day nine post-surgery- this sticky, prickly goddess got to sit inside the shower (they make these nifty portable shower seats now) and- Aphrodite-blessed relief!- indulge in twenty sexy minutes of hot steamy bliss. Hawaiian shampoo. Rainbath lather. Leg shaving!

One lesson a broken hip teaches you? It's the little things in life that count. The simple luxury of taking a shower shoots to gold star status- the genuine, beyond spectacular highlight of the day. Pulling on a soft clean shirt? Heaven. Sitting upright, freshly shampooed and moisturized with Eternity lotion? Divine. Twirling pasta in olive oil and garlic- in bed- next to your husband? It doesn't get any better than this.

And then there are these little gems. Chocolate chip cookies that are egg-free and dairy-free (which earns them treasured vegan status). They also happen to be gluten-free, wheat-free, bean-free, soy-free, corn-free and nut-free. Perfect for all those cute-as-a-button multi-allergic tykes out there. Not to mention, gluten-free vegan goddesses.

Last night Steve helped me make these as cookie bars, in the style of my old tried and true favorite chocolate chip cookie bar recipe- and Babycakes! They were a damn good match. I named them Vanilla Brownies. My trick was a small cheat. A dab of butter flavor extract. I don't usually turn to artificial flavors (in fact, this is a first!), but when you are allergic to most natural flavors and buckets of other foods and your taste buds crave a buttery sweet treat, this decidedly un-foodie goddess figures--- Why the Hades not?

But if it horrifies you to use it, Darling Reader- and just the very thought of it keeps you up at night worrying about the integrity of the cookie universe- leave it out. It's one quarter of a teaspoon. Sub it with vanilla. Do your thing.

It's all good.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies & Vanilla Brownies

My flour mix is an odd one due to multiple allergies. After experimenting with the few gluten-free flours I could use, this is the mix I like best- for two cups flour, I use a half a cup each of buckwheat, sorghum, white rice and potato starch, with 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum added.

Feel free- as always- to substitute your own favorite flour blend. More starchy blends may effect the texture, however. * See notes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Whisk together the dry ingredients:

3/4 cup brown rice flour or buckwheat flour
1/2 cup white rice or sorghum flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup tapioca or corn starch
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Blend these ingredients:

1/2 cup Spectrum Organic Shortening* I used to use light olive oil, but I've switched; so edited
1 1/2 cups organic light brown sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract- yes, three!
1/4 teaspoon butter flavor extract- may omit**
2 tablespoons agave nectar
5-6 tablespoons vanilla rice or hemp milk- as needed

Add:

Ener-G Egg Replacer for 1 large egg, prepared

Add the wet ingredients into the dry mix and stir till well combined. If the dough is way too stiff, add one tablespoon of rice milk at a time to soften. I ended up using 6 tablespoons of rice milk- but it is dry here in the high desert. Add a spoon at a time until the dough holds together- it should be sturdy and glossy.

Add:

1 10-oz bag of dairy-free chocolate chips

Stir to combine. Chill the dough for at least an hour before baking the cookies.

To Make Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Form the dough into 18 medium- or 36 petite- balls, rolling the dough between your palms. Place the dough balls onto a large baking sheet (non-stick, or lined with parchment paper) with enough breathing room to spread a couple of inches. Flatten the balls gently, slightly with your fingers or the back of a spoon- but not too much, or the cookies may spread into flat pancakes.

Bake in the center of a preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes or so, depending on the size- until the cookies puff, crack and are firm to a light touch.

Cool a minute or two before removing them with a thin spatula to a wire cooling rack.

To Make Vanilla Brownies:

Plop the dough (recipe above) into a 9x13-inch baking pan lined with greased foil, and spread the dough evenly. Bake in the center of a preheated oven for 22 to 25 minutes, until the center is firm to the touch and a wooden pick inserted into the brownies emerges clean.

Makes 18 generous brownies.

Cook's Notes::

• Dear Readers, if you'd prefer to use eggs and dairy in a cookie bar recipe, try my uber-yummy Chocolate Chip Cookie Squares recipe.

• The butter flavor** addition is entirely optional; yet, if you're interested- check out Miss Roben's Allergy Grocer for GF/CF safe flavors.

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