Instead of knitting or doing yoga to calm down, I usually head in the kitchen for a baking session. I find the baking process very meditative and ultra relaxing. While baking, any negative thoughts that I may have fade away and I become completely zen. Om!
As the holidays tend to be a stressful time period, I have a baking session practically every day. My baking session rewards me with a two-fold return (yup, I was an econ major). The sessions not only quiet the mind, but also result in the creation of delicious treats that make great gifts for anyone. Awesome!
I recently made these cookies with my sister for friends and family. They were an absolute hit. I can’t tell how many times I have been asked for the recipe. These aren’t ordinary vegan chocolate chip cookies. These beauties contain cranberries and hazelnut brittle, which skyrocket the cookies’ flavor to new heights. One word: yummy!
Instructions
Servings: approx. 20 cookies
Ingredients
- 100 g vegan non-dairy margarine
- 100 g brown sugar
- 50 g white sugar
- 1 ripe banana
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 175 g spelt flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 150 g vegan dark chocolate chips
- 50 g dried cranberries
- 50 g hazelnut brittle (homemade or store-bought) or chopped unsalted peanuts
Instructions
Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies
- Preheat oven to 180 ºC.
- Place parchment paper on a baking tray.
- Mix butter and sugars in a large bowl until well-combined.
- Add banana and vanilla extract; and then mix again.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder.
- Add combo to the wet mixture and then mix all ingredients until well-combined.
- Fold in chocolate chips (100 g) and hazelnut brittle.
- Add teaspoon-sized cookie dough scoops to baking tray.
- Bake until golden-brown, i.e. approximately 10-12 minutes.
- Remove tray from oven and then let cookies cool-off on baking tray for roughly 5 minutes.
- Remove cookies from tray and let them cool-off completely (approximately 1 hour).
Dark Chocolate Glaze
- Melt chocolate chips (50 g) in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water.
- Stir until smooth.
- Remove from heat.
- Use immediately.
Grand Finale
- Place cookies on parchment paper.
- Drizzle each cookies with chocolate glaze – “Pollock-Style”
- Let glaze set.
- Enjoy!