VEGAN CHOCOLATE CHIP SUNBUTTER OATMEAL COOKIES

I think I've created a monster. Well, not really.... but since I started a blog, I decided to create a COMPANION blog for my original blog. Because, you know, everyone likes to have a friend. ;) 

I'm planning to post recipes that are allergy-friendly here, but ONLY recipes I really try and like. I'll only post real pictures, too. No stock photos. Here's the first entry!

VEGAN CHOCOLATE CHIP SUNBUTTER OATMEAL COOKIES 

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup Sunbutter
• 2 Tablespoons Earth Balance spread or vegetable oil (I used Earth Balance Soy Free)
• 1/2 cup of Xylitol (or sugar, if you must - I use "Xylosweet")
• 1/3 cup of nondairy milk of your choice (I use DariFree Non Dairy Milk Alternative Powder - potato based)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup flour of choice (I use Bob's Redmill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup of rolled oats (I use Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Rolled Oats)
• 1/2 cup or so of vegan chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Chips)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Mix the sunbutter, oil, xylitol (sugar), nondairy milk and vanilla together.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.
4. Pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and combine.  Add oats and chocolate chips.
5. Place spoonfuls of cookie dough on a lightly oiled baking sheet and press each cookie down with a fork.
6. Bake for 8 -10 minutes and let cool on baking sheet before transferring.

Do not overbake. These won't get as brown as other cookies do, but as these cookies cool, they become lightly crispy outside and are verys soft inside.

Variation: Sub raisins for the chocolate chips.

If you want the cookies to turn green naturally (think St. Patty's Day), you can add 1/2 tsp baking soda to the dry ingredients.  The baking soda reacts with the chlorophyll in the sunflower seed and over the course of a few days turns the cookies a deep shade of GREEN!