Lent-Friendly Double Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Total 25 minutes includes cooling time | Active 10 minutes | Makes 13-15 servings

This 10-minute go-to double dark chocolate chip cookie recipe is probably the surest way to turn a schoolyard bully into a liturgical priest!

It's so funny to imagine an American treat inspiring the soul that much, but when you learn its history, you too may be encouraged to embrace your imperfections and let God make a masterpiece of your days on this earth... priesthood not guaranteed.

At the very least, I'm pretty sure it's scientifically impossible to take a bite of these and still hold a grudge against your neighbor. Maybe prepare them for Forgiveness Sunday, or gift them to that parishioner that makes you want to roll your eyes every time they talk.

Lent is a time for peace and reconciliation, and these oowie-gooey goodies are like a delicious batch of waving white flags on the battlefield.

Whichever way you choose to look at it, here's a history and guide to your very own Lent-friendly Double Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies for the dark chocolate-obsessed gremlin in you!

These delightful double dark chocolate chip cookies are:

• Lenten-friendly, vegan-friendly, and can be converted to a gluten-free delight with a 1:1 flour ratio.

• Best enjoyed with those you love: at potlucks, church, home, and more.

• Great for vegan gifts, birthdays, and holidays like Christmas and Valentine's Day.

• Deliciously fudgy and comforting to the soul.

• Non-vegan approved!

History of the Chocolate Chip Cookie

In the words of Bob Ross, "There are no mistakes, just happy accidents." And what a happy accident this sweet ball of dough was for American chef Ruth Graves Wakefield.

In 1938, she owned the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts. Her attempt to create a cookie that looked, smelled, and tasted like a big baked ball of chocolate goodness fell short of her expectation. The chocolate chips she threw into the carefully mixed dough did not, in fact, melt completely and make the whole cookie taste like chocolate.

Instead, it revolutionized the American sweet tooth, which now anticipated the oozing comfort of semi-melted chocolate chips with every bite. Wakefield later sold her recipe to Nestle, who would fuel generations worth of jealousy in their customers by paying her with a lifetime supply of their company's chocolate.

The chocolate chip cookie was adored by all, right from the very start. What began as a mistake became the catalyst for her success. Wakefield's 1936 cookbook was republished two years later to include the "Toll House Chocolate Crunch Cookie", and during WWII the American soldiers who were stationed overseas shared this taste of home with the world.

Although these aren't exactly her recipe, it's certainly a beloved rendition of her amazing contribution to our baked catalog of homely reminders. If you love the chocolate chip cookie, you're sure to enjoy this!

Preparing These Double Dark Chocolate Delights

First things first, let's gather together your ingredients. All you'll need are all-purpose flour, brown sugar, white sugar, vegan butter, natural cocoa powder, salt, vanilla extract, baking soda, non-dairy milk and vegan chocolate chips.

Preheat your oven to 365°F, then prep a sheet of parchment paper over a large baking pan. Set this aside for easy application into the oven after your cookie batter is ready. If you are using stick vegan butter, soften in the microwave or on the stove using a saucepan.

In a separate large mixing bowl, sift the flour, sugar, brown sugar, and cocoa powder together to remove clumps. Then, stir in the baking soda and salt.

Pour the non-dairy milk, vanilla extract, and softened vegan butter into the bowl and mix the ingredients together until all is evenly combined. Your mixture should be thick and moist. Finally, pour your dark chocolate chip cookies into the cookie batter and combine.

Now, you're going to use a spoon or scooper to place 13-15 cookies onto the baking pan that you previously lined with parchment paper. Remember that the cookie dough needs to spread to become... well, a cookie. So, leave an appropriate space between each ball of dough.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. You want them to be a bit undercooked when you remove them. This is because the residual heat will finish the baking process, and the cooling will allow the cookies to become firm. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes and then dig in!

I like to place them in an open container until there is absolutely no more heat, to ensure that the cookies don't become stale. Afterward, I can seal them in an air-tight container and carry them to anyone I plan to gift the cookies to. Sometimes they're for a potluck, sometimes they're for my fiancée, but they are always made and delivered with love!

The Magic in the Cocoa

When you're using a recipe that includes baking soda, it's best to use natural cocoa powder because it allows your baked goods to rise while baking in the oven. For example, when you are making these cookies, you certainly want to use natural cocoa powder.

On the contrary, Dutch-processed cocoa powder has been rinsed with an alkaline solution, transforming its naturally acidic pH to a neutral one that no longer reacts to baking soda in the oven. This means the cookies won't rise. Dutch-processed cocoa powder is usually darker, milder in taste, and smoother when mixed with a wet ingredient. If a recipe has baking powder, you can get away with using either natural or Dutch-processed cocoa powder.

Enjoy!

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Lent-Friendly Vegan Double Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

by Destiny Charles

Total 25 minutes includes cooling time | Active 10 minutes | Makes 13-15 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup vegan butter, slightly softened

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

• 1/4 cup non-dairy milk

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, or 1:1 gluten-free baking flour

• 1/2 cup natural cocoa powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 cup vegan chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. If you are using stick vegan butter, soften in the microwave or on the stove using a saucepan.

2. In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, sugar, brown sugar, and cocoa powder together to remove clumps. Then, stir in the baking soda and salt.

3. Pour the non-dairy milk, vanilla extract, and softened vegan butter into the bowl and mix the ingredients together until all is evenly combined. Your mixture should be thick and moist.

4. Finally, pour your dark chocolate chips into the cookie batter and combine.

5. Now, you're going to use a spoon or scooper to place 13-15 cookies onto the baking pan that you previously lined with parchment paper. Leave an appropriate space between each ball of dough.

6. Bake for 10-12 minutes. You want them to still be a bit soft when you remove them from the oven. This is because the residual heat will finish the baking process, and the cooling will allow the cookies to become firm. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes and then dig in!

Notes

Storage

Place them in an open container until there is absolutely no more heat, to ensure that the cookies don't become stale. Afterward, I seal them in an air-tight container.

Measuring Your Flour

When measuring your flour, first spoon it into the measuring cup, then level off with a knife. If you pack the flour into your measuring cup, you will have used too much.

Use the Right Cocoa Powder

Use natural cocoa powder for this recipe, not one labeled "Dutch-processed" or "processed with alkali”. If it just reads “cocoa powder”, then it’s natural cocoa powder and you can use it successfully.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cookie

• Calories: 235

• Sugar: 19g

• Fat: 11g

• Carbohydrates: 34g

• Fiber: 3g

• Protein: 3g

• Sodium: 3mg