baking · cooking · Dessert

Lemon Lavender Chocolate Chip Cookies

Kathy Hester (You might remember me mention meeting her last summer at Vegan Con in Portland. She has a new cookbook coming out next summer but for now, check out her current cookbook – The Vegan Slow Cooker), posted a recipe recently for vegan cookies made with avocado. I adapted the recipe a bit, using whole wheat pastry flour, upping the lavender and using vanilla instead of the fancy extracts. I’ll be honest…I only keep on hand vanilla, almond and peppermint. I know…how “exciting”! I had everything on hand besides the extracts, so why let that keep me from having cookies, no? I like the light flavor that fresh lavender gives food, without it being so strong you wonder if an old lady has doused herself in lavender perfume (gag).

On the lavender? My front yard is ringed with culinary lavender plants. I planted them in the spring of 2008, slowly they have taken root. It is poor soil/poisoned by a large evergreen tree, so while my lavender isn’t huge, I am proud to say I haven’t lost any of the plants. They might not be thick with growth and are short, they do put on amazing flower displays every year. And that is what counts – for us and the bees. My neighbors downwind mentioned last winter how in summer all they smell  is lavender. Oopsies! Could be worse 😉 And my yard isn’t fringed with fugly “landscaping specials” either that so many HOA’s require (I am grateful ours is not stringent on that).

Back to the cookies – they are soft, moist bites. Mine turned out a bit greener than the original. Maybe because my avocado might have ben bigger? Who knows, I didn’t measure it. They still tasted great. You cannot taste the avocado once they are cool. And….if one doesn’t like lavender, leave it out! Then they would have a light lemon flavor. It gives a lightly floral flavor.

Lemon Lavender Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

Dry –

  • 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • ½ cup dark chocolate chips, finely chopped
  • 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 lemon, zested
  • 2 tsp culinary lavender buds, fresh or dried
  • ¾ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp baking soda

Wet –

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Chop the chocolate in a mini-food chopper, add to the dry.

Split the avocado in half, discard the pit and pop out the flesh with a spoon. Add it, the coconut milk and vanilla to the mini-food chopper, process until smooth. Add to the dry, stir till mixed.

Drop 1 Tablespoon balls on the baking sheet, gently press down the tops to flatten.

Bake for about 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Makes about 21 cookies.

Notes: I chopped my chocolate in my mini-chopper, which left a lot of chocolate powder. Delicious. I realize though that for a neater looking cookie, chop by hand. I am fine with being lazy periodically!

~Sarah

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