When I graduated high school, I debated going to university or pursuing a career in ballet. Figuring my brain would last longer than my body would, I took the plunge and joined a "trainee program" (think internship?) with a ballet company in Chicago. At the end of the year, the internal debate returned, and I visited a school in my home province of Ontario--the University of Waterloo--and nearly attended. After I was offered an apprenticeship with the ballet company, however, I turned down the university offer and put it on the back burner.
Flash forward five years, and I have a younger sibling at Waterloo, who constantly impresses us with fantastic grades, hard work, and healthy social life (how?). I still follow the University on Instagram, and they shared a vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe from one of their colleges (Conrad Grebel in case you wanted to look it up). Grebel is well-known around the school for their amazing cookies, and once my mom tested out the recipe and raved about it, I was eager to try it. Good vegan cookie recipes that are simple/straightforward can be hard to come by, and I was excited to pull out my shiny red KitchenAid stand mixer for a spin.
However, thanks to quarantine (ok, my laziness), I did not have all of the ingredients--I was about 2/3 of a cup short on rolled oats (i filled up the rest of the cup with flour), and completely left out the shredded coconut. This definitely affected how the recipe turned out. A suggestion from a friend who taste-tested for me--adding in 1/2 cup dried cranberries--would be an interesting twist to this recipe for sure.
All that being said, these cookies are GOOD (despite my substitutions & haphazard measuring!). Within 15 minutes I had already eaten two--you really can't beat a warm cookie straight from the oven--and I think I'm going to have to put the rest in the freezer to keep my husband and I from going crazy over them.
I included the recipe below for anyone who would like to try it--and let me know if you do! Got any other vegan cookie recipes I should try? Send them my way!
Ingredients:
-1 cup vegan margarine/butter
-1 cup brown sugar (packed)
-1/4 cup boiling water
-1 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp vanilla
-2 cups flour (I used all-purpose)
-1/2 tsp salt
-2 cups rolled oats
-1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (dairy free--Trader Joe's has good ones)
-1/2 cup shredded coconut (I left this out, so if you do maybe add some extra oats or flour)
1. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy
2. Dissolve baking soda in the boiling water.
3. Add water to creamed mixture.
4. Add vanilla and remaining ingredients. Mix until combined.
5. Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire cooking rack. Eat them all!
Again, the recipe is from Conrad Grebel (@conrad_grebel on IG). I LOVE how easy it is, and how it doesn't require any "weird" or difficult-to-find ingredients.
I hope you enjoy some fun quarantine baking & extra quality time with family/loved ones in the kitchen. If you're like me and have a small family/don't want to eat all the cookies yourself, make some for your neighbors, healthcare workers, or small business owners! Spread the (vegan) cookie love.
Also--have questions about the differences in Canadian vs. American universities/colleges? Leave them in the comments, and I will do my best to answer!
Stay safe, and I'll see you next time. xx