Classically sustainable chocolate chip cookies
By Kate Moskin
Ingredients:
2 ¾ cups stone ground white whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons arrowroot starch
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup refined fair trade coconut oil (not melted)
1 cup maple sugar
6-7 tablespoons applesauce
1 teaspoons fair trade pure vanilla extract
1 cup Guittard chocolate chips
Instructions:
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Step 2: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, arrowroot starch, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt.
Step 3: In an electric stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the coconut oil and sugar together on medium speed until creamy and light. Spoon in the applesauce and add the vanilla. Mix on medium speed until thoroughly combined; about 2 minutes.
Step 4: Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix until you reach a dough-like consistency. **If your dough seems too dry, add in another tablespoon of applesauce.
Step 5: Drop spoonfuls of dough onto a lined baking sheet. Using a glass, flatten the balls into ½ inch rounds. Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes until they are golden brown.
Step 6: Let the cookies cool on a wire rack.
Reflection
Over the course of my March Madness project, I have learned to be patient with myself and tackle problems with an open mindset. When I first started my project, I was not sure how I would be able to actually come up with a solution to the issues I was facing in regards to sustainability. I learned about global food issues and how I was feeding into them by choosing unsustainable products, when I could be using sustainable friendly ones all along. I hope that my project has inspired people to bake in a more sustainable way and understand that it is possible to mimic the real thing!