Ages and ages ago (read: two years ago), I tried a VegWeb chocolate chip cookie recipe and was disappointed in the results. So I continued my search for the holy grail of vegan chocolate chip cookies, and a year and a half ago I tried a PPK recipe, hoping it would answer all my cookie desires. It was good, but not great. But Nora left me a comment recommending Dreena Burton’s Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies, citing the awesome caramel-y flavor that a healthy dose of maple syrup and a bit of molasses lends them. Intrigued, I gave them a try. But I made the mistake of baking while distracted, and I misread the 1/4 tsp of molasses as 1/4 cup. Yep. Needless to say, the results were not exactly reminiscent of the chocolate chip cookies of my childhood. However, they were still yummy in their own right, and I made a mental note to re-try Dreena’s recipe – I figured that if it could stand up to my horrible miscalculation, it was probably a pretty damn fine recipe.
You have chosen... wisely.
And it is. Oh man, it so is. It’s awesome. I made these cookies last night, and I want to devour them all for breakfast today. Nora was totally right; the maple syrup and molasses combine to make a cookie that is not just sweet, but flavorful. Just like I don’t enjoy things that are spicy for the sake of being spicy, I don’t always like sweetness for sweetness’ sake. I want depth of flavor and a nuanced sweetness, and these cookies bring that to the table (literally). They are so, so good.
Nom nom cookies.
I made nine big ol’ cookies in this batch; next time I’ll make them smaller so the recipe will yield more. They were delicious when warm and they’re delicious when cooled, and the dough is amazing straight outta the bowl. And that’s an essential part of a good cookie recipe, don’t you think? ;)
So, in short, this may very well be my holy grail of cookie recipes. The 1/3 cup of maple syrup is a bit much, though, so I doubt I’ll make them incredibly often. But when I do, I know they’ll be worth it.
What’s your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe? Have you tried Dreena’s?
vegga 
I love Dreena’s cookie recipes too! Sadly I hardly ever make these anymore because maple syrup is so expensive (and yet so, so delicious). I usually stick to the PPK recipe, which I also love!
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Dreena’s have long been my favourite too. I have told over and over that she is the vegan queen of cookies. I’m glad you gave them a second try.
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I have a no fail cookie recipe I love, which is similar to this one but uses a whole cup of Earth Balance, eek, and instead of syrup and molasses, there is more sugar. So I’d like to try hers!
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I’ve never tried these, but you make them sound great! I’ve bookmarked the recipe and can’t wait to try it soon.
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That’s awesome! 1/4 tsp molasses, though? I can’t imagine that this really creates much flavor? Interesting. Will ponder.
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Yeah, I’m not totally convinced about that amount, but I can’t deny that the results have a really nice flavor!
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My favorite favorite is veganized betty crocker with 1/4 C tofu to replace the egg and EB for butter. My practical favorite is the Vegan Cookies Invade recipe (it’s not the one on the ppk and it’s different then the one Isa has in VWAV).
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