Confession: When the windchill dips into the 20s, I feel like baking cookies and making soup.
I did both of these activities over the weekend after we raked what seemed like 2.5 million leaves from our front and back yard...and then fished at least 1.2 million leaves out of our pool.
When pool water feels warmer than the air temperature, you know it's cold outside....Well at least by Tennessee standards. I can tell you that our Southern bones are not made for this cold snap!
After two days of raking and fishing, we had earned our cookie bars.
I'm not sure we have earned our Thanksgiving week dinners though. Darn.
Maybe it's a good thing we still have a few leaves left to rake...
Now onto the recipe. I was short on time this week, so I didn't put together the recipe card art. I'm not sure anyone really cares about that anyway. The recipe itself is what matters, right?
Please note -- this recipe is technically vegan, although some vegans would require vegan sugars, etc. You can always substitute real butter and eggs if you want, but I don't think you'll notice a difference. Corn starch is a wonderful egg replacer, and Earth Balance can be found at most grocery stores.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars (Vegan)
-1 cup of Earth Balance Vegan Butter
-1 cup of packed brown sugar
-1/2 cup of granulated white sugar
-3/4 tsp of baking soda
-1/2 tsp of salt
-2 tbsp of corn starch / 6 tbsp of water (egg substitute)
-1 tbsp of vanilla (we buy vanilla in bulk at Costco)
-2 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour (Kroger brand)
-1 package of Baker's semisweet chocolate (cut into pieces)
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 2. Mix together the butter, sugars, baking soda and salt until they are thoroughly combined. 3. Add the corn starch, water and vanilla to the mixture and beat together. 4. Pour a half cup of the flour into the mixture at a time until everything is combined. 5. Cut your chocolate bar into small, irregular pieces and stir them into the mixture. 6. Spoon the dough into a shallow baking dish (I used a 9 x 13 inch Pyrex dish). 7. Using your spoon (or spoons), press the dough into the dish until it fills the pan. 8. Bake for 15-20 minutes. 9. Enjoy.
Happy Thanksgiving, friends!