Mesquite Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mesquite Chocolate Chip Cookies

These quiet, unassuming, regular looking chocolate chip cookies have a devastating secret; they are made with mesquite flour. Which, I have to say gives them a very interesting taste. The recipe is based on Isa and Terry's Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. I had read somewhere that you shouldn't replace more than 1/4 of the flour in a recipe with mesquite flour. It doesn't have gluten so it doesn't bind. And the flavor is fairly strong, so no more than that is even needed.

Anyway, in my head this translated to 1/4 cup of mesquite flour replacing the regular flour for these cookies. My omniveore taste-testers who like the regular version of these cookies, also thought the mesquite version was good. I think they are good, but there is this unmistakable, indescribable taste that comes from the added mesquite. I can't even think how to describe it. Give it a try.

Mesquite Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS
1/2 brown sugar
1/4 white sugar
2/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup sweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon tapioca flour
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup mesquite flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cups chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease two large light metal baking sheets, or use parchment paper on baking sheets. I swear by parchment paper.

Mix together sugars, oil, almond milk and tapioca flour in a mixing bowl. Use a strong fork and mix really well, for about 2 minutes, until it resembles smooth caramel. There is a chemical reaction when sugar and oil collide, so it’s important that you don’t get lazy about that step. Mix in the vanilla.

Add 1 cup of the flour, the baking soda and salt. Mix until well incorporated. Mix in the rest of the flours. Fold in the chocolate chips. The dough will be a little stuff so use your hands to really work them in.

Makes two dozen two inch cookies or about 16 three inch cookies.

For 3 inch cookies, roll the dough into about ping pong ball size balls. Flatten them out in your hands to about 2 1/2 inches. They will spread just a bit. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes – no more than 9 – until they are just a little browned around the edges. I usually get 16 out of these so I do two rounds of eight cookies. Let cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

For 2 dozen two inch cookies roll dough into walnut sized balls and flatten to about 1 1/2 inches and bake for only six minutes.