If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been in a baking kick for the last few months. Something about the colder months makes a warm baked good even more tasty (and I don’t think anyone will ever complain about the scent of freshly baked cookies/muffins/bars etc. filling up the house). My latest recipe is a combination of a few of my favorite things: maple syrup, nuts, and chocolate chips! I made these in bar-form, but if you’d prefer a cookie, you can simply use a cookie sheet instead of an 8×8″ baking pan. You can also swap gluten-free flour for the wheat flour if you’re following a gluten-free diet.

Ingredients 

• 1 cup whole wheat flour + 1 cup regular white baking flour (or, use 2 cups of brown rice flour or gluten-free baking flour if you’re on a gluten-free diet)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tbsp. dark molasses
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup earth balance vegan buttery spread (melt in the microwave)
• 2/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 + 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup vegan chocolate chips (I found them at trader joe’s)
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans and/or walnuts
• 1/4 cup gluten free or regular oats
• cinnamon (to be sprinkled on top)

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and oats
• In a smaller bowl, combine the maple syrup, molasses, earth balance spread, apple sauce, almond milk, and vanilla extract
• Mix the contents of the smaller bowl into the larger bowl, mixing well until uniform in consistency
• Add the chocolate chips and nuts into the mixture
• Spray an 8×8″ baking tin or cookie sheet with nonstick spray, spoon the batter into the pan or scoop the batter to create cookie shapes if you’re making the cookie version
• Top with sprinkled ground cinnamon and bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes
• Remove from oven, allow to cool, cut (if you’re making bars) and enjoy!

-Jess