Cleaning Up

My Mom is amazing, and one of her specialities is baking - cookies in particular. Growing up we often munched on delicious, hot out of the oven, gooey chocolate chip cookies. My siblings and I took for granted just how awesome my mom's cookies were/are, until we started having play dates at other kids homes and the cookies were...well, far below what our Mom had brought us to expect [sorry to all those Mom's whose cookies I snuffed at!] The first thing I learnt how to make in the kitchen was cookies. In fact, when I got married cookies were still pretty much the only thing I knew how to make. Oh, and brownies and cake. You get the picture? My Mom's recipe calls for refined sugars, loads of butter, and refined flour, and so I haven't baked a batch in, well, a very long time. As I was up with Eli much too much in the night, it occurred to me that I am more than capable of creating a clean chocolate chip cookie recipe that could [and does!] taste just like Mom's. So today that is just what I did! I baked up a batch of delicious cookies that bring back all the warm and gooey memories associated with my Mom's baking, but without all the animal products and refined goods! I hope these cookies satisfy your sweet tooth as they have mine!

Katie's Chocolate Chip Cookies

an original recipe created by Me!


1 c. coconut oil
1 c. unsweetened apple sauce
1 1/2 c. naturally creamed honey
1/2 tbsp pure vanilla extract


3 c. old fashioned rolled oats
3 c. stone ground whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
3 tsp baking soda


2 c. dark chocolate chips [the better the quality chocolate the better - believe me, it matters!]


Preheat your oven to 350*F. Mix the wet ingredients [the first four listed] in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy and fully incorporated. The mixture will lighten up as it mixes. Next, add the dry ingredients, starting with the salt and baking soda. Mix those two into the wet ingredients, then add the flour and oats and mix until dough forms. Now add the chocolate chips* [or chopped chocolate if you prefer!] and mix until combined. Drop the dough onto a non stick baking pan** using a cookie scoop***. Make sure the dough is about 1" apart on the pan to avoid cookies blending into one another. Bake cookies in preheated oven for approximately 8 minutes. The cookies will be golden, but look a little gooey in the centres still - don't worry, they'll firm up as they sit on the pan, resting on a cooling rack. Give the cookies 5 minutes before transferring to the cooling rack to cool completely. Yield approximately 6 dozen cookies.


*Substitute all, or half, of the chocolate chips with raisins for a oatmeal raisin cookie.**feel free to use a silpat pad, just avoid non-stick cooking spray as it makes the dough spread.

***a cookie scoop ensures uniformity of cookie size and shape, and provides portion control.