Perhaps I’ve mentioned that I have a tendency to chase perfectionism. For this very reason, I’m updating my OMG Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe to make it easier for vegans and anyone who avoids eggs.

Just to be clear, this recipe is different from the one I first published during this blog’s infancy in February 2015. Ever since, I’ve played with the ingredients, revising it more than once. You’ll find a slightly different version in my 2018 book, Sacred & Delicious: A Modern Ayurvedic Cookbook. Then, just last week, I was baking and packing thank-you cookies for several amazing healthcare practitioners who are helping bring my injured hand back to life. I decided the recipe needed one more tweak to make it more accessible for readers.

The only significant change is the egg replacer. Since most vegans use flaxseed “eggs,” I decided to replace psyllium husk with flaxseed meal, and it works perfectly. Let me add that mine came out perfectly delicious every time with the psyllium—but that wasn’t true for a friend of mine. She made a batch using my cookbook recipe that came out hard as a rock. OMG indeed! She was using a different psyllium product, and the possibility of that happening to someone else is one reason I changed the recipe.

My friend said her next batch came out perfectly with an added tablespoon of fat. Given the fact that there may be some subtle disparity between different measuring spoon sets, this may have been the real culprit. However, I’m using less coconut oil in this recipe, because I find it can be greasy when used in excess. I find that the extra liquid added to make flaxseed eggs makes this cookie plenty moist. You may want to experiment with 5 and 6 tablespoons of oil.

A Healthier Dessert

Whenever I develop dessert recipes, I always have a health goal in mind: minimize the damage! While many people can eat sweets without a problem, I get the sugar blues pretty easily so I avoid super-sweet renditions of favorite comfort foods. Even so, I get rave reviews when I serve these cookies.

I bake successfully with coconut sugar, which has a lower glycemic index than most sweeteners. With coconut sugar I find that I’m able to avoid the post-dessert energy crash—that is, when I follow my own advice and eat a modest portion. I prefer the  69 percent Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Morsels because I love the taste of very dark chocolate. I also like the fact that dark chocolate means less refined sugar. (Semi-sweet chips range from 35 to 50 percent chocolate liquor.)

I like to add some almond flour to my mixture to add some nutritional value along with the sugar, but if you’re baking for a group, it’s wise to list ingredients to warn anyone with nut allergies. I pair the almond flour with oat flour rather than using one of the higher-carb gluten-free flours.

An Ayurvedic Note

If you like the taste of cardamom, please try the optional cardamom suggested in the recipe at least once. I was in a class taught by Dr. Vasant Lad when he said, “Cardamom is the antidote for chocolate.” In other words, it helps ameliorate the problems that are caused by chocolate’s qualities. Cardamom’s sweet and pungent taste helps to balance chocolate’s bitterness and slightly astringent quality.

If you are not vegan, then the recipe is delicious using ghee instead of coconut oil. Ghee is better than coconut oil for people with kapha problems. It also has many medicinal qualities, according to Ayurveda and modern researchers.

This recipe doesn’t require eggs, which is a plus for many who follow an Ayurvedic way of life and prefer to avoid eggs. If you would like to add an egg, omit the flaxseed mixture and you’ll have some additional protein to balance the sugar and carbs.

Wishing you all a sacred and delicious holiday—one that adds sweetness to your life, so needed in the unforgettable year of 2020.

Lisa J. Mitchell

PS  I hope this updated recipe is foolproof! I’d love to get your feedback once you try it. You can leave a comment here.