Vegan Garlic Chocolate Chip Cookies

1. 1

   1. Drop garlic cloves into boiling water for about 5 minutes (more for big cloves) until tender; peel cloves and chop, then soak in 1/2 cup maple syrup for 20 to 30 minutes.

2. 2

   2. Put garlic and syrup in a strainer and squeeze out the maple syrup. (Get rid of this maple syrup or save it in the fridge to add to a stir fry or something.)

3. 3

   3. Preheat oven to 350u00b0F (176u00b0C).

4. 4

   4. In a bowl, sift in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the sugar* and salt, and stir until well combined.

5. 5

   5. In a separate bowl, combine fresh maple syrup (2/3 cup)** with the molasses and vanilla, then stir in the shortening and coconut oil. Use a hand blender to combine the shortening with the liquid ingredients well.

6. 6

   6. Add the strained garlic and blend until well combined.

7. 7

   7. Add the wet mixture to the dry, along with the chocolate chips, and stir through until just well combined (do not overmix).

8. 8

   8. Shape dough with hands into cookie shape and place on a baking sheet. Unlike a lot of vegan cookies, these do spread out a bit, so make them a bit smaller than you want the final cookies and give them some space on the sheet.

9. 9

   9. Bake for 12 minutes, until just golden.***

10. 10

    10. Let cool on the cookie sheet for no more than 1 minute, then transfer to a cooling rack.

11. 11

    *You could probably get away with no sugar at all since the maple syrup makes these cookies super sweet.

12. 12

    **I guess you could use the discarded maple syrup from the garlic here, but it might make your cookies muy garlicy.

13. 13

    ***If they're still looking a little anemic, 13 minutes might be OK. My cookies were pretty soft and crumbly inside after 12 min, so a little extra time might make them hang together better.

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.