Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies were a surprise hit.

My last year as a participant of PAFA's Open Studio Night was splendid, special even!
A huge, grand thank you to everyone who came out last night to see the work of my incredible peers (some whom I will eternally miss) and I. Very kind, very sincere people visited my temporary second home, Studio Number 867,  a soiled, fermenting ground where my work has been watered and blossoming sweet yet humble fruit. I appreciated those that lingered and listened to me discuss vibrant painted ideas surrounding them as well as hopes for the work's future. Some were interested in the writing elements, taking time reading my prose, wondering if visual and literary language would ever come to be married together like they so obviously desire. I treasured raised questions, feared flashing paparazzi bulbs, and championed on homemade cookie grabs. This has been one heck of an amazing thrill ride experience. 

About last night:  Philly Aids Thrift Cat Dress ($5) and Mod Cloth Fox Shoes.

Before I came to my studio (just a little late), I created dark chocolate chunk cookies with one of the bars originally purchased as a personal Valentine's Day treat. Remember the Theo Chocolate? Well, I figured why not share happiness, considering how joyous Friday night fatefully promised. I thought about this corny movie, Simply Irresistible, where the lead character makes the most sumptuously appetizing food and her emotions can be tasted, felt by those eating these creations. I didn't cry in the cookie batter. My pride and joy filtered through-- rather magically. I'm always happy to hear a compliment over cookies and a painting and sentimental writing. Why not have this happen simultaneously?
Needless to say, soft, moist, dark chocolate decadence was all gone before Open Studio Night struck it's nine o'clock ending chimes. Yes!
Again, thank you to the visitors, some dear friends, and delightful faculty for not only taking cookies and a peek inside 867, but for also making beautiful memories to reflect back on.

Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies Ingredients and Preparation

3 cup flour
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup almond milk (or any other dairy free alternative)
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 dark chocolate bar, chopped (used Theo 70% Dark)
1/2 cup pecans (any other nut would do)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together.
Blend almond milk, coconut oil, and vanilla extract.
Mix dry ingredients with wet.
Add apple cider vinegar.

Chopping chocolate action.

I used every spare little scrap for these cookies.

Baking is an action packed process.

Stir in chocolate chunks and pecans. Scoop out batter in tablespoons onto a non-stick ungreased baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes. The baking time lessens gradually after each batch.

Cool cookies first before stacking them up for storage.

Cookies are warm and ready to go!

AfroVeganChick Turns 4 With "Jem & The Holograms" Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

Truly, truly outrageous moment with "Jem and the Holograms" in sweet dessert form.

"Hey babe, I've got my eye on you!"
Yes! I'm jamming to a fan favorite "Jem and the Holograms" tune on this wonderful New Year's Day and purposely forgetting that live-action garbage fodder I had no stomach to watch! Thanks to Cagriaboyu on Youtube for having a playlist of every Jem/Misfits song in aired order. It's the perfect way to kick off another consecutive veganism filled year-- the fourth to be exact. The fourth is with me (ummm I watched Star Wars recently so....).
I must extend my gratitude to a sincerely kind vegan pal who tagged me in a story about Sweet Inc's "Jem and the Holograms" cookie cutters. I bought them months ago, but today was the first time I've tested turning the super fashionable 1980's empowering girl group into edible treats.
The recipe makes five swoon-worthy, irresistibly delicious warm chocolate chips and crunchy pecans colossal cookies. Like a pop music dream come true. One can make cookies smaller or substitute different nuts (walnuts or almonds). Just know that chocolate chips and pecans have a major thing together-- like Jem/Rio (or is that Jerrica/Rio) and Anthony/Shana. 

Get the hottest animated female band for $8 each at Sweet Print Inc.

The AfroVeganChick with a cookie smorgasbord.

I celebrate my veganversary happy and blessed over the joy of people reading and commenting. I am extremely grateful. Never knew AfroVeganChick would become influential, let alone inspire.
A huge, tremendous thanks to all visitors who read, laugh, share, and support via here and on the social media sphere. It means the whole world. 
I look forward to continue inventing recipes, posting eating out vegan adventures, championing art/black culture, and everything else that happens along the way. Look for a new header to finally happen-- with a new cute little duckling to be involved. I love ducks. And kittens. Hints.

Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies Ingredients and Preparation

3 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup pecans, crushed

Mix flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together.
Blend coconut oil, vanilla, and almond milk.
Combine wet with dry.
Add apple cider vinegar.

Add chocolate chips and pecans. Stir evenly. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours. When ready, preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a board, sprinkle extra flour. Take a fist full of dough and lay it on flour. Do not place too much pressure on cookie cutter. Light effort is good. Carefully place each cookie on an ungreased nonstick baking sheet.

Chocolate chip pecan Aja.

Top: Raya and Shana. Bottom: Jem and Kimber-- the Benton Sisters.

Hi Shana! Bake the cookies for 10-11 minutes.

They're a little flour-ly still, but quite edible. Have to make them look prettier next time.

The girls are all ready.

Shana and the "Black is Beautiful" mug from the Studio Harlem Museum gift shop. Perfect pairing.

The guilt fills my soul as I eat up Shana, but oh how those melted mouthwatering chocolate chips healed the pain.

Snickerdoodles!

Sweet cinnamon-y snickerdoodles make great gifts.

I said "goodbye" to someone special tonight. Sayonara isn't easiest task, but it happens when moving onto next phase of life. I always say this in an appreciative, endearing manner- for this is someone I've known practically forever. Although there are millions of words found in dictionaries and thesauruses, kind gestures speak tons. Plus I adore baking treats for people, sharing such pleasantries. Thanks to Making Thyme For Health, I found best way to spread joyous affection- fresh from the oven snickerdoodles!
Once again, the yellow rubber duck ribbon comes out to play pretty to gift presentation. Yay!
For today's 8th Virtual Vegan Linky Party, I am happy to introduce the veganization of my favorite cookies in the whole wide world! And no- it's not chocolate chip or double chocolate chip fudge surprisingly enough. Although chocolate anything sounds epically amazing- nothing pleases me more than a fresh from the oven snickerdoodle. Some believe they're simple sugar cookies disguised in cinnamon spice. Oh no. No. They're a lot more than that. Cream of tartar alone gives snickerdoodles that distinctively unique flavor. Moist, chewy, soft with a little delicate crunch thanks to minute dough balls rolled and then baked in exterior cinnamon-sugar mixture.
With this list of ten ingredients- one isn't excluded. That's love. Makes pleasant desserts even sweeter.

Snickerdoodles Ingredients and Preparation

1 1/2 cup flour (my cookies are brown due to whole wheat flour usage)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon date syrup (or vanilla)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup almond milk

1/8 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cream of tartar, and sugar.
Mix in date syrup (or vanilla), coconut oil, and almond milk.
Stir evenly and refrigerate for a couple of hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
Scoop out 1 tablespoon cookie dough balls, coating them in cinnamon sugar mixture.
Place them inches apart on greased baking sheet.
Bake for 10-13 minutes.

Added just a smidgeon more of cinnamon to cooled cookies.

I love reusing old jars and containers. This Natural Delights Medjool Dates is no exception. Perfectly suited to house snickerdoodle bliss.

The best presents are homemade.

Close up of yellow ribbons and happy rubber ducks meant to brighten spirits.

Coconut Cookies With Cashew Chocolate Centers

Yummiest of cookies.

One of my favorite Instagram accounts is BestOfVegan.  They highlight other vegan IG users and share beautifully photographed, mouthwatering recipes if folks use their designated #bestofvegan hashtag. The Road to Health and Happiness's recipe for Coconut Cookies caught my immediate attention. After all, I had been pining away, missing the unforgettable taste of Girl Scout's very popular Samoa cookies. Used to order more than one box of addictive treasures- bad I know.
Still, these here coconut cookies are a plus to anyone's jar! Feel free to add a teaspoon of vanilla- I completely forgot to put it in the batter, but they turned out pretty tasty without it. Plus, next time I;'m thinking of inserting coconut extract for extra oomph! For the Cashew Chocolate, I have a huge crush on So Delicious's Cashew Milks and have been including them a lot lately- just gives that nuttier kick that enhances sweet appeal, especially for these cookies!
Today, I consumed more, discovering that they're even more amazing chilled. I had them refrigerated overnight and came home needing cookie comfort.
Mmmmhmmmm! Perfect with a good dairy free milk alternative!

Coconut Cookies With Cashew Chocolate Centers Ingredients and Preparation

2 cup shredded coconut
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon Califia Farms Toasted Coconut Almond Milk Blend

Cashew Chocolate

1/2 cup So Delicious Unsweetened Vanilla Cashew Milk
1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoon maple syrup

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix all ingredients together.
Form into little patties in hands and rest them on cookie sheet.
Bake for ten minutes and let cool.

In a saucepan, set to medium heat, combine cashew milk, chocolate chips, and maple syrup, stirring until it thickens.

Baked cookies.

Place cashew chocolate sauce in the center.

Sweet, chocolaty, coconutty bliss.

What are cookies without a cold glass of milk...

Or a good short story to read.

Vegan Lemon Powdered Sugar Cookies

Lemon cookies getting powdered sugar love.

Mom's birthday was last Saturday- May 24th. Only Wednesday I made her lemon cookies and mailed them off. I'm late with everything- bad, bad, and more bad. For weeks, I had The Sweet Life Online's recipe for Lemon Crinkle Cookies bookmarked, planning to send homemade goodies to my lemon loving parent. Weather, work, and lack of proper sleep kept me from proper focus.
Lemon Powdered Sugar Cookies are straight forward- meaning fairly simple to make and are packed with citrus goodness. It's lemon meets sugar cookie. Chewy, moist, and soft, I had a little difficulty keeping my limit at trying out two. Of course, memory served that these were for Mom and hope that she loved them just as much as I enjoyed baking them.
That she did. Seeing as she received package this afternoon. :)

Vegan Lemon Powdered Sugar Cookies Ingredients and Preparation

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
zest of 1 large lemon (about 1 heaping tablespoon)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup apple sauce
2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325 and prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper or oil.
Mix dry ingredients together- whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
Separately stir lemon zest, olive oil, applesauce, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
Combine wet into dry- don't overdo mixing.
In a bowl, pour powdered sugar.
Using a tablespoon or hands, form dough into balls and roll them into powdered sugar.

Bake for 10-13 minutes and cool.

A little lemon decoration and extra powdered sugar madness.

Worth sampling!

Store in a cute container and tied with ribbon.

Packaged along with a watercolor painted birthday card.

Rainbow duct tape and rubber duck ribbon over an old Just Fab shoebox completes everything! Also in there a Theo Dark Chocolate Cherry Bar, a blue roller ink pen made out of 80% percent recycled bottles (Mom collects pens), and more.

Vegan Pumpkin Oatmeal Carob Chip Cookies

No ordinary chocolate chip cookie here!

Well, hello there November. Fancy seeing you.
For Monday (yes, Meatless Monday occurred just four days ago!), in our sweet seminar class, our assignment was not to read a passage from either theoretical texts (Ernst Fischer's Necessity of Art and Henry Focillon's The Life and Forms in Art) but to gain insight from Pulitzer Prize winning Annie Dilliard's Total Eclipse essay. It was such a breath of fresh air to read poetic nonfictional prose. My chummy classmates and I were also to write an artist's reflection (not a stuffy, puffed chest statement/declaration). Our teachers announced that each of us should bring a little something something morning treat. Thus was dubbed Drawing Seminar Potluck on a cool, gentle Veteran's Day.
I decided to take on a post that Mattie had posted on her Facebook page- Eating Bird Food's recipe for Pumpkin Oatmeal Carob Chip Cookies. I had to make them! They taste like a cross between a traditional chocolate chip and warm pumpkin pie. Soft, sweet, moist treasures bridging flavors of the season and joy of childhood's favorite cookie. These were amazing with cold glass of almond milk.
But it's really, really difficult to stop at one or two. 

Vegan Pumpkin Oatmeal Carob Chip Cookies Ingredients and Preparation

1 cup whole white wheat flour
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie pie
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (or coconut)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup carob chips (or vegan chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a cookie sheet with oil or parchment paper.

Mix dry (flour, oats, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, coriander, baking soda, and salt) and wet (pumpkin, sugar, olive oil, and vanilla) ingredients separately.

Mix in the apple cider vinegar.

Stir in the tasty carob chips!

Spoon a tablespoon each. Little space apart. Bake for 15-18 minutes.

Cool your cookies.

Plate them and smile knowing that Cookie Monster would be so proud.

Vegan Ultimate Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake is best served with dairy free milk of course!

One of these days I will venture out and get the required ground flax seed (which isn't that expensive) or the Ener G Egg Replacer, but for now sticking to can do no wrong apple cider vinegar, applesauce, or bananas as substitute for shell cracking.
Originally, I did set out to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies, but they failed and not wanting to throw away a big bowl of batter, I scooped the rest into a cake pan and voila! cookie cake happened.
It is the most delicious, yummy, sensational accident ever of cookies meeting cake for a romantic date! With an irresistibly terrific combination- warm chocolate chips, oats, crunchy walnuts, and coconut with a kick of spicy cinnamon, how can it go wrong?
Well, if one slice can calm cravings and almond milk is always on hand, there is no problem....

Vegan Ultimate Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake Ingredients and Preparation

2 1/4 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup coconut oil, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup almond milk
1 cup Enjoy Life Foods mini chocolate chips (or any other dairy free variety)
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (optional)
1 1/2 table apple cider vinegar
pinch of cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare an 8 or 9 inch cake pan with oil.
In a large bowl, sift flour, oats, salt, and baking soda.
Add brown sugar, sugar, vanilla, and almond milk.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Prepare crushed walnuts if larger. I grounded mine with a pestle and mortar.

Add walnuts, coconut, cinnamon, and apple cider vinegar.

Press into pan and bake for 25- 30 minutes. Let cool before transferring onto plate. 

Yes! Plated almost successfully.

Helping myself to one slice. Just one.

One lovely slice.

Just amazing...

But sure would have been great with almond milk. Blah! Why am I always running out of things?