Summer is almost here! It is so close I can almost touch it…only 2 days left for me until that magical and beautiful extended break. I was in the mood for procrastinating experimenting with recipes last week – yes, just call me crazy and silly. I revamped my favorite chewy molasses chocolate chip cookie. Instead of the usual suspects…

With eggs

I wanted to just try to make a version that is vegan friendly. So, after making my own brown sugar (You can do it too, don’t worry! Joy the Baker shows you how) I added that to the melted Earth Balance spread.  I didn’t reach for my eggs however. Oh no! I reached for my favorite flax seeds, ground them up and combined 2 T of ground flax seeds with 6 T of hot water.  Set this in the fridge…you need them to ‘set up’ for up to an hour. When ready combine with your vegan spread and brown sugar mixture.

I proceeded with the usual suspects on the ingredient list: flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla extract, chocolate chips. Really these were so easy to put together! The results? Take a peek!

Note: Chill this dough for 15 minutes prior to baking

Sprinkle a few flakes of salt before you pop these in the oven. Your taste buds will do a happy dance – I pinky swear. And after 13 minutes I was rewarded with…

Made over chocolate chip cookies!

I prefer this version! There is a slightly nutty flavor that is brought out…thanks healthy flax seeds!! You can eat them plain with a glass of soy milk, almond milk, or regular milk. Or you can dress them up and get fancy with it…

Note: ice cream = not so vegan

So go forth and bring these gems to your summer cookout parties. I suspect no one will know the difference.  I will even offer to conduct this experiment first! Tomorrow these cookies are traveling with me to my students on their last day of school. I will let you know how they go over!

In life we all need a bit of balance. So, I suggest you try one more thing to keep your eating healthy side in check! If you crave a caesar salad this summer, do the following instead. Kale with a little olive oil flash grilled.

The great caesar salad switch!

Take a fresh cut lemon wedge and squeeze it all over, adding a little salt and pepper.

Fancy Fake Out

If you love all things kale you will go bonkers for this! Have a great rest of your week! Thanks for reading!