Although there are so many delicious cookies out there, nothing is better than homemade freshly baked chewy chocolate chip cookies. When creating these, I wanted to come up with a cookie that included oats and walnuts to make the cookies texturally interesting, but that would still resemble a chocolate chip cookie. These cookies have a lovely taste of chocolate and molasses, are easy to make, and overall are utterly delightful. 

INGREDIENTS (Yields about 22 cookies)

• 1/2 Cup vegan butter
• 1 Cup of store-bought brown sugar (or 1 cup of white sugar + 1 1/2 tsp. molasses)
• 1/3 Cup unsweetened original almond milk
• 1 Tsp. Vanilla extract
• A small drop of maple extract (1/8 tsp. or less)
• 1 1/2 Cups of spelt flour
• 1 1/2 Cups + 2 tbsp. gluten-free oats
• 1 Tsp. baking soda
• 1 Tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 Tsp. salt 
• 1/2 Cup vegan chocolate chips
• 1/2 Cup crumbled walnuts

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. If making brown sugar from scratch, add the molasses and sugar together in a bowl, and mix until the molasses is evenly blended, and the sugar mixture is fluffy. I personally think that homemade brown sugar produces a stronger, more interesting taste. 
3. Add the vegan butter in the same bowl as the brown sugar and mix for a minute or so until evenly combined and fluffy.
4. Add the almond milk, vanilla extract, and maple extract into the bowl and thoroughly mix.
5. In a separate bowl mix together the spelt flour, gluten-free oats, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
6. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, and then fold in the chocolate morsels and crumbled walnuts.
7. Roll into tablespoon-sized balls, place them on a greased cookie sheet, and gently press on each one to flatten them out a bit.  
8. Bake for 7-12 minutes, or until golden brown. It is okay if the cookies appear somewhat soft when they come out of the oven, as they will slightly harden as they cool.
9. Serve immediately, or store in an air tight container for up to about 5 days.