The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap - Chocolate Espresso Oat Cookies

I haven’t been blogging much lately...

I have an enormous backlog of photos and stories that I want to share; however with fitting in Uni around working full-time and various other commitments, I have been struggling to find the time!! Now with Christmas only thirteen sleeps away and exactly one week until Kitty & I fly out for our 5 week adventure around North America, I am again struggling to find the time!

I thought that being part of The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2012 might encourage me to start blogging again! It did encourage me to bake a variety of different cookies because my indecisive self couldn't choose what cookie would be best to send! Did I want to make them Christmas themed? Chocolate flavoured? With some kind of fruit? I knew they had to survive the trip to the eastern states, and make it there without melting in the middle of the Australian summer… However, the blogging side of all this baking didn't quite happen!

I bought The Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar in February 2011 just before I went through my Vegan phase, and was still yet to make anything from it! So this was the perfect opportunity!!

I settled on the Chocolate Espresso Oat Cookies after much deliberation, list making and baking a few different recipes. After narrowing it down to two recipes, I asked work colleagues to vote for their favourite! I’ll post the recipe that didn't make it to the Cookie Swap early next year once I'm back from my holiday, but until then here is the recipe for the Chocolate Espresso Oat Cookies. I hope that my matches (Cookie Queen Kitsch'n, Gourmet Getaways and Belly Rumbles) enjoyed the cookies as much as I enjoyed baking them!!!

Chocolate Espresso Oat Cookies

Makes 24 Cookies

Recipe adapted from: Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar: 100 Dairy-Free Recipes for Everyone's Favorite Treats written by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero

Ingredients

1/2 cup almond milk

1/2 cup canola oil

2 tablespoons ground flax seeds

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2/3 cup plain flour

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons instant espresso powder

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups oats

3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius. Line baking trays with baking paper.

In a large bowl, mix together almond milk, oil, flax seeds, brown sugar and sugar until smooth. 

Sift in flour, cinnamon, espresso powder, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.

 Add the oats and chocolate chips and stir until all ingredients are moistened.

 Drop generous tablespoons of dough onto baking trays.

Bake for 15 minutes, until cookies are slightly puffed and the edges appear dry. Let the cookies cool on baking trays, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Recipe Card!

Here's one you can save and print out later!