Lazy Chocolate-Chip Cookie-Maker Louise

The annoying thing about googling recipes is that Google never knows exactly what you want. If I want a chocolate chip cookie recipe that is super-easy, with limited ingredients, but not too few ingredients, with no nuts, that can easily be adapted as vegan, Google is clueless. I hate having to hunt through ten million recipes to make something so simple as a chocolate chip cookie.

After about 40 minutes' search, I finally found a recipe that fit all my criteria from  Paris Loves Pastry. I used the Sweet William chocolate chips for the first time, which are good, but a little milky for me. I would prefer the Tropical Source dark chips, but I haven't actually seen them for years (they used to sell them in a Jewish grocery in balaclava...so if anyone knows somewhere in Melbourne where I can find them, please let me know!)

This recipe does not produce the best cookie I've tasted - it's a bit heavy on the oil - but it did the trick and cured my mid-week choc-chip cookie craving.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup-ish- chocolate chips
2/3 cup canola oil (a bit less wouldn't hurt)
1/4 cup soy milk
1 tsp vanilla


Preheat the over to 170' C.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients. Slowly add the wet mixture to the dry, and mix until combined. Form into small balls and smush them onto a baking sheet about an inch and a half apart.

Bake for about 10-15 minutes, depending on the accuracy of your oven. Remove from the oven, let rest about five minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack if you have one.

Best served with whole soy milk!

Breakfast Again!: Waffles with Caramelised Bananas

My waffle maker is my new best friend. Though I'm not really a big fan of sweet breakfasts, I can never pass up a good waffle. I happily got this maker for free, and it's okay, but if I was purchasing one, I would probably stay away from the Breville machine (it's a bit flimsy) and go for a Belgian-style maker.

This recipe is simple, but not too sweet - and makes the waffles nice and fluffy! Makes about 8 waffles.

Ingredients for the waffle batter:

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 3/4 cup soy milk
• egg replacer equivalent to 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla

Combine the dry ingredients into one bowl and mix with a fork to get rid of any large lumps. Combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl and slowly pour the wet into the dry, stirring after every 1/2 cup. The batter shouldn't have too many lumps, but on the other hand, shouldn't be over-stirred. Let this sit while you prepare the bananas.

Ingredients for the bananas:

• 2 ripe yellow bananas 
• 1.5 tbsp Nuttelex
• 1.5 tbsp brown sugar
• 1tbsp Kahlua (optional)

Combine the Nuttelex and sugar and melt for about 20 seconds in the microwave, until soft. Blend together and add the Kahlua, if you're using it.  Cut the bananas into slices, either lengthways or longways, whichever you prefer. Add the bananas to the butter/sugar/Kahlua mixture and coat. These should then be cooked in a frypan over med-high heat for about 4 minutes on each side, until brown and caramelised but not burnt.

While these are cooking, you can make the waffles according to the instructions on your waffle maker. 

If you're making a ton of waffles like I did a couple of weekends ago at a waffle party I hosted, keep them in one layer on a cookie sheet in your oven with the heat on low to keep them warm and crispy until ready for serving.

Pile your finished waffles up with fresh sliced strawberries, the caramelised bananas, maple syrup, veg bacon and whipped cream, if you like (my Soyatoo! sadly went mouldy after being open for two weeks so I had to bin it.)