I’ll warn you right up front: you will not be able to stop eating these cookies.  They are so dangerously good that I am going to ban them from my repertoire – for a few months at least.

This week I entered them in a chocolate chip cookie bake-off that was held at my office, and they placed second.  Not bad considering they were up against recipes containing up to two sticks of butter. No one had any clue that they were vegan – and that’s my test for any vegan baked good.

But these cookies come with a mystery attached. The first time I made them, the cookies came out very flat, as you can see in the photo – and the flatness really pleased Francine, my #1 taster. However, when I tried to replicate the recipe later, the cookies weren’t nearly as flat. Figuring out why became an obsession, but after seven batches varying the sugar, oil, baking powder and other factors, I am giving up.  (I think I gained several pounds in the “testing” process!) I’m down to two possible explanations that I may test at a later date, after many hundreds of gym workouts:

– The thin ones were made with Bob’s Red Mill whole wheat pastry flour, while the slightly thicker ones were made with Arrowhead Mills brand, which could be coarser.

– The thin ones were baked on an insulated baking sheet vs. a regular one.

But in the end, it doesn’t much matter  – they are great both ways. Feel free to experiment with this recipe on  your own – if you’re not a vegan, you can use an egg instead of the flax/water mixture, you can try regular chocolate chips, etc.  And do let me know if you solve my cookie mystery!

Chocolate Chunk-Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Cookies

1 tablespoon ground flax seed (flax meal)
2 1/2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup organic canola oil
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted creamy peanut butter – see note
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup rolled oats (optional variation: grind in a food processor)
Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 ounces of 70% dark chocolate, cut into small chunks (you’ll have 1/2 cup)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flax and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for a minute, until a thick, egg-like consistency is achieved. (30 seconds in the microwave will also do the trick.)

Vigorously whisk together the flax mixture, oil, brown sugar, peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla in a bowl.   Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, then fold in the chocolate.

Drop by tablespoonful onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 11-12 minutes, until flat and starting to turn golden on the edges.

NOTE: You need a very creamy peanut butter for this, not a coarsely ground type. Most importantly, make sure the ingredient list is just peanuts and nothing else.

I’m on vacation this week, hanging out at the ol’ country shack (or “The Farm”, as my in-laws call it.)  Like a real farmer, I woke up at 6 and went out to survey my enormous vegetable garden. It was super foggy, but I could see that everything is coming along nicely. (Wondering what to cook with the ridiculous amount of  kale I’m growing!)  After playing with the dogs a bit, I decided I deserved some pancakes.

I turned to my standby recipe, “Ethereal Buttermilk Oatmeal Pancakes”  from Crescent Dragonwagon’s Passionate Vegetarian. The secret is the stiffly beaten egg whites folded in at the end. For today’s version, I used all whole wheat pastry flour rather than a mix of flours as Crescent suggests, and threw in some chopped pecans for crunch. I also left out one of the egg yolks, to reduce the saturated fat. Always have to look out for my damn cholesterol. (But if I get some more of the beautiful just-laid eggs from the neighbor down the road, I’m definitely going to splurge on an omelet later this week.)

Eating homemade pancakes topped with organic berries, while looking out onto the fields and listening to the birds….I really am on vacation.

Oatmeal Pecan Pancakes

4 tablespoons dried buttermilk powder (see note)
2 1/4 cups water
1 tablespoon organic canola oil
1 egg yolk
3/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
6 tablespoons chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 large egg whites

Combine the buttermilk powder, water, oats and canola oil in a medium bowl, and stir with a fork until the powder dissolves.  Set aside for 30 minutes. Add egg yolk and stir well.

Combine the dry ingredients and pecans in a large bowl, then add the buttermilk-oat mixture, stirring only until combined. In a smaller bowl with high sides, beat the egg whites until stiff. Gently fold them into the batter.

Spray a pancake griddle with cooking oil spray and heat over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to medium and drop batter onto the pan using a ladle. Cook until the bottoms are golden and bubbles appear on the top. Flip and cook for another couple minutes. Serve with real maple syrup and fresh berries.

Note: I highly recommend dried buttermilk powder, because you’ll always have it on hand – and I never seem to use a whole quart of buttermilk when I buy it.  But if you want to use fresh buttermilk, just use 2 1/4 cups instead of the powder and water called for here.

Serves 4