Chickpea Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

Wet:

• 1 tbsp flaxseed meal
• 1.5 Tbsp water
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp molasses, or use maple syrup and use brown sugar instead of cane
• 1/3 cup cane sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup oil, organic canola or safflower or extra virgin olive oil

Dry:

• 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp chickpea flour, garbanzo bean flour, or use Besan (gram flour) **
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 Tbsp almond flour, ground almonds or ground up pumpkin/sunflower seeds for Nutfree
• a good pinch of salt
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

Steps

1. Combine the flaxseed meal with water and leave for 5 minutes.
2. Mix in the remaining wet ingredients until thoroughly combined; allow a minute for the oil to incorporate.
3. Mix in 3/4 cup chickpea flour and the rest of the dry ingredients to make a stiff batter. Fold in the chocolate chips; use as much chocolate as you like, as chips, chunks or chopped.
4. Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour to overnight. Check the mixture: if too sticky or batter-like, fold in another 1 to 3 teaspoon chickpea flour. This takes a little effort because the dough will have thickened.
5. Line the baking sheet with parchment and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F / 180ºc.
6. Scoop onto the baking sheet. For large cookies, use a big spoon and loosely shape into a 1.5 inch ball. Sprinkle coarse salt on top for salted chocolate chip cookies and leave at least 2 inches between cookies on the sheet. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes or until spread and beginning to turn golden at the edges. For crunchier cookies, bake a minute longer.
7. Take the sheet from the oven and lightly slam it on the counter to release excess air from the cookies.
8. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the sheet, then cool another few minutes before serving. They are softer while warm and become chewier as they cool.