Almond-Chocolate Chip Cookies and Why We Need to Get Angry
It’s hard to find the words…
It’s impossible to write a post today overlooking the horror that this past weekend held. I tried to write how delicious these cookies are; I tried to wax on about how they’re vegan and you can’t even tell… I really did want to talk about the cool ingredient I used in them—aquafaba. But I just can’t.
Because this sucks. And I know we are all feeling the same pain.
Something has to change—this much is apparent. Tragedies like what happened in Orlando this weekend are unimaginably heartbreaking, and they also make us feel angry. I think that love—love for each other as fellow humans, compassion, and unending sympathy are emotions we should make so much room for right now. But that anger is also important—it can be a catalyst for change. Let’s get angry. Let’s get angry that this shit keeps happening.
Lets get really fucking angry that every time, this country refuses to accept that the problem is HERE. It’s rooted deep in our own country/land/beliefs, as a nation. Let’s get angry that the most prevalent headline in this latest massacre is “GUNMAN HAD TIES TO ISIS,” and not that he was approved for his weapons here in America… that his hatred for LGBTQ people was cultivated HERE IN AMERICA. Let’s get angry that this has somehow turned into an argument for why we need more guns (seriously…what the fuck).
And no. I’m not going to censor my words or feelings in this post, because I am angry, and sad, and utterly ripped apart by the hypocrisy, hate, and sheer ignorance on display. This world is massive, and beautiful, and home to billions of people of all kinds—and 1/3rd of mass shootings happen here in America.
The issue here is hardly “ISIS.” The issue here is our own country’s bigotry against LGBTQ issues. I saw a post this week that summed up some of my emotions well: “I literally never want to hear again that LGBTQ people in the bathroom are a threat to public safety.” SO MUCH THAT!
The other issue here is the absolute frequency with which mass shootings are happening IN THIS COUNTRY. This is our shit that we have to own. Stop blaming different cultures/places/people/”others.”
And yes, this is a food blog. But this is my food blog. And I can’t not share the words trying to burst forth from my heart and mind regarding issues like this, and these are things we have to talk about as a society. We need to take action.
And we can still have time for cookies… because cookies—especially chocolate chip (with almonds in this case)—are comfort food.
(I’ll talk more about aquafaba another time. For now, all you need to know is that it’s the juice that you drain out of a can of beans, and it has a chemical makeup similar to an egg. It sounds gross, but is a miracle ingredient.)
PrintAlmond-Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yield: 20 cookies
Ingredients:
- 8 and 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 5 ounces vegan butter (like Earth Balance)
- 5 ounces brown sugar
- 4 ounces granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp aquafaba (the strained liquid from a can of garbanzo beans or white beans)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 8 ounces vegan dark chocolate, roughly chopped
- 2 ounces sliced almonds
- fleur de sel or sea salt, for sprinkling
Directions:
- Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the vegan butter and sugars together until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add in the aquafaba and vanilla and mix for 5 more minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined (about 5 to 10 seconds). Finally, add in the chocolate pieces and almonds.
- Scoop large balls of dough onto a lined baking sheet (I use a large cookie scoop), putting only 6 mounds of dough on each sheet pan. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake cookies until golden brown (about 18 to 20 minutes). When they come out of the oven, sprinkle with the sea salt. Cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes and then transfer cookies to a wire rack for further cooling.
