Raw Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

How are you doing this Monday morning (or Sunday night for the night owls)?  So what went down over the weekend?  I need some stories! 

Saturday I busted a hump around the house and went to a block party which was kinda lame.  Sunday I went to Victoria's Secret for some much needed necessities.  After having a baby and nursing for years, I really felt like I needed to buy some pretty things.  Girls, you know what I'm talking about when you just need to feel pretty.  

I realize that VS may not be the height of quality or anything, but it sure was nice getting some items for The Girls.  I had not been in that store in years.  Yes, years.  I needed a Cliff's Notes on Bra-Buying because there were a million styles, lifts, shapings, paddings, you name it...But clue me in on your fave goodies from VS!  

In addition to the lingerie, I picked up two body sprays.  Love my body sprays, chemicals and all.  They were just unpacking their Christmas merchandise, you know, before Halloween, and the red spray is a Creme Brulee, Vanilla, & Starfruit scent and the pink is Candy Baby, basically cotton candy in a bottle.  So I'm thinking between the lingerie and the body sprays, I'm pretty edible.   TMI, sorry.

But enough girl talk, and onto the grub!  I am really glad you enjoyed the Highlights of the Week post from yesterday.  Thanks for sharing what other languages you can speak or wish you could speak, too.  For anyone who's just getting up to speed, recently I decided to implement a Highlight Post that hits over the weekend recapping my previous week's eats-n-treats, because I've been told I'm hard to keep up with in the recipe department.  Check it out if you missed it!

 

And I also gave another version of my Kale Chip Recipe yesterday in the Highlights Reel, too.

But moving onto today...
Over the years there has been a particular recipe for Raw Chocolate Chip Cookies floating around.  The Sunny Raw Kitchen featured it ages ago, then I saw it pop up on the Raw Goddess' Blog.  Recently Angela did a Guest Post on Gina's Blog and posted her version there.

Don't get me wrong, those ladies made that particular recipe look awesome, but I am really picky about when, where, and how I use coconut or coconut oil and that version calls for it.   It tends to overpower all the other flavors and that's all I taste so I need to be careful about when I use it.  So, I knew I needed to create my own recipe sans coconut. 

And, it's one of my best recipes ever, and I will explain more on that in a bit, but first I present you with:

Averie's Raw Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls
2/3 c raw cashews
1/3 c oats
2 Tbsp Agave
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup (Omit and use Agave to preserve true Raw Status if you care)

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 c Chocolate Chips (or to preserve true raw status, take 2 Tbsp Raw Cocoa Powder and add 1 Tbsp Agave, optional dash of vanilla extract, whisk and blend.  Spread into a thin layer on wax or parchment paper, freeze.  Take frozen chocolate off parchment and crumble the shreds into the mixture as your raw "chips".)
Recipe Yields: Approximately 17 Cookie Dough Balls

Take Oats & Cashews and get ready to Blend in your VitaCookieMaker

After you have your Oat-n-Cashew Flour...

...To it Add the Agave, Maple, & Vanilla Extract

Blend Again

Tip for Vita-Mix Users: You know you have "The Right Consistency" of Dough when the dough starts to ball up like a tennis ball and bangs around from side to side in the canister.  I have learned this through trial and error and wanted to pass along my wisdom.  Once you see The Ball (what I am talking about is in the above photo) start whipping around, Stop Blending.  You have reached Perfect Dough Consistency Status.

Add the Chocolate Chips (or the Raw Chocolate Chips like I told you how to make)

Either Stir them in By Hand, of a 5 Second Blend in the VitaCookie (or Food Processor)

Transfer Dough Blob to plate or working surface.  Tip: If for some reason your dough was too sticky, gummy, runny, or unworkable, refrigerate for a half hour and you should be back in business.

Roll Into Cute Raw Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls.  I yielded 17 Balls from this Recipe.  Clearly, not an exact science but that's what I got. 

 The Pretty Raw Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

Pretty is nice.  But they are freakin' amazing.  I am not just saying that, either.

Optional Tweaks:
Add a dusting of cocoa powder, carob powder, or powdered sugar to the finished balls
Roll in raw cocoa nibs or shredded coconut
Rather than adding in chocolate chips, add raisins instead and add a dash of cinnamon to the batter for Oatmeal-Cinnamon-Raisin Raw Cookie Dough Balls
Flatten or mold into larger cookie shapes
Dehydrate for a more "cooked tasting" version of a chocolate chip cookie.  But gawd I love the raw dough taste so this is out for me!

Now I wanted to touch on about why this may be one of my best dessert recipes ever!  For me, a recipe has to encompass many things if I am going to actually make it and then continue making it as it becomes a go-to favorite.

Some of those recipe elements include:
1. Easy.  The less steps the better.
2. Time Involved.  If I cannot make the entire thing from walking into my pantry to grab the dry goods to the last dish is dried and put away 30 minutes later then I am probably not going to make it.  I have a life outside of the kitch, too. 
3. One appliance.  For me, this is my VitaGod.  For you, it may be your food processor.  Dehydrated food is lovely, but it can be a lonnnnng wait and too much advance planning.  And also the amount of dishes involved factors in here too.  If you need a whisk, spoon, spatula, mixer beaters, Vita canisters, dehydrator screens, 7 bowls, forget it.  One Appliance Please.
4. Very simple and short ingredient list.  Nothing exotic.  Nothing too expensive.  
5. Taste.  Must be excellent and if it's a raw approximation of Something Else, it's gotta taste like the Something Else it's trying to be otherwise why bother.  Just eat the Something Else or skip it entirely.  Unless I can make a raw approximation that is spot-on in the flavor department, I'd rather just not have it.

These Raw Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls have all of items 1 through 5.  And using the above as my criteria, the cookie dough balls are in company with these other Raw Vegan Desserts I have created that also encompass items 1 through 5:

Raw Vegan Donut Holes

Raw Vegan Chocolate Donut Holes

Raw Vegan Apple Crumble

 

VeganMofo in the house today.
    

Yoga Today is Kapotasana (King Pigeon Pose).  Please do not try this unless your back is thoroughly warmed up as well as your quads.  It goes without saying that yoga is not a competition and so please don't force yourself into a pose "that Averie can do".  Averie has had a daily practice for the last ten years.  I just don't want you to hurt yourself, my loves!

Tip of the Day:  Shannon of Tropical Eats has meggggga loot to Give Away, check her out!


And All my raw baking tips that I just gave you in the recipe!  Now go make yourself some of these Raw Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

What's your biggest milestone or accomplishment that you want to take a billboard out and tell the world about? You can use the comments here as your billboard, go ahead, tell me about it!  One of mine would be becoming a mother and another would be becoming a yoga teacher, a decade before yoga became quite as trendy and common as it is now.  What are your bragging rights?


Stay Tuned For Vegan Chocolate & PB Chex Mix...