CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1 cup vegan margarine, at room temperature

1 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons real vanilla extract

2 cups unbleached flour

½ teaspoon non-aluminum baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup cold water

1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips (Tropical Source brand peanut butter choc chips are best!)

1 cup chopped walnut meats (optional, I guess; I rarely use ‘em)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. With an electric mixer, beat the margarine until smooth. Add the sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until well blended. Mix in the baking powder, salt and flour and beat thoroughly. Add the water and continue to beat. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts, mixing well with a spoon. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls, place carefully on the cookie sheet and press down to flatten to about one-half inch thick. (Cookies will spread very little during baking) Bake for 10 minutes, then remove with a spatula to a wire rack to cool.

Hey now, isn’t that easy? In no time at all you’ll have a plateful of wonderful yummy chocolate chip cookies to devour! Exercise caution with the electric mixer though – I think that too much whipping makes the cookies slightly more airy and cakelike than I’d like them, but they still rock. And the peanut butter chocolate chips really are the secret ingredient, if you can find them. The Green Star Co-op and Deli in Ithaca, NY is the best place to find them. Mostly because I can’t remember the name of the co-op in Vermont where my parents have also seen them.