VEGAN GARLIC CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Steps:

• 1. Drop garlic cloves into boiling water for about 5 minutes (more for big cloves) until tender; peel cloves and chop, then soak in 1/2 cup maple syrup for 20 to 30 minutes. 2. Put garlic and syrup in a strainer and squeeze out the maple syrup. (Get rid of this maple syrup or save it in the fridge to add to a stir fry or something.) 3. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). 4. In a bowl, sift in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the sugar* and salt, and stir until well combined. 5. In a separate bowl, combine fresh maple syrup (2/3 cup)** with the molasses and vanilla, then stir in the shortening and coconut oil. Use a hand blender to combine the shortening with the liquid ingredients well. 6. Add the strained garlic and blend until well combined. 7. Add the wet mixture to the dry, along with the chocolate chips, and stir through until just well combined (do not overmix). 8. Shape dough with hands into cookie shape and place on a baking sheet. Unlike a lot of vegan cookies, these do spread out a bit, so make them a bit smaller than you want the final cookies and give them some space on the sheet. 9. Bake for 12 minutes, until just golden.*** 10. Let cool on the cookie sheet for no more than 1 minute, then transfer to a cooling rack. *You could probably get away with no sugar at all since the maple syrup makes these cookies super sweet. **I guess you could use the discarded maple syrup from the garlic here, but it might make your cookies muy garlicy. ***If they're still looking a little anemic, 13 minutes might be OK. My cookies were pretty soft and crumbly inside after 12 min, so a little extra time might make them hang together better.