Butterless Walnut Chocolate Chunkers #CreativeCookieExchange

Last weekend my house was filled to bursting with everything sweet and rich - aromas of buttery shortbread, spicy gingerbread, dried fruit and nuts macerated in wine, creamy fudge and pounds of both milk and bittersweet chocolate. Blocks of butter were perpetually out on the countertop to soften and the oven was on so much that my mom wanted to open the windows to cool off the kitchen - crazy in the -20C chill!

While butter, and dairy in general, are definitely heavy hitters in the holiday baking game, a lot of my friends and some of my family are avoiding milk and milk products - some are lactose intolerant, others outright allergic, still others vegan for ethical reasons. For them, the glory of the annual shortbread marathon is lost, along with the caramels, fudge, truffles and brioche. For them (and everyone else at the annual get-together on Christmas Eve), I whipped up a batch of these rather fancy, "grown up" chocolate chunk cookies. In lieu of butter, I chose a combination of canola and rich walnut oil, amplifying the flavour with minced walnuts and garnishing everything with chopped, high quality, super-dark chocolate. Like the Full of Secrets Chocolate Chip Cookies, they contained mayonnaise and custard powder to create and maintain the perfect balance of chewiness and tenderness.

Nuts in cookies are a tradition celebrated all over the world--and Creative Cookie Exchange has joined the party!

You can also use us as a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! Also, if you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made:

• Honey Mixed Nut Bars from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Butterless Walnut Chocolate Chunkers from What Smells So Good?
• Almond Linzer Cookies from Spiceroots
• Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti from Oven Delights
• Pistachio, Rosewater and Cardamom Shortbread Cookies from A Shaggy Dough Story
• Salted Chocolate Pecan Caramel Bars from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Pistachio Cranberry Rugelach from A Baker's House
• White Chocolate Cranberry Nut Cookies from 2 Cookin Mamas
• Biarritz Sandwich Cookies from The Spiced Life

Butterless Walnut Chocolate Chunkers
Makes ~16

1 oz walnut oil
2 oz canola oil
⅓ cup light brown sugar, packed
⅓ cup sugar
1 ½ tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp butter extract
Pinch salt
Pinch nutmeg
½ cup flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp custard powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ cup chopped chocolate or chocolate discs
¼ cup finely chopped walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, beat together the oils, sugars, mayonnaise, extracts, salt and nutmeg.
3. Add flours, custard powder and baking soda, mixing well.
4. Fold in the chocolate and walnuts.
5. Scoop 2-tbsp balls of dough and place them on the baking sheet about 2” apart.
6. Bake 9-11 minutes, until the edges are golden.
7. Cool on the sheets.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 155.0
Total Fat: 9.3 g
Cholesterol: 0.4 mg
Sodium: 9.1 mg
Total Carbs: 18.8 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.0 g
Protein: 1.5 g