Vegan chocolate-chip cookies for dessert on Meatless Monday

​​No one's saying you have to go meatless just because it's Monday -- but as an incentive to join the growing Meatless Monday movement, we're featuring an animal-free recipe each week.

Using the words "vegan" and "dessert" in the same sentence inevitably makes some people shudder. These cookies should cure that: They're proof that you can have your plant-based dessert and eat it, too.

This recipe is modified for mile-high baking; if you're not in Denver, cut back on the flour by about 1/2 a cup.

You will need:

1 cup non-dairy butter (Earth Balance brand is best -- buy the sticks)
softened egg replacer -- the equivalent of three eggs, with water (follow the directions on the package). Bob's Red Mill is a good option that you can find at health-food stores and even some regular grocery stores.
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup nondairy chocolate chips

Soften the butter by leaving it at room temperature for an hour or two.

When it's properly softened -- easily molded, but not melting -- preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease a cookie sheet (or, for easier clean-up, line it with parchment paper.)

1. Measure out enough egg-replacement powder for three eggs into a small bowl (for Bob's Red Mill, that would be three tablespoons).

Add the appropriate amount of water (for Bob's Red Mill, three tablespoons of water per egg -- nine tablespoons total) to the egg-replacement powder and whisk until creamy.