Nutty Buddy Cookies

This recipe started out as Bobby Flay's decadent chocolate chip cookies. Just for me. Until I realized I was out of CHOCOLATE CHIPS! Sort of an important ingredient. I ended up throwing in whole wheat flour, flax meal and lots of nuts and made them kid friendly and dairy-free. They were nutty and cake like. A huge hit at the park for a homeschool playdate.

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup of Earth's Balance
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup flax seed meal
1 cup chopped nuts - mix of walnuts, pecans and almonds
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicon pads.

Whisk together the flours, salt, flax seed and baking soda in a large bowl.

Place the butter in the bowl on an electric stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the sugars and continue mixing, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes longer. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and the vanilla extract, beating until incorporated.

Add half of the flour and mix until just incorporated. Add the remaining flour, again mixing until just combined. Remove the bowl from the stand and fold in the nuts.

Using a small ice cream scoop, spoon the dough onto a baking sheet, leaving at least 2 inches between each cookie and bake on the middle rack until the cookies are lightly golden brown and still soft in the middle, about 10 minutes. Let cookies rest for 2 minutes on the baking sheet before removing them to a baking rack with a wide metal spatula. Let the cookies cool on the baking rack for a few minutes before eating. Repeat with remaining dough. Made about 2 dozen big puffy cookies.