I think the true test of a vegan cookie is to ask yourself, "would I buy these in the store without even thinking about it if I saw them?" Often I pass by vegan baked items in health food stores and remember them, but they many of them don't strike a chord to give me that reaction. Michelle's cookies are different. The next time I see them in a store, they're going to end up in my basket before I even get a chance to think about it because they're so good.

The Chokolada Chip Almond is my favorite because it's loaded with chocolate chips, almond chunks and has a delightful hearty crunch when you bite into it. After eating it, I realized it was a gluten-free cookie which blew my mind. I don't think I've ever had a gluten-free cookie I've actually liked but this one was better than most gluten based cookies I've tried. Truly a triumph! I also tried Chokolada Chip which is a gluten based cookie without the almonds. This is a really honest to goodness tasty crispy chocolate chip cookie. The Oatmeal Cranberry Passion is nice and soft and I love how Michelle combines the flavors of cranberries with the oats.

Another thing I liked about Michelle's Naturally is now the cookies tasted like they were baked in a real kitchen and not a factory production line. Only minimally processed ingredients are used like olive oil, fruit juice concentrates in most cases and organic flax seeds.

Hi Katie,

This is probably a typo on my part as I posted the recipe after it was submitted. I'm so sorry you spent time and money and it didn't work out due to my mistake. I'm also sorry to thesweetlife because her recipe looks awesome and it should have worked out if only I would have not made that mistake. Nevertheless, I've updated the recipe to reflect 1/2 teaspoon so this won't happen again in the future.

Hello all,

I just revised this recipe based on Mike's input (thanks Mike!). I reduced sugar to 3/4 of a cup, added lemon juice to enhance flavor and allow the beets to retain their red color while baked and simplified the preparation steps slightly. I now confidently recommend these muffins.

Hi Cactus, I know exactly what you mean. I have a joke that roasted cashew butter smells like 'pet'. Think of this the next time you smell it- it's pretty funny. Raw cashew butter works better as a base for vegan ice creams than anything else I've been able to find. The problem is that it's so hard to find and roasted cashew butter doesn't really work. This is why all of my new ice cream recipes are based on raw cashews which are easy to find.

Thanks for stressing the issues you had with roasted cashew butter and bringing this to everyone's attention! I've updated the recipe to stress using raw cashew butter and to not use roasted cashew butter. I may rework this recipe with Jackie in the future for raw cashews and save everyone the hassle of looking for raw cashew butter.

I was so excited to learn there was a recently opened vegan gourmet chocolatier in NYC. I headed over there after work recently and ended up getting a box of chocolates for my girlfriend for Valentine's Day. Of course I got a few truffles from myself and quickly found that Cocoa V's chocolates are edible works of art. Everything from Pecan Praline to Key Lime truffles were amazing. I have yet to have one of their chocolates that isn't mind-blowing. The staff was super helpful and friendly.

The prices were pretty high but that's what you get when you offer exclusively organic and fair-trade products. Slave labor is cheap, knowing better is a little more expensive. Slavery and chocolate go hand so it's important to support businesses that sell Fair Trade products and Cocoa V's quality chocolates makes it an afterthought.

Cocoa V also has a wine bar next door that serves food and does chocolate pairings. Yes you read that right: chocolate and wine pairings. Under the same roof? I think I may have found heaven in NYC.

Let me tell ya, these are bomb. Super easy to make even after you've been sipping on the camping whiskey for a little too long. It's all about caramelized bananas, toasted walnuts, coconut and melted chocolate.