Ask Veg Baker, J.D., The Thanksgiving Special, Continues!
As I mentioned in my last post, I am also bringing a tray of cookies. It's no real secret that I love to share desserts, but there is another practical reason for bringing dessert to a holiday or potluck dinner - when you've arrived, you're all done! No need to reheat, take up space in the kitchen, or worry that your dish is getting cold or messed up. You can deliver the final product, confident in its taste and presentation.
This year, I will be bringing three cookies on my tray: the chocolate caramel bars and sparkled ginger cookies, which I've previously written about, and a new cookie from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar: carrot cake cookies.
Why carrot cake cookies? A couple of reasons, actually. First, I love bringing cakes and cupcakes to parties, but sometimes, it's just not practical. When you've got a hankering for cake but the inability to deliver, I think these cookies are a good compromise.
These cookies are also great because, when fall rolls around, I feel like there are certain flavors I crave, including squash, pumpkins, apples, and root vegetables. I think carrot cake is perfect at this time of year because it incorporates carrots with all of the favorite Thanksgiving spices. It truly brings together the best of the season. The cookies are convenient because you get all of those flavors in an easy portable version.
Finally, I've also got a selfish motive. Greg's favorite cake is carrot cake, but he rarely eats it because he hates cream cheese frosting, which is the typical topping on his beloved slice. I think his distaste for cream cheese frosting makes him a weirdo, even if he's a cute weirdo. :) That's neither here nor there, though, because cream cheese frosting is decidedly not vegan, and I haven't come up with a vegan frosting yet. What's a girl to do? Bring in the cookies!
The original recipe called for a lemon glaze frosting. I'm sure that's probably delicious and all, but I didn't make it, because I didn't think the cookies needed it. In addition, these cookies have the added bonus of tasting better when they've cooled. That's at least what my official cookie tester Greg told me, and I think there's something to that. When the cookies came straight out of the oven, he said they were good and had one. The next morning, he ate four more and in between mouthfuls said he thought they were irresistible at their "equilibrium" state. That said, if you're looking for a tasty dessert that doesn't need reheating, these cookies have mass appeal.
Happy cooking and eating everyone, and most importantly, Happy Thanksgiving!
Carrot Cake Cookies (adapted from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar)
Yields: 3 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
1/3 c. soy milk
1 Tbsp. ground flaxseeds
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. orange zest
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. shredded or grated carrots (if you have a food processor or stand mixed attachment, it makes this a cinch! Otherwise, a hand grater will work)
1/2 c. unsweetened shredded coconut
1 - 1 3/4 c. raisins (depends on your raisin preference; go as heavy or light as you like)
1) Combine soymilk, flaxseeds, oil, sugars, zest, and vanilla until well combined.
2) Gradually add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, and until just combined.
3) Mix in carrots, coconut and raisins.
4) Using an ice cream scoop or two spoons (two spoons are probably best; the dough is sticky and sometimes the scoop doesn't cooperate), scoop dough into little balls by the tablespoonful onto a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper.
5) Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 14-16 minutes. Remove from oven and rest on baking sheet for 10 minutes before cooling on cooling racks completely.
a peek into one blogger's vegan lifestyle, from cooking and baking to parenthood and family life to making vegan choices as a working professional, and everything in between
Showing posts with label Cookies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cookies. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Cookies Are Officially Okay For Breakfast
I realize the big theme in my last few posts has been about my love for Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. I promise, I have a mental stockpile of recipes from other cookbooks I want to try and from childhood which I'm working on veganizing. My love for this book is fairly rapturous, though, so I appreciate your patience while I'm working through this particular love affair.
As with many relationships, there is initial phase of complete infatuation, and the more you learn about one another, the more different twists and turns emerge that could lead to an even deeper love. This happened to me yesterday with Vegan Cookies. Why? Because there are suggestions for making breakfast cookies. As I have previously written, I feel strongly that there is no discernible difference between eating a donut and eating dessert for breakfast. This doesn't mean that I am ripping on the almighty donut; rather, why aren't we recognizing the potential that dessert has to offer at other meals?
Enter Vegan Cookies and the authors' dedication to providing some breakfast cookie recipes. Score. Now I should note that they have written a recipe for banana oatmeal breakfast cookies, but that is not the recipe I've adapted below. Rather, they have a recipe for "banana everything" cookies, with a suggestion for making it breakfast friendly. I took it a little further and added dried fruit. I think there are other ways it can be "breakfasted" as well and I might update the recipe in the future, but I think this is pretty darn tasty on its own right now.
RECIPE UPDATE: I made another batch and tried to give them more of a healthy twist so Greg could bring a snack to work, and I think I was met with success! I've updated the recipe below; there are just simple swaps that can be made, so for the "healthier" version, I've put the swap in the ingredient list in parentheses.
Banana Oatmeal Raisin Flaxseed Cookies (adapted from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar)
Yields: 2 1/2 -3 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
1 banana, peeled and mashed
1/3 c. canola oil (or applesauce)
2/3 c. sugar (or raw sugar)
1 tsp. vanilla
Just a little shy of one cup of flour (or 1/2 c. whole wheat flour + 1/2 c. soy flour, or 1 c. whole wheat flour if you think soy flour is freaky)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp. ground flaxseeds
2 c. oats
1/2 - 3/4 c. raisins, optional
1) Mix the banana, oil (or applesauce), sugar, and vanilla until well combined. Add flour, soda, cinnamon, and flaxseeds gradually, until just mixed. Mix in oats and, if desired, raisins.
2) Using a cookie scoop or tablespoons, make a small cookie ball and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes, then cool completely on wire rack.
As with many relationships, there is initial phase of complete infatuation, and the more you learn about one another, the more different twists and turns emerge that could lead to an even deeper love. This happened to me yesterday with Vegan Cookies. Why? Because there are suggestions for making breakfast cookies. As I have previously written, I feel strongly that there is no discernible difference between eating a donut and eating dessert for breakfast. This doesn't mean that I am ripping on the almighty donut; rather, why aren't we recognizing the potential that dessert has to offer at other meals?
Enter Vegan Cookies and the authors' dedication to providing some breakfast cookie recipes. Score. Now I should note that they have written a recipe for banana oatmeal breakfast cookies, but that is not the recipe I've adapted below. Rather, they have a recipe for "banana everything" cookies, with a suggestion for making it breakfast friendly. I took it a little further and added dried fruit. I think there are other ways it can be "breakfasted" as well and I might update the recipe in the future, but I think this is pretty darn tasty on its own right now.
RECIPE UPDATE: I made another batch and tried to give them more of a healthy twist so Greg could bring a snack to work, and I think I was met with success! I've updated the recipe below; there are just simple swaps that can be made, so for the "healthier" version, I've put the swap in the ingredient list in parentheses.
Banana Oatmeal Raisin Flaxseed Cookies (adapted from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar)
Yields: 2 1/2 -3 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
1 banana, peeled and mashed
1/3 c. canola oil (or applesauce)
2/3 c. sugar (or raw sugar)
1 tsp. vanilla
Just a little shy of one cup of flour (or 1/2 c. whole wheat flour + 1/2 c. soy flour, or 1 c. whole wheat flour if you think soy flour is freaky)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp. ground flaxseeds
2 c. oats
1/2 - 3/4 c. raisins, optional
1) Mix the banana, oil (or applesauce), sugar, and vanilla until well combined. Add flour, soda, cinnamon, and flaxseeds gradually, until just mixed. Mix in oats and, if desired, raisins.
2) Using a cookie scoop or tablespoons, make a small cookie ball and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes, then cool completely on wire rack.
Friday, November 6, 2009
The Vegan Holiday Cookie Journey Begins
As promised, it didn't take long for me to start thinking about holiday baking! Of course I'm not already baking the final product that will be served during the holidays. It's just that I don't have any vegan cookies already in my arsenal. Every year I probably make any where from 10-15 batches of cookies, which I love, and I'd like to branch out and try to make some pies and different cakes as well this year. I'm feeling ambitious, but up to it - but if I want to make these desserts vegan, I need to start playing around with recipes now so I can be more confident later in the season.
The first cookie I took a crack at was the cookie least like to be amenable to veganizing - the macaroon. I wasn't that familiar with macaroons until I started Greg; they are his favorite holiday cookie. The ingredients in macaroons? Egg whites whipped into meringue, sweetened condensed milk, and coconut. You can see how 2/3 of this recipe was a problem. There are recipes out there for turning soy milk into condensed milk, but I had no clue what to do about the egg whites.
Making macaroons also became more of a mission because about a month ago, Greg officially gave up eggs. This is huge, because formerly, Greg was a big eater of omelets and pad thai with scrambled eggs, and macaroons were a fave, but now, he has left eggs behind. I support his decision (not shocking, given this blog, I know!) but I can't stand the thought of him having to give up so many things that he loves. I knew I had to make the macaroons work; just because Greg gave up eggs shouldn't mean that he has to give up all of his favorite things to eat.
I have been collecting from the internet for vegan macaroons; they all looked okay, but there wasn't anything that I felt would really mimic classic macaroons. I wasn't exactly sure how to proceed. And then, my new cookbook came: yes, the book I've been hyping, Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. I cracked open my new copy, and what did I find - a cookie for macaroons with chocolate bottoms. Hooray! Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero have never led me astray before, and I felt good that I could figure something out.
And I'm pleased to say, I feel like we do have a winner! The surprising ingredient here: tofu. (I will pause a moment so the anti-tofu crowd can gag.) Using tofu instead of egg whites makes sense; tofu and eggs structure functionally the same way, and flavored the right way, they definitely can taste very similar. That is the key with this recipe; although many recipes can skip the extracts, in this one they are necessary to make sure the tofu melds into the rest of the eggs. I have suggested some variations, though, to please different palates. You can also dip these macaroons in melted chocolate for an extra kick.
And Greg's reaction? Let's just say he's sitting next to me on the couch now, snacking on a classic macaroon, with a smile on his face and intermittently asking "Really, there's tofu in this?" I think we can add this cookie to the holiday baking list.
Macaroons (adapted from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar)
Yields: 2 1/2 - 3 dozen
Ingredients:
3 ounces extra firm tofu (1/4 package), pressed*
1/3 c. canola or vegetable oil
1/4 c. soy milk
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. almond extract
vanilla extract (1-1 1/2 tsp. if you prefer the almond flavor, 2-3 tsp. if you prefer a vanilla-y flavor)
1 c. flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. unsweetened shredded coconut**
1/2 c. vegan semisweet chocolate chips (optional)
1) Puree the tofu, oil, and soy milk in a food processor until smooth.
2) Transfer tofu to a bowl and mix in sugar and extracts. Mix in flour and baking powder. Finally, mix in coconut until well incorporated. (It will look like too much, but it's not - I promise!)
3) Drop cookies by the tablespoonful or with a cookie scoop onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 12-14 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven, until the bottoms and tops are just beginning to brown.
4) Remove from oven; cool on sheets for two minutes, and then cool completely on cookie racks.
5) If you prefer, melt chocolate chips in the microwave (Put in microwave for 30 second intervals and mix in between. Chocolate will probably be melted after one minute.) Dip the cookie bottoms into the chocolate, or dip half the cookie into the chocolate; dry on parchment paper in the fridge for 30-40 minutes.
*Part of the trick with tofu is to prepare it properly before you even start cooking. Whenever you'd like to cook with tofu, put the tofu between two plates with a can on top for 30 minutes. This will press out the extra liquid and make it ready for further cooking.
**Most people can easily find sweetened coconut flakes at their grocery store; honestly, I'm not sure if it will make a difference or not. The original recipe called for unsweetened, which Whole Foods sells, so I picked up a bag, gave it a try, and liked it a ton. I find that unsweetened is drier than sweetened and gave the cookie a nice crunchiness while keeping the center soft, so it might be worth it to pick it up and give it a try.
The first cookie I took a crack at was the cookie least like to be amenable to veganizing - the macaroon. I wasn't that familiar with macaroons until I started Greg; they are his favorite holiday cookie. The ingredients in macaroons? Egg whites whipped into meringue, sweetened condensed milk, and coconut. You can see how 2/3 of this recipe was a problem. There are recipes out there for turning soy milk into condensed milk, but I had no clue what to do about the egg whites.
Making macaroons also became more of a mission because about a month ago, Greg officially gave up eggs. This is huge, because formerly, Greg was a big eater of omelets and pad thai with scrambled eggs, and macaroons were a fave, but now, he has left eggs behind. I support his decision (not shocking, given this blog, I know!) but I can't stand the thought of him having to give up so many things that he loves. I knew I had to make the macaroons work; just because Greg gave up eggs shouldn't mean that he has to give up all of his favorite things to eat.
I have been collecting from the internet for vegan macaroons; they all looked okay, but there wasn't anything that I felt would really mimic classic macaroons. I wasn't exactly sure how to proceed. And then, my new cookbook came: yes, the book I've been hyping, Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. I cracked open my new copy, and what did I find - a cookie for macaroons with chocolate bottoms. Hooray! Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero have never led me astray before, and I felt good that I could figure something out.
And I'm pleased to say, I feel like we do have a winner! The surprising ingredient here: tofu. (I will pause a moment so the anti-tofu crowd can gag.) Using tofu instead of egg whites makes sense; tofu and eggs structure functionally the same way, and flavored the right way, they definitely can taste very similar. That is the key with this recipe; although many recipes can skip the extracts, in this one they are necessary to make sure the tofu melds into the rest of the eggs. I have suggested some variations, though, to please different palates. You can also dip these macaroons in melted chocolate for an extra kick.
And Greg's reaction? Let's just say he's sitting next to me on the couch now, snacking on a classic macaroon, with a smile on his face and intermittently asking "Really, there's tofu in this?" I think we can add this cookie to the holiday baking list.
Macaroons (adapted from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar)
Yields: 2 1/2 - 3 dozen
Ingredients:
3 ounces extra firm tofu (1/4 package), pressed*
1/3 c. canola or vegetable oil
1/4 c. soy milk
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. almond extract
vanilla extract (1-1 1/2 tsp. if you prefer the almond flavor, 2-3 tsp. if you prefer a vanilla-y flavor)
1 c. flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. unsweetened shredded coconut**
1/2 c. vegan semisweet chocolate chips (optional)
1) Puree the tofu, oil, and soy milk in a food processor until smooth.
2) Transfer tofu to a bowl and mix in sugar and extracts. Mix in flour and baking powder. Finally, mix in coconut until well incorporated. (It will look like too much, but it's not - I promise!)
3) Drop cookies by the tablespoonful or with a cookie scoop onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 12-14 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven, until the bottoms and tops are just beginning to brown.
4) Remove from oven; cool on sheets for two minutes, and then cool completely on cookie racks.
5) If you prefer, melt chocolate chips in the microwave (Put in microwave for 30 second intervals and mix in between. Chocolate will probably be melted after one minute.) Dip the cookie bottoms into the chocolate, or dip half the cookie into the chocolate; dry on parchment paper in the fridge for 30-40 minutes.
*Part of the trick with tofu is to prepare it properly before you even start cooking. Whenever you'd like to cook with tofu, put the tofu between two plates with a can on top for 30 minutes. This will press out the extra liquid and make it ready for further cooking.
**Most people can easily find sweetened coconut flakes at their grocery store; honestly, I'm not sure if it will make a difference or not. The original recipe called for unsweetened, which Whole Foods sells, so I picked up a bag, gave it a try, and liked it a ton. I find that unsweetened is drier than sweetened and gave the cookie a nice crunchiness while keeping the center soft, so it might be worth it to pick it up and give it a try.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Toll House Cookies on the Horizon?
Yes, my friends, I am so giddy with excitement, I can barely type. Why is that? First and foremost, because I'm a dork. What has excited my geek meter? I just may be on the threshold of cracking the vegan Toll House chocolate chip cookie code. As frequent readers know, I have a constant ongoing battle trying to make a vegan version of chocolate chip cookies that taste like the Toll House recipe. Let's just say last week, I had a major - and wholly unexpected - breakthrough.
Last week, I wrote about the Sparkled Ginger Cookies from Vegan With a Vengeance, a Greg favorite that continues to have such a strong hold, he helped me make another batch over the weekend. When I was making the ginger cookies, what did I notice across the page...but a recipe for vegan chocolate chip cookies. I admit, the sight alone of the recipe didn't really make a blip on my cookie radar. It was when I read the caption underneath the title that I realized I needed to give these cookies shot. Why? Because the wonderful Ms. Moskowitz explained that she made these cookies for a carnivorous co-worker who didn't believe vegan chocolate chip cookies could replace the butter and egg variety - until he tried these.
After reading the recipe, I realized where things had gone awry for me before. Typically, when I veganize a recipe, I try to keep as many ingredients the same as possible and provide vegan swaps for the animal-based ingredients. This recipe is genius, though, because it deconstructs the original Toll House recipe and rebalances them in order to preserve the original flavors.
Specifically, I am talking about the brown sugar. Frankly, I don't think a chocolate chip cookie can be a chocolate chip cookie without brown sugar. Therefore, I always make sure brown sugar makes it into my manifestation of vegan chocolate chip cookies. I was shocked to see that this recipe didn't have brown sugar - but on further review, I saw why. Brown sugar is simply white sugar and molasses mixed together. What this recipe did, though, was use white (or in my version, raw) sugar with the molasses added later. By breaking apart the ingredients like this, the egg becomes unnecessary, because the molasses is so sticky it acts like a binder. But, because white sugar and molasses are mixed together, the brown sugar flavor is preserved. Hooray!
I mixed this batch together and just about flipped out. Why? Because when I tasted the dough, it tasted EXACTLY like Toll House cookie dough. Score! Unfortunately, in my batch, I found that the dough was dry, and I had trouble actually forming cookies. No matter - once the ingredients were combined, I hand mixed everything and made cookie bars. The result? Let's just say if I never figure out how to make vegan Toll House cookies, these are so close, I will be a contented cookie eater for the rest of my days.
RECIPE UPDATE: I took a tip from Ms. Moskowitz and Ms. Romero in Vegan Cookies; they stated that if your dough is very dry, add 1-2 tablespoons of soy milk to correct the problem. I tried that and it worked like a charm! I've updated the recipe accordingly.
Very Nearly Like the Chocolate Chip Cookies You Had Growing Up
(recipe adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance)
Yields: A big ol' pan of cookie bars
Ingredients:
1 c. non-dairy butter substitute, softened (like Earth's Balance)
1 1/4 c. raw or white sugar
1 Tbsp. molasses
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. soy milk
2 c. or 1-12 ounce bag of vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips, like Ghirardelli
1) Cream together butter substitute and sugar; add molasses and vanilla and mix until well incorporate.
2) Slowly add flour and baking soda until just mixed. (There will probably be drier clumps.) Mix in 1 Tbsp. of soy milk, just until the dough comes together - don't over mix!
3) Add chocolate chips and mix into the dough, until dough comes together.
4) Press dough into a well-greased 10x15 inch jelly roll pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.
Last week, I wrote about the Sparkled Ginger Cookies from Vegan With a Vengeance, a Greg favorite that continues to have such a strong hold, he helped me make another batch over the weekend. When I was making the ginger cookies, what did I notice across the page...but a recipe for vegan chocolate chip cookies. I admit, the sight alone of the recipe didn't really make a blip on my cookie radar. It was when I read the caption underneath the title that I realized I needed to give these cookies shot. Why? Because the wonderful Ms. Moskowitz explained that she made these cookies for a carnivorous co-worker who didn't believe vegan chocolate chip cookies could replace the butter and egg variety - until he tried these.
After reading the recipe, I realized where things had gone awry for me before. Typically, when I veganize a recipe, I try to keep as many ingredients the same as possible and provide vegan swaps for the animal-based ingredients. This recipe is genius, though, because it deconstructs the original Toll House recipe and rebalances them in order to preserve the original flavors.
Specifically, I am talking about the brown sugar. Frankly, I don't think a chocolate chip cookie can be a chocolate chip cookie without brown sugar. Therefore, I always make sure brown sugar makes it into my manifestation of vegan chocolate chip cookies. I was shocked to see that this recipe didn't have brown sugar - but on further review, I saw why. Brown sugar is simply white sugar and molasses mixed together. What this recipe did, though, was use white (or in my version, raw) sugar with the molasses added later. By breaking apart the ingredients like this, the egg becomes unnecessary, because the molasses is so sticky it acts like a binder. But, because white sugar and molasses are mixed together, the brown sugar flavor is preserved. Hooray!
I mixed this batch together and just about flipped out. Why? Because when I tasted the dough, it tasted EXACTLY like Toll House cookie dough. Score! Unfortunately, in my batch, I found that the dough was dry, and I had trouble actually forming cookies. No matter - once the ingredients were combined, I hand mixed everything and made cookie bars. The result? Let's just say if I never figure out how to make vegan Toll House cookies, these are so close, I will be a contented cookie eater for the rest of my days.
RECIPE UPDATE: I took a tip from Ms. Moskowitz and Ms. Romero in Vegan Cookies; they stated that if your dough is very dry, add 1-2 tablespoons of soy milk to correct the problem. I tried that and it worked like a charm! I've updated the recipe accordingly.
Very Nearly Like the Chocolate Chip Cookies You Had Growing Up
(recipe adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance)
Yields: A big ol' pan of cookie bars
Ingredients:
1 c. non-dairy butter substitute, softened (like Earth's Balance)
1 1/4 c. raw or white sugar
1 Tbsp. molasses
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. soy milk
2 c. or 1-12 ounce bag of vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips, like Ghirardelli
1) Cream together butter substitute and sugar; add molasses and vanilla and mix until well incorporate.
2) Slowly add flour and baking soda until just mixed. (There will probably be drier clumps.) Mix in 1 Tbsp. of soy milk, just until the dough comes together - don't over mix!
3) Add chocolate chips and mix into the dough, until dough comes together.
4) Press dough into a well-greased 10x15 inch jelly roll pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Mikey Likes It!
If by Mikey, I mean Greg, then yes, this is accurate!
I've noted before that Greg is not a huge fan of sweets. When an amateur baker learns this when she is in a budding relationship with a very cute potential significant other, the effects could be personally devastating. Fortunately, we've been able to work it out. Greg is always game to try something new and at least twice because, open-minded as he is, he believes if you don't like something the first time, it might just be fluke, and everyone and everything deserves a second chance. Greg has also proclaimed that he doesn't like a lot of sweets, but he does like it when I bake. I don't know if that is true or if he is just a good husband, but I'll take it.
For my part, this has meant trying to work on my food pushing. What do I mean by food pushing? Let's just say the first time my college roommate Katie's now-husband came over, he exclaimed, "Wow, look at all the snacks that are out!" And Katie famously said, "Yep, that's Beth - she's a feeder." So needless to say, when I bake something, I need to stop myself from shoving more food at Greg when he only eats one or two cookies.
Even though Greg and I have found this happy medium, the fact that someone would just "settle" for a particular snack...well, I find that to be troubling. I put myself on a mission to find a cookie that Greg would love, that would be a special cookie just for him, because, darn it, he deserves it!
As Greg and I have been experimenting with veganism more, I've realized that many recipes I've been preparing for dinner require powdered ginger. I have very little experience with ginger, either in sweet or savory dishes. Greg, on the other hand, seems drawn to dishes with the stuff. Whenever the "pesce" part of his pescetarianism makes an appearance and he eats sushi, he just gobbles up the pickled ginger. This got me thinking - what if I made him cookies that had ginger in it? I've never seen him eat gingerbread during the holidays, so I'm not sure if he likes it or not, but I do know in general he has a thing for soft cookies.
Needless to say, my search was short. Thank you Isa Chanda Moskowitz and Vegan with a Vengeance. I think it is only appropriate that I decided to make her Sparkled Ginger Cookies. Not only did her cookbook first give me confidence that maybe I could try this vegan thing, but she also has some of the best vegan baking tips ever. Let's just say I've preordered her new vegan cookies cookbook coming out next month, and I am counting down the days until Amazon delivers.
So how did these cookies stack up? Let's jusy say Greg, who is usually a model of restraint, gobbled up ten after his first tasting. I think we have a winner. :)
Sparkled Ginger Cookies (adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance)
Yields: 3 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
1 c. + 1/4 c., divided, raw or demetra sugar (white sugar will also work, but try to get raw sugar for the 1/4 cup)
2 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. molasses
1/4 c . soy milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1) Mix together 1 c. sugar, ginger, cinnamon, oil, molasses, soy milk, and vanilla.
2) Slowly add flour and baking soda to wet ingredients, until just mixed.
3) With each cookie, make a one-inch ball, and then flatten the ball into a 1-1/2 inch disk. Press each cookie into a bowl which has the remaining 1/4 c. sugar and place sugar side up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
4) Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes (rotate halfway through); then remove from oven and let cookies sit on the baking sheet for another 3-5 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and cool completely.
I've noted before that Greg is not a huge fan of sweets. When an amateur baker learns this when she is in a budding relationship with a very cute potential significant other, the effects could be personally devastating. Fortunately, we've been able to work it out. Greg is always game to try something new and at least twice because, open-minded as he is, he believes if you don't like something the first time, it might just be fluke, and everyone and everything deserves a second chance. Greg has also proclaimed that he doesn't like a lot of sweets, but he does like it when I bake. I don't know if that is true or if he is just a good husband, but I'll take it.
For my part, this has meant trying to work on my food pushing. What do I mean by food pushing? Let's just say the first time my college roommate Katie's now-husband came over, he exclaimed, "Wow, look at all the snacks that are out!" And Katie famously said, "Yep, that's Beth - she's a feeder." So needless to say, when I bake something, I need to stop myself from shoving more food at Greg when he only eats one or two cookies.
Even though Greg and I have found this happy medium, the fact that someone would just "settle" for a particular snack...well, I find that to be troubling. I put myself on a mission to find a cookie that Greg would love, that would be a special cookie just for him, because, darn it, he deserves it!
As Greg and I have been experimenting with veganism more, I've realized that many recipes I've been preparing for dinner require powdered ginger. I have very little experience with ginger, either in sweet or savory dishes. Greg, on the other hand, seems drawn to dishes with the stuff. Whenever the "pesce" part of his pescetarianism makes an appearance and he eats sushi, he just gobbles up the pickled ginger. This got me thinking - what if I made him cookies that had ginger in it? I've never seen him eat gingerbread during the holidays, so I'm not sure if he likes it or not, but I do know in general he has a thing for soft cookies.
Needless to say, my search was short. Thank you Isa Chanda Moskowitz and Vegan with a Vengeance. I think it is only appropriate that I decided to make her Sparkled Ginger Cookies. Not only did her cookbook first give me confidence that maybe I could try this vegan thing, but she also has some of the best vegan baking tips ever. Let's just say I've preordered her new vegan cookies cookbook coming out next month, and I am counting down the days until Amazon delivers.
So how did these cookies stack up? Let's jusy say Greg, who is usually a model of restraint, gobbled up ten after his first tasting. I think we have a winner. :)
Sparkled Ginger Cookies (adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance)
Yields: 3 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
1 c. + 1/4 c., divided, raw or demetra sugar (white sugar will also work, but try to get raw sugar for the 1/4 cup)
2 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. molasses
1/4 c . soy milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1) Mix together 1 c. sugar, ginger, cinnamon, oil, molasses, soy milk, and vanilla.
2) Slowly add flour and baking soda to wet ingredients, until just mixed.
3) With each cookie, make a one-inch ball, and then flatten the ball into a 1-1/2 inch disk. Press each cookie into a bowl which has the remaining 1/4 c. sugar and place sugar side up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
4) Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes (rotate halfway through); then remove from oven and let cookies sit on the baking sheet for another 3-5 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and cool completely.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Deliciousness is Only Three Ingredients Away!
Yes, you read that title correctly! Is there a better way to celebrate the end of the first week of school than with cookies that can be whipped up in no time and essentially no ingredients? I think not!
This recipe came from Ellie Krieger, of Food Network fame. She made these cookies on her show, Healthy Appetite, so that automatically makes these health food. She's a nutritionist, and nutritionists never lie. I originally wrote down this recipe a few years ago because it looked so delicious when she made them, but I recently rediscovered it and realized that her ingredients are already vegan - what a treat! Another bonus is that, even though frequent readers know my deep love of Earth's Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks, I know EB isn't necessarily ubiquitous in grocery stores yet, so that can complicate baking. What's great about this recipe is there is no need for any sort of butter substitution, so we're good to go!
Speaking of ingredients, you may have noticed that lately I've been using more dark chocolate. There's a pretty straightforward reason for this; although I've always been a huge fan of milk chocolate, there's a word in there that is clearly problematic for a budding vegan like me. I've never really been into dark chocolate, but I've been experimenting with it more because, although there are some varieties that use milk, there are definitely others that are vegan; just read the label. Now that I've been playing around dark chocolate more, I'm realizing it is 1) easy to sweeten, and 2) sweet in its own way, depending on the recipe. For these cookies, I melted 6 ounces of the 365 brand, and was pleasantly surprised to find that when I melted the dark chocolate, it took on a smooth, subtle sweetness, which was definitely welcome to my sugar-loving tastebuds.
For the curious, I do have a favorite brand (or brands?) I gravitate towards. I like Equal Exchange or the 365 Organic Swiss Dark Chocolate found at Whole Foods. I'm almost positive that these are, in fact, the same company, but different groups use different packaging. No matter - the chocolate is high quality and wonderful, and they use fair trade practices with the chocolate producers - all things we can feel good about. The 365 brand is at Whole Foods, and Equal Exchange is a number of places, including Whole Foods and REI. A good tip, though: there are many non-profit organizations that sell Equal Exchange for lower prices for fundraising purposes, both online and in person. It's definitely worth a quick search on Google to locate this stuff!
And now, on to the main event. For the recipe below, I've used the same ingredients that Ellie used in the original recipe, but I've tinkered with ways to simplify how to get the same result with less work. I also think this recipe is ripe for substitutions. I would use the same amount of chocolate, and the same volume of mix-ins, because otherwise the cookie probably won't be able to stand up on its own. But the ingredient combinations are endless! Ellie recommends you toast the almonds, and if you like some smokiness in your food, I agree. However, if you're just into cookie eating for the crunch, no need to toast. I also think you could use coconut in this recipe, and other assorted dried fruit. I also love the tart sweetness of dried cherries, so even though Ellie uses 1/2 c. dried cherries, I am more inclined to using closer to 2/3 or 3/4 cup. If you play around with this recipe and have any successful combos, please post your masterpiece recipe in the comments!
Ellie Krieger's Cherry Almond Chocolate Clusters
Yields: 12 cookies
Ingredients:
1 c. slivered almonds
1/2 - 3/4 c. dried cherries, chopped
6 ounces dark chocolate
1) Melt chocolate, either in a double boiler or the microwave. If using the microwave, this should take about 2 minutes; melt the chocolate in 30 second intervals and mix in between (and be careful, because that bowl will be hot!)
2) Add almonds and cherries to the chocolate and mix well.
3) Drop by rounded tablespoons or use a cookie scoop to drop cookies onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
4) Cool in fridge for 15-30 minutes, until chocolate hardens. Store covered in the fridge.
This recipe came from Ellie Krieger, of Food Network fame. She made these cookies on her show, Healthy Appetite, so that automatically makes these health food. She's a nutritionist, and nutritionists never lie. I originally wrote down this recipe a few years ago because it looked so delicious when she made them, but I recently rediscovered it and realized that her ingredients are already vegan - what a treat! Another bonus is that, even though frequent readers know my deep love of Earth's Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks, I know EB isn't necessarily ubiquitous in grocery stores yet, so that can complicate baking. What's great about this recipe is there is no need for any sort of butter substitution, so we're good to go!
Speaking of ingredients, you may have noticed that lately I've been using more dark chocolate. There's a pretty straightforward reason for this; although I've always been a huge fan of milk chocolate, there's a word in there that is clearly problematic for a budding vegan like me. I've never really been into dark chocolate, but I've been experimenting with it more because, although there are some varieties that use milk, there are definitely others that are vegan; just read the label. Now that I've been playing around dark chocolate more, I'm realizing it is 1) easy to sweeten, and 2) sweet in its own way, depending on the recipe. For these cookies, I melted 6 ounces of the 365 brand, and was pleasantly surprised to find that when I melted the dark chocolate, it took on a smooth, subtle sweetness, which was definitely welcome to my sugar-loving tastebuds.
For the curious, I do have a favorite brand (or brands?) I gravitate towards. I like Equal Exchange or the 365 Organic Swiss Dark Chocolate found at Whole Foods. I'm almost positive that these are, in fact, the same company, but different groups use different packaging. No matter - the chocolate is high quality and wonderful, and they use fair trade practices with the chocolate producers - all things we can feel good about. The 365 brand is at Whole Foods, and Equal Exchange is a number of places, including Whole Foods and REI. A good tip, though: there are many non-profit organizations that sell Equal Exchange for lower prices for fundraising purposes, both online and in person. It's definitely worth a quick search on Google to locate this stuff!
And now, on to the main event. For the recipe below, I've used the same ingredients that Ellie used in the original recipe, but I've tinkered with ways to simplify how to get the same result with less work. I also think this recipe is ripe for substitutions. I would use the same amount of chocolate, and the same volume of mix-ins, because otherwise the cookie probably won't be able to stand up on its own. But the ingredient combinations are endless! Ellie recommends you toast the almonds, and if you like some smokiness in your food, I agree. However, if you're just into cookie eating for the crunch, no need to toast. I also think you could use coconut in this recipe, and other assorted dried fruit. I also love the tart sweetness of dried cherries, so even though Ellie uses 1/2 c. dried cherries, I am more inclined to using closer to 2/3 or 3/4 cup. If you play around with this recipe and have any successful combos, please post your masterpiece recipe in the comments!
Ellie Krieger's Cherry Almond Chocolate Clusters
Yields: 12 cookies
Ingredients:
1 c. slivered almonds
1/2 - 3/4 c. dried cherries, chopped
6 ounces dark chocolate
1) Melt chocolate, either in a double boiler or the microwave. If using the microwave, this should take about 2 minutes; melt the chocolate in 30 second intervals and mix in between (and be careful, because that bowl will be hot!)
2) Add almonds and cherries to the chocolate and mix well.
3) Drop by rounded tablespoons or use a cookie scoop to drop cookies onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
4) Cool in fridge for 15-30 minutes, until chocolate hardens. Store covered in the fridge.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
The Best Toffee Squares That Taste Nothing Like Toffee
Yes, you read that correctly. One of my most favorites cookies are my mom's toffee squares. She makes them every year during the holidays, although these are certainly a great candidate for a cookie that needs no special occasion for enjoyment.
Whenever I make these, they are always a hit with people, although everyone reacts the same way: "Wow, these are great, but you know that they don't taste anything like toffee, right?" I agree completely, so don't worry, my friends, I don't think you're crazy. My mom got the original recipe from one of the older Betty Crocker cookbooks - a smart move always, I think. I've noticed that whenever I make recipes from older cookbooks, including old church and elementary school fundraiser cookbooks, those are the recipes that are always popular, and I definitely would never argue with the masses. Anyway, in the Betty Crocker cookbook, these cookies are called toffee squares, so maybe this is what toffee tasted like a few decades ago? In any event, the name stuck, and these continue to be toffee squares to me.
At this point, you're probably wondering...if they don't taste like toffee, what do they taste like? I like to think of these more as an inside out chocolate chip cookie. Given my general fascination with chocolate chip cookies, it's no real surprise why these cookies are such a hit with me. They are also great because the recipe is super easy to change to get either a crispy or a soft product, so cookie fans of all types can rejoice! Each year for Christmas, my mom makes two batches: the traditional way and the Alison way. In the traditional way, you use a jelly roll pan to lay out the dough really thinly, so you get a satisfying crunch when you bite into a bar. My sister loves her toffee squares soft, though, so for her, my mom puts another batch in a 9x13 pan. Since the pan is smaller, the cookie is thicker, and the final product is soft lusciousness. That's why Mom rules; she knows all the tricks to make everyone feel special.
Regrettably, I've been so focused on veganizing the original chocolate chip cookie recipe that I haven't had a chance to figure out how to remove the egg from these guys, but I hope to figure that out soon enough. In the mean time, if you're not averse to eggs, I recommend them strongly.
Toffee Squares...Inside-Out Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars...oh, what's in a name?
Yields: 4-5 dozen crispy cookies or 3-4 dozen soft cookies
Ingredients:
1 c. non-dairy butter substitute, like Earth's Balance, softened
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
6-12 ounces vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips, like Ghirardelli
Chopped pecans, optional (for added depth of flavor, you can toast the pecans first in a 350 degree oven on a non-oiled cookie sheet for about 10 minutes)
1) Cream together butter substitute and sugar. Mix in egg and vanilla until well combined.
2) Slowly add flour, 1/2 c. at a time, until just mixed.
3) FOR CRISPY BARS: flatten dough into a greased jelly roll (10x13) pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.
OR
FOR SOFT BARS: flatten dough into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.
4) When cookies are finished, turn the oven off and remove the cookies. Pour chocolate chips on top. (Okay, so Betty Crocker recommended 6 ounces of chocolate. I usually eyeball it and put on 6-8 ounces...and my mom and I agree that sometimes, if you are in a particularly luxurious mood, that the whole 12 ounce bag might make it on there. Whoops, mistakes happen...). Immediately return pans into oven for about 90 seconds.
5) Remove pan from oven and spread out the chocolate across the top. If adding nuts, add them now. Cut into squares and let cool completely.
Whenever I make these, they are always a hit with people, although everyone reacts the same way: "Wow, these are great, but you know that they don't taste anything like toffee, right?" I agree completely, so don't worry, my friends, I don't think you're crazy. My mom got the original recipe from one of the older Betty Crocker cookbooks - a smart move always, I think. I've noticed that whenever I make recipes from older cookbooks, including old church and elementary school fundraiser cookbooks, those are the recipes that are always popular, and I definitely would never argue with the masses. Anyway, in the Betty Crocker cookbook, these cookies are called toffee squares, so maybe this is what toffee tasted like a few decades ago? In any event, the name stuck, and these continue to be toffee squares to me.
At this point, you're probably wondering...if they don't taste like toffee, what do they taste like? I like to think of these more as an inside out chocolate chip cookie. Given my general fascination with chocolate chip cookies, it's no real surprise why these cookies are such a hit with me. They are also great because the recipe is super easy to change to get either a crispy or a soft product, so cookie fans of all types can rejoice! Each year for Christmas, my mom makes two batches: the traditional way and the Alison way. In the traditional way, you use a jelly roll pan to lay out the dough really thinly, so you get a satisfying crunch when you bite into a bar. My sister loves her toffee squares soft, though, so for her, my mom puts another batch in a 9x13 pan. Since the pan is smaller, the cookie is thicker, and the final product is soft lusciousness. That's why Mom rules; she knows all the tricks to make everyone feel special.
Regrettably, I've been so focused on veganizing the original chocolate chip cookie recipe that I haven't had a chance to figure out how to remove the egg from these guys, but I hope to figure that out soon enough. In the mean time, if you're not averse to eggs, I recommend them strongly.
Toffee Squares...Inside-Out Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars...oh, what's in a name?
Yields: 4-5 dozen crispy cookies or 3-4 dozen soft cookies
Ingredients:
1 c. non-dairy butter substitute, like Earth's Balance, softened
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
6-12 ounces vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips, like Ghirardelli
Chopped pecans, optional (for added depth of flavor, you can toast the pecans first in a 350 degree oven on a non-oiled cookie sheet for about 10 minutes)
1) Cream together butter substitute and sugar. Mix in egg and vanilla until well combined.
2) Slowly add flour, 1/2 c. at a time, until just mixed.
3) FOR CRISPY BARS: flatten dough into a greased jelly roll (10x13) pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.
OR
FOR SOFT BARS: flatten dough into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.
4) When cookies are finished, turn the oven off and remove the cookies. Pour chocolate chips on top. (Okay, so Betty Crocker recommended 6 ounces of chocolate. I usually eyeball it and put on 6-8 ounces...and my mom and I agree that sometimes, if you are in a particularly luxurious mood, that the whole 12 ounce bag might make it on there. Whoops, mistakes happen...). Immediately return pans into oven for about 90 seconds.
5) Remove pan from oven and spread out the chocolate across the top. If adding nuts, add them now. Cut into squares and let cool completely.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Veg Baker, J.D.'s Back To School Week Special
Happy Labor Day, everyone! I am actually a fan of Labor Day because, even though it means summer is over and white shoes and purses must return to the closet, to me it is a nice long relaxing weekend that captures the best of the transition of the seasons. In Chicago, Labor Day also means back to school on Tuesday. In that spirit, I bring you Back to School Week here on the blog. I will post three cookie recipes this week, to honor the ages-old tradition of having an after school snack of cookies with milk (soy milk or rice milk, of course!).
I really wanted to get into the groove of the back to school special, so I tracked down three recipes that I thought would be good candidates for veganizing and would be a good fit for my school theme. I experimented with the ingredients, and I brought the results to my sister Alison's and her fiance Dave's house over the weekend, where they graciously hosted my parents, Greg, and me for dinner on their awesome rooftop deck. I brought the test cookies out, the game faces went on, and the cookie tasting began. By munching's end, there was a clear winner of a recipe that needed no more tinkering, and that would be the recipe below.
I originally got this recipe from my college roommate, Katie R, who has this amazing capacity to be sweet, supportive, and all around incredible, while also being able to tell me what I need to hear when times are good or tough (which means she can call me on my antics, but she does it in her sweet Katie way, so she can get away with it!).
Katie gave me this recipe at my wedding shower. Her oatmeal raisin cookies continue to be well-loved by Greg, and this recipe is a great evolution of that tastiness. It mixes all kinds of good things in one spot that should always be together, including oatmeal, cranberries, and white chocolate - yum!
I decided when I was going to veganize this recipe that the trick would be the eggs (although do see my note below about how to make these cookies totally vegan); I was torn whether I should use applesauce or bananas. In the end, I made two small batches for two big reasons. I had made cookies in the past with bananas and they turned out great, and I thought the banana accent would be great in the cookie. However, I thought the cookies would also benefit from the more subtle sweetness of the applesauce and be a hit with the anti-banana crowd.
I am pleased to report that both versions are tasty! Everyone was pleasantly surprised that the final product was a soft, chewy cookie. Alison, Dave, and my dad were huge fans of the version with bananas and thought the banana backdrop gave the cookies a great zing, whereas my mom, who avoids all thing banana, really enjoyed the applesauce version. The good news is, when making this recipe, you can use the same basic basic and just decide whether you want to go the banana route or the applesauce route, so just follow your tastebuds!
I also want to point out that the reason this recipe is not vegan is because of the white chocolate chunks. Try as I might, I was unable to track down white chocolate chips or chunks that did not have dairy in them. If anyone has a good suggestion for vegan white chocolate, please let me know! Otherwise, these cookies are easy to veganize. Either omit the white chocolate chunks completely or, if you feel like I do and taking chocolate out of anything is a travesty, substitute vegan semisweet chocolate chips like Ghirardelli, and you'll still have utter deliciousness.
RECIPE UPDATE: I've learned that vegan white chocolate does, in fact, exist! Please seek those out so the final product is vegan. Otherwise, you can sub in the Ghirardelli semisweet chips.
Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies
Yields: 2-3 dozen
Ingredients:
5 Tbsp. non-dairy butter substitute, like Earth's Balance
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
1 mashed banana OR 1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
1/2 -1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 c. flour
3/4 c. oats
3 oz. dried cranberries
1/3 c. vegan white chocolate chips or chunks (or vegan chocolate, if you're going that route)
1) Cream together butter substitute and brown sugar. Add vanilla extract and banana OR applesauce until well mixed.
2) Gradually add flour and baking soda and mixed until just combined.
3) Stir in oats, cranberries, and chocolate.
4) Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
5) Bake in 375 degree oven for 10-12 minutes, or until edges start to turn golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet and cool completely on wire rack.
I really wanted to get into the groove of the back to school special, so I tracked down three recipes that I thought would be good candidates for veganizing and would be a good fit for my school theme. I experimented with the ingredients, and I brought the results to my sister Alison's and her fiance Dave's house over the weekend, where they graciously hosted my parents, Greg, and me for dinner on their awesome rooftop deck. I brought the test cookies out, the game faces went on, and the cookie tasting began. By munching's end, there was a clear winner of a recipe that needed no more tinkering, and that would be the recipe below.
I originally got this recipe from my college roommate, Katie R, who has this amazing capacity to be sweet, supportive, and all around incredible, while also being able to tell me what I need to hear when times are good or tough (which means she can call me on my antics, but she does it in her sweet Katie way, so she can get away with it!).
Katie gave me this recipe at my wedding shower. Her oatmeal raisin cookies continue to be well-loved by Greg, and this recipe is a great evolution of that tastiness. It mixes all kinds of good things in one spot that should always be together, including oatmeal, cranberries, and white chocolate - yum!
I decided when I was going to veganize this recipe that the trick would be the eggs (although do see my note below about how to make these cookies totally vegan); I was torn whether I should use applesauce or bananas. In the end, I made two small batches for two big reasons. I had made cookies in the past with bananas and they turned out great, and I thought the banana accent would be great in the cookie. However, I thought the cookies would also benefit from the more subtle sweetness of the applesauce and be a hit with the anti-banana crowd.
I am pleased to report that both versions are tasty! Everyone was pleasantly surprised that the final product was a soft, chewy cookie. Alison, Dave, and my dad were huge fans of the version with bananas and thought the banana backdrop gave the cookies a great zing, whereas my mom, who avoids all thing banana, really enjoyed the applesauce version. The good news is, when making this recipe, you can use the same basic basic and just decide whether you want to go the banana route or the applesauce route, so just follow your tastebuds!
I also want to point out that the reason this recipe is not vegan is because of the white chocolate chunks. Try as I might, I was unable to track down white chocolate chips or chunks that did not have dairy in them. If anyone has a good suggestion for vegan white chocolate, please let me know! Otherwise, these cookies are easy to veganize. Either omit the white chocolate chunks completely or, if you feel like I do and taking chocolate out of anything is a travesty, substitute vegan semisweet chocolate chips like Ghirardelli, and you'll still have utter deliciousness.
RECIPE UPDATE: I've learned that vegan white chocolate does, in fact, exist! Please seek those out so the final product is vegan. Otherwise, you can sub in the Ghirardelli semisweet chips.
Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies
Yields: 2-3 dozen
Ingredients:
5 Tbsp. non-dairy butter substitute, like Earth's Balance
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
1 mashed banana OR 1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
1/2 -1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 c. flour
3/4 c. oats
3 oz. dried cranberries
1/3 c. vegan white chocolate chips or chunks (or vegan chocolate, if you're going that route)
1) Cream together butter substitute and brown sugar. Add vanilla extract and banana OR applesauce until well mixed.
2) Gradually add flour and baking soda and mixed until just combined.
3) Stir in oats, cranberries, and chocolate.
4) Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
5) Bake in 375 degree oven for 10-12 minutes, or until edges start to turn golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet and cool completely on wire rack.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Lazy Cookies for a Lazy Weekend
In honor of the Labor Day weekend, it is important to remember the season and do as little as possible, particularly because the first hints of fall are a reminder that full-fledged holiday baking is not that far away (did I really say that? Ack - strike it from your mind, fast!)
With Labor Day also comes the return of school, which means that I am biologically preprogrammed to want to eat more peanut butter. I love peanut butter, but for some reason as a kid I never ate the stuff during summer. It was only when school started again that peanut butter would make its triumphant daily return to my lunch, and I absolutely could not be happier.
Mix this all in with weather that swings 25 degrees in a few hours (and my absolute refusal to turn on the air conditioning because of it), and the result is an old favorite: a no-bake cookie recipe that includes the world's best flavor combination, peanut butter and chocolate, and I've changed the recipe so it is vegan. As much as I love the other no-bake recipe I posted, this one is also delicious, with a slightly different flavor profile (think sweet and salty!), and it has the added bonus of having ingredients you probably already have in the house.
The recipe was adapted from a close friend of my mom's, Kate Collins, who is the author of the Flower Shop Mystery series. I'd definitely recommend whipping up a batch of these cookies and then curling up with one of her books - a well-deserved plug, I assure you! Her link is to the right under friends; I hope you'll check it out!
***Apologies that this recipe was inadvertently tagged as gluten free! You probably thought I was a weirdo since I said gluten free when there is clearly flour in the recipe, so I wanted to cop to my mistake.
Chocolate and Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies
Yields: 3-4 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 c. non-dairy butter substitute (like Earth's Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks)
1 1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. soy milk
1/2 c. cocoa
1 - 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. natural peanut butter (recipe update: natural peanut butter works, smooth or chunky!)
2 1/2 c. oats
1/2 c. flour
1) Melt butter substitute, sugar, soy milk, and cocoa on the stove; bring to a boil, and boil for one minute.
2) Remove from heat and mix in remaining ingredients.
3) Drop by rounded tablespoons onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper and cool in the fridge. Store covered in fridge.
With Labor Day also comes the return of school, which means that I am biologically preprogrammed to want to eat more peanut butter. I love peanut butter, but for some reason as a kid I never ate the stuff during summer. It was only when school started again that peanut butter would make its triumphant daily return to my lunch, and I absolutely could not be happier.
Mix this all in with weather that swings 25 degrees in a few hours (and my absolute refusal to turn on the air conditioning because of it), and the result is an old favorite: a no-bake cookie recipe that includes the world's best flavor combination, peanut butter and chocolate, and I've changed the recipe so it is vegan. As much as I love the other no-bake recipe I posted, this one is also delicious, with a slightly different flavor profile (think sweet and salty!), and it has the added bonus of having ingredients you probably already have in the house.
The recipe was adapted from a close friend of my mom's, Kate Collins, who is the author of the Flower Shop Mystery series. I'd definitely recommend whipping up a batch of these cookies and then curling up with one of her books - a well-deserved plug, I assure you! Her link is to the right under friends; I hope you'll check it out!
***Apologies that this recipe was inadvertently tagged as gluten free! You probably thought I was a weirdo since I said gluten free when there is clearly flour in the recipe, so I wanted to cop to my mistake.
Chocolate and Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies
Yields: 3-4 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 c. non-dairy butter substitute (like Earth's Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks)
1 1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. soy milk
1/2 c. cocoa
1 - 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. natural peanut butter (recipe update: natural peanut butter works, smooth or chunky!)
2 1/2 c. oats
1/2 c. flour
1) Melt butter substitute, sugar, soy milk, and cocoa on the stove; bring to a boil, and boil for one minute.
2) Remove from heat and mix in remaining ingredients.
3) Drop by rounded tablespoons onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper and cool in the fridge. Store covered in fridge.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Veganizing Chocolate Chip Cookies: The Battle Goes On
I've previously written about my battle with veganizing chocolate chip cookies, and I am sad to report, the heartbreak continues. I am still eternally grateful to Anita E. for her awesome vegan chocolate chip coffee bars; I've made them a few times now, and they have been a huge hit wherever they've gone. My quest to turn the Nestle Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe into a vegan dream that tastes identical to the original, though, soldiers forward, although the troops are pretty beat up at this point.
My latest endeavor was to try and take out the eggs. Although I often use bananas and applesauce to take out eggs, I'm not totally confident that would work in cookies. The banana flavor, though that has the potential to be yummy, would certainly not duplicate the flavor of the original Toll House cookie, and applesauce adds a moistness that works well in a dessert that is in bar or bread form, but I don't think it would provide enough structure for a cookie that needs to stand up on its own.
What did I do, then? I used soy flour. Greg very cleverly read the back of the soy flour bag and found instructions on how to use soy flour as an egg substitute in baking, so I decided to give it a try. I think this is definitely a trick I will use again. First, it is easy to do: you use one tablespoon of soy flour plus one tablespoon of water mixed together to replace one egg. The result is amazing; there is definitely the same quantity and texture as if you had cracked an egg. I think this is good news, because you can easily replace the volume that the egg would have taken up in the traditional recipe. Second, I was able to use something I already had in the house. As I think my other posts have revealed, I am often in a position where 1) I'm baking and realize I'm out of something so have to make a quick substitution, or 2) I'm just lazy and don't want to go to the store to buy one ingredient unless I really, REALLY need it. I always keep soy flour in the house to make Greg's goodies, so I have it on hand. I know there are great products out there, like Ener-G Egg Replacer, but I've never used them because I don't already have them and I never think to buy it. Although I do hope to try Ener-G one day, I'm really happy with the soy flour substitute for now and I think it works well.
Well, I should clarify: I think it has the potential to be a perfect substitute in other recipes, but not in the world of Nestle. Don't get me wrong - the final product was good, but it definitely didn't perfectly emulate the original Toll House cookie. Sigh. If you are a fan of cookies that have some crispness to them, then I strongly recommend you try the recipe below; it has great flavor, and the cookies were crispy without being burned. I assume this is because of soy's natural tendency to add a little brown color and crisp when baked...I probably should have thought of that before trying to make a soft cookie. Cue handsmack on forehead. But the cookies were still yummy and gobbled up.
I should also note that these cookies, when baked...well, they look kind of odd. There's no nice way to say it. They rose, but in kind of funky shapes, and they sort of had a hill/valley thing going on. Greg was slightly weirded out when he saw them, but then he ate them and really liked them. So I guess the moral of the story here is 1) don't judge a book by its cover, and 2) if you insist on judging a book by its cover, just close your eyes when you eat these and you'll be just fine.
Chocolate Chip Cookies, Vegan Attempt #1
(For lovers of crispy cookies with a face only a mother could love)
Yields: 4-5 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
1 c. non-dairy butter substitute softened, like Earth's Balance
3/4 c. white sugar
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. soy flour + 2 Tbsp. water, mixed together
2 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
12 oz. vegan chocolate chips, like Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1) Cream together butter substituted and sugars. Mix in soy flour mixture and vanilla, until well mixed.
2) On low speed, add soda, then slowly add flour 3/4 c. at a time, until just mixed. (If dough looks a little tight or dry, add 1-2 Tbsp. of water until it loosens up like traditional cookie dough.)
3) Mix in chocolate chips.
4) Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, scoop out dough into little balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 8-12 minutes, or until bottoms are golden brown.
5) Place sheets on cooling racks for 1-2 minutes, then remove cookies and cool completely on the racks.
My latest endeavor was to try and take out the eggs. Although I often use bananas and applesauce to take out eggs, I'm not totally confident that would work in cookies. The banana flavor, though that has the potential to be yummy, would certainly not duplicate the flavor of the original Toll House cookie, and applesauce adds a moistness that works well in a dessert that is in bar or bread form, but I don't think it would provide enough structure for a cookie that needs to stand up on its own.
What did I do, then? I used soy flour. Greg very cleverly read the back of the soy flour bag and found instructions on how to use soy flour as an egg substitute in baking, so I decided to give it a try. I think this is definitely a trick I will use again. First, it is easy to do: you use one tablespoon of soy flour plus one tablespoon of water mixed together to replace one egg. The result is amazing; there is definitely the same quantity and texture as if you had cracked an egg. I think this is good news, because you can easily replace the volume that the egg would have taken up in the traditional recipe. Second, I was able to use something I already had in the house. As I think my other posts have revealed, I am often in a position where 1) I'm baking and realize I'm out of something so have to make a quick substitution, or 2) I'm just lazy and don't want to go to the store to buy one ingredient unless I really, REALLY need it. I always keep soy flour in the house to make Greg's goodies, so I have it on hand. I know there are great products out there, like Ener-G Egg Replacer, but I've never used them because I don't already have them and I never think to buy it. Although I do hope to try Ener-G one day, I'm really happy with the soy flour substitute for now and I think it works well.
Well, I should clarify: I think it has the potential to be a perfect substitute in other recipes, but not in the world of Nestle. Don't get me wrong - the final product was good, but it definitely didn't perfectly emulate the original Toll House cookie. Sigh. If you are a fan of cookies that have some crispness to them, then I strongly recommend you try the recipe below; it has great flavor, and the cookies were crispy without being burned. I assume this is because of soy's natural tendency to add a little brown color and crisp when baked...I probably should have thought of that before trying to make a soft cookie. Cue handsmack on forehead. But the cookies were still yummy and gobbled up.
I should also note that these cookies, when baked...well, they look kind of odd. There's no nice way to say it. They rose, but in kind of funky shapes, and they sort of had a hill/valley thing going on. Greg was slightly weirded out when he saw them, but then he ate them and really liked them. So I guess the moral of the story here is 1) don't judge a book by its cover, and 2) if you insist on judging a book by its cover, just close your eyes when you eat these and you'll be just fine.
Chocolate Chip Cookies, Vegan Attempt #1
(For lovers of crispy cookies with a face only a mother could love)
Yields: 4-5 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
1 c. non-dairy butter substitute softened, like Earth's Balance
3/4 c. white sugar
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. soy flour + 2 Tbsp. water, mixed together
2 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
12 oz. vegan chocolate chips, like Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1) Cream together butter substituted and sugars. Mix in soy flour mixture and vanilla, until well mixed.
2) On low speed, add soda, then slowly add flour 3/4 c. at a time, until just mixed. (If dough looks a little tight or dry, add 1-2 Tbsp. of water until it loosens up like traditional cookie dough.)
3) Mix in chocolate chips.
4) Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, scoop out dough into little balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 8-12 minutes, or until bottoms are golden brown.
5) Place sheets on cooling racks for 1-2 minutes, then remove cookies and cool completely on the racks.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Cookies = Superfood
Although Greg isn't a huge fan of sweets (a fact that still blows my mind, even as we enter our fifth year of knowing each other), he has an undeniable weakness for oatmeal raisin cookies. I always knew this about him, but I didn't realize the full extent of his passion for the stuff until my wonderful college roommate delivered us her version of Quaker's classic recipe. I think his excitement may have been comparable to our wedding day. Maybe I'm exaggerating...but maybe I'm not. Needless to say, that recipe safely made it into my baking repertoire.
When it comes to feeding my "Greg on the Go" then (as I described in an earlier post, of Greg's almost frightening cactus-like tendencies), I was thinking of his great love of the noble oatmeal raisin cookie both to change up his work day snacking and to entice him to take a few minutes to eat some actual food. This cookie works well as sweet brain food...or, at least I tell myself that, to alleviate the guilt from constantly trying to feed my husband cookies...
After some monkeying around and incorporating some favorite techniques, I came up with the recipe below, which has increased fiber and protein as well as being veganized. The other nice thing about this recipe is you can pretty easily change out the flavor profiles. Other dried fruits would work well as well as some nuts; or, you can use another favorite trick of my college roommate and toss in some white chocolate as well. I'm also a fan of this recipe because I used banana to take out the eggs, so, if you're in a position like Mrs. Smith in the comments from my last post, and you have a bunch of bananas and just can't stand banana bread anymore, these cookies really benefit from the slight sweetness of fruit.
Pumped Up Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Yields: 4 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
1 c. non-dairy butter substitute (like Earth's Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks)
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar (I use vegan)
2-3 bananas, mashed
1-1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. soy flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 -1 1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon
3 c. oats
1 1/2 c. raisins
1) Cream together butter substitute and sugars. Add bananas and vanilla; mix well.
2) Gradually add flours, soda, and cinnamon; mix until just combined.
3) Stir in oats and raisins.
4) Drop by rounded tablespoons or using a cookie scoop onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until edges begin to turn golden brown.
5) Cool slightly on cooling racks for 1-2 minutes, then remove from cookie sheets and cool completely.
Freezes well.
When it comes to feeding my "Greg on the Go" then (as I described in an earlier post, of Greg's almost frightening cactus-like tendencies), I was thinking of his great love of the noble oatmeal raisin cookie both to change up his work day snacking and to entice him to take a few minutes to eat some actual food. This cookie works well as sweet brain food...or, at least I tell myself that, to alleviate the guilt from constantly trying to feed my husband cookies...
After some monkeying around and incorporating some favorite techniques, I came up with the recipe below, which has increased fiber and protein as well as being veganized. The other nice thing about this recipe is you can pretty easily change out the flavor profiles. Other dried fruits would work well as well as some nuts; or, you can use another favorite trick of my college roommate and toss in some white chocolate as well. I'm also a fan of this recipe because I used banana to take out the eggs, so, if you're in a position like Mrs. Smith in the comments from my last post, and you have a bunch of bananas and just can't stand banana bread anymore, these cookies really benefit from the slight sweetness of fruit.
Pumped Up Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Yields: 4 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
1 c. non-dairy butter substitute (like Earth's Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks)
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar (I use vegan)
2-3 bananas, mashed
1-1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. soy flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 -1 1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon
3 c. oats
1 1/2 c. raisins
1) Cream together butter substitute and sugars. Add bananas and vanilla; mix well.
2) Gradually add flours, soda, and cinnamon; mix until just combined.
3) Stir in oats and raisins.
4) Drop by rounded tablespoons or using a cookie scoop onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until edges begin to turn golden brown.
5) Cool slightly on cooling racks for 1-2 minutes, then remove from cookie sheets and cool completely.
Freezes well.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Satisfying a Chocolate Craving When It's Too Darn Hot
I realize that I am an extremely odd person when it comes to my oven usage. I will crank up the oven without any regard for what the thermometer reads outside, a tendency that I'm sure my parents adored when I was a teenager and would go on baking sprees while the air conditioning was working overtime.
The following recipe is in honor of my parents and their patience, as well as a tip of the hat to the dog days of summer and the respect they so deserve. I started playing around with this recipe after I found it in The Vegan Scoop by Wheeler Del Torro, a fantastic ice cream cookbook (which I'm sure will be profiled in a later post). I decided to make these cookies after fulfilling a request from Greg to make banana ice cream, which, frankly, is a concept I wasn't sure I totally supported. Mr. Del Torro, though, in his wisdom, paired his banana ice cream recipe with this no-bake cookie recipe, so I made the cookies in an effort to get more excited about this crazy banana ice cream concept. Needless to say, these cookies became my downfall as I couldn't stop shoveling them in my mouth all week long.
As a side note, I feel compelled to tell you, I feel like when I make these cookies, I must be doing something wrong. The original recipe title is "Crunchy Chocolate Balls," but I have never been able to get them into ball form, and they have never, ever had a texture that has even come close to approximating crunchy. That said, they are sweet, soft, chewy, and delicious. If, however, you have luck turning these into said crunchy chocolate balls, please post a comment and share how you did it!
No-Bake Vegan Chocolate Cookies
Yields: 30-40 cookies
Ingredients:
1/4 c. non-dairy butter substitute, like Earth's Balance Vegan Buttery Spread
1 c. agave nectar or honey (please note, many vegans do not consider honey to be a vegan ingredient)
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1/2 c. soy milk
3 c. oats
1 c. shredded coconut
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1) Line cookies sheets with parchment paper.
2) Combine butter substitute, agave nectar or honey, cocoa powder, and soy milk in a large saucepan, stirring continuously on medium heat until the mixture begins to boil. (This may take a little bit of time, but be patient - it's worth it!) Put on low heat and let boil for exactly 5 minutes (with an occasional stir).
3) Remove the mixture from the heat and mix in oats, coconut, and vanilla.
4) Using a cookie or small ice cream scoop, or two spoons, form cookies that are roughly 1 Tbsp. in size.
5) Let set in the refrigerator, for 1-2 hours, until set (although cookies may still be sticky to the touch). Store in container in fridge.
The following recipe is in honor of my parents and their patience, as well as a tip of the hat to the dog days of summer and the respect they so deserve. I started playing around with this recipe after I found it in The Vegan Scoop by Wheeler Del Torro, a fantastic ice cream cookbook (which I'm sure will be profiled in a later post). I decided to make these cookies after fulfilling a request from Greg to make banana ice cream, which, frankly, is a concept I wasn't sure I totally supported. Mr. Del Torro, though, in his wisdom, paired his banana ice cream recipe with this no-bake cookie recipe, so I made the cookies in an effort to get more excited about this crazy banana ice cream concept. Needless to say, these cookies became my downfall as I couldn't stop shoveling them in my mouth all week long.
As a side note, I feel compelled to tell you, I feel like when I make these cookies, I must be doing something wrong. The original recipe title is "Crunchy Chocolate Balls," but I have never been able to get them into ball form, and they have never, ever had a texture that has even come close to approximating crunchy. That said, they are sweet, soft, chewy, and delicious. If, however, you have luck turning these into said crunchy chocolate balls, please post a comment and share how you did it!
No-Bake Vegan Chocolate Cookies
Yields: 30-40 cookies
Ingredients:
1/4 c. non-dairy butter substitute, like Earth's Balance Vegan Buttery Spread
1 c. agave nectar or honey (please note, many vegans do not consider honey to be a vegan ingredient)
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1/2 c. soy milk
3 c. oats
1 c. shredded coconut
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1) Line cookies sheets with parchment paper.
2) Combine butter substitute, agave nectar or honey, cocoa powder, and soy milk in a large saucepan, stirring continuously on medium heat until the mixture begins to boil. (This may take a little bit of time, but be patient - it's worth it!) Put on low heat and let boil for exactly 5 minutes (with an occasional stir).
3) Remove the mixture from the heat and mix in oats, coconut, and vanilla.
4) Using a cookie or small ice cream scoop, or two spoons, form cookies that are roughly 1 Tbsp. in size.
5) Let set in the refrigerator, for 1-2 hours, until set (although cookies may still be sticky to the touch). Store in container in fridge.
Monday, August 10, 2009
On the Search for a Chocolate Chip Cookie Epiphany
My journey towards vegan baking almost ended before it began nine months ago after a disillusioned baking session with chocolate chip cookies. Without a little prodding from Greg, I probably would have thrown in the towel and decided that great baking simply requires butter and eggs and stopped at that. I'm happy that I've since been proven wrong, but I still have not won the war with my friend-turned-foe, the chocolate chip cookie, and I have a feeling that there are posts to come that will talk about our ongoing battles.
How could I possibly harbor such a sore spot with chocolate chip cookies? It's because we used to be the best of friends. Before I decided to try to cut out dairy and eggs, I used to bake chocolate chip cookies and bars all the time with the famous Nestle Tollhouse recipe. Although I used to bake other things, I knew I could always rely on the good ol' chocolate chip to bring a smile to my face and joy to others.
Then I decided to foray into the world of vegan baking. There is one product that gave me the confidence to do this, as you can likely tell from my previous recipes: Earth's Balance Vegan Buttery Spread. I am not a huge fan of margarine, because recipes just don't turn out the same, and that fact alone kept me from experimenting (and I later found out that many margarines actually do contain some dairy, which totally defeated the point!). Then I had a few friends turn me on to Earth's Balance, and I've never used butter again. Earth's Balance is all vegan, but it is not margarine; instead, its recipe was designed to behave just like butter, without trans fat or partially hydrogenated oils, and I can tell you, somehow, magically, it does! Just swap it out one for one with butter (and many times, I add a little extra kick of vanilla), and you'll never notice the difference.
With, however, one exception: the chocolate chip cookie. Don't get me wrong, I still make chocolate chip cookies and use Earth's Balance, and they taste good, but for some reason, the cookies don't have the same *joie de vivre* as when I made them with butter. The first time I used Earth's Balance was with, you guessed it, chocolate chip cookies, which is why it took major moral support from Greg to give the stuff a second shot. And don't even get me started with trying to make chocolate chip cookies without eggs - that is a whole other post unto itself! The results are always tasty, but so far chocolate chip cookies are the only recipe where I haven't been able to duplicate that tastiness of the original in dairy-free or vegan form. But I will not give up yet!
Fortunately for me, I have a thoughtful friend, Anita E., who has given me a powerful alternative. She gave me a fantastic recipe for Chocolate Chip Coffee Bars. I took one look at this recipe and knew I had to try it. First, I love that it uses coffee. Through my baking adventures, I have learned that chocolate on its own needs help from other ingredients to make its flavor "pop"; Katrina Markoff of Vosges Haut Chocolate has built her stellar career on this fact. Instant coffee crystals are a staple in my kitchen for this reason; they give chocolate an excellent depth of flavor. When I saw Anita's recipe followed the same philosophy, I knew these cookies would be something special. Second, I'm a huge fan of any recipe that is flexible on the ingredients. As much as I love to bake, I hate going to the store to actually buy the ingredients (or sometimes I just forget...see my recipe notes at the end of the post). Any recipe that just lets me bake with what I have on hand is always a friend of mine.
And let me tell you, one bite of the finished product, and I was hooked! These are simply the most amazing vegan chocolate chipcookies I have ever had. My old cookie recipe better watch it; Anita's vegan-friendly noshes are giving it a run for its money.
Anita E.'s Vegan Chocolate Chip Coffee Bars**
Yields: 30-40 bars
Ingredients:
2 c. non-dairy butter substitute (Earth's Balance tasted awesome in these)
2-4 Tbsp. instant coffee
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. white/brown sugar
4 c. flour
2 c. chocolate chips
1/2 -1 c. slivered almonds
1) Cream non-dairy substitute, instant coffee, and salt. Then beat in both extracts and sugar. Finally, work in flour, chocolate chips, and most of the almonds.
2) Spread in greased 10x15-inch jelly roll pan and press until flat and even. Press in remaining almonds on top.
3) Bake 18-20 minutes until edges are slightly brown.
4) Cool in pan and cut into squares. Store between wax paper.
**I reprinted Anita's recipe as she gave it to me, but I did make some modifications when I was baking. The biggest modification I made was not using almond extract and the slivered almonds, for one big reason: I forgot to pick them up and I had already started baking. Yikes! I look forward to trying this recipe again, when I actually have everything! Anyway, for those who don't like nuts or have an allergy, you can eliminate the almonds and use 1 tsp. of vanilla to swap out the 1/2 tsp. of almond/1/2 tsp. of vanilla combination, and it will still be tasty.
Other recipe notes: I used two cups of brown sugar and no white sugar. I also omitted the salt, just because I never bake with it; Earth's Balance has salt in it, so I often find that I don't need to add extra.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Using Baked Goods to Feed a Greg on the Go
My husband Greg has found a way to combine one of his passions with a career; he is a pilot who teaches people how to fly warbirds, and he also gives aerobatic instruction. (Shameless plug alert: visit the Gauntlet Warbirds link under "Friends on the Web" to get a taste of what he does!)
One of the things I love about Greg is how incredibly hard he works. Unfortunately, this almost always means he will work a 12+ hour day without stopping to eat. You can probably imagine how I feel about this habit of his. Through the power of baking, though, Greg and I have been able to work out a compromise where he eats little snacks throughout the day, and I can stop panicking that he eats like a camel.
This recipe is adapted from Naturally Thin, by Bethenny Frankel. I was making the original recipe one day, when Greg tasted a cookie and asked if there was a way to beef up the protein and turn it into a "mini meal" for him. We had a lot of fun experimenting with different ingredients until we got the combination to a point where we always have a batch of these living in the freezer, so Greg can stock up before a work day. And, as a fun plus, Greg and I got to bake together, which is something I just love to do.
I will admit that these cookies are a bit on the dense side, but they are tasty and very filling (and vegan, too!). If you've never cooked with soy flour before, I highly recommend it. It's a great source of protein and mixes well with other flours; be sure to store it in the fridge so it stays fresh. Raw soy flour has the slight aroma of banana, so it works really well in this recipe. If, however, soy flour isn't your thing, you can use a different kind of flour. Speaking of banana, this recipe is a great way to get rid of bananas that have been lurking around your house a bit longer than they were welcome to stay.
Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Yields: 18-24 cookies
Ingredients:
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. soy flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. raw sugar (if you only have granulated sugar, that will work as well)
1 Tbsp. natural applesauce
1/3 c. soy milk
1 1/2-2 medium ripe bananas
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 - 2/3 c. chocolate chips (optional) (you can use vegan or your favorite brand)**
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2) Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. While mixing, add the applesauce, milk, and vanilla.
3) Add the bananas last. For a smoother consistency, mash the bananas before you add them. If you like banana chunks, just throw the bananas in whole.
4) Once the dough is well combined, stir in chocolate chips, if you desire.
5) Scoop little cookie dough balls (about one tablespoon) onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. I recommend using a cookie scoop or tiny ice cream scoop, but regular spoons work just fine.
6) Bake in the oven for about 12 minutes, or until the bottoms and/or edges start to turn a light brown. The cookies won't rise or spread while baking, but don't fret - that's normal! Also make sure to rotate the pans halfway through.
7) Rest the cookie pans on a cooling rack for about 2-3 minutes, and then remove the cookies and cool all the way on a cooling rack. The cookies may be a little sticky when you take them off the pan, but that's normal. Parchment paper is a wonder for minimizing sticking to the pan.
**For those who know me, you are probably shocked that you saw "chocolate chips optional" because I am a huge lover of all things chocolate. However, Greg and I have a philosophical difference on whether chocolate should be added to these cookies. He likes them just the way they are, and I think everything improves when chocolate is added. I would just follow your gut and do what you normally like in a cookie. I've also approximated the measurement, because you should just eyeball how much chocolate you add, until it is to the level chocolatey-ness you prefer.
If you think that you have never baked with vegan chocolate chips before, you may be surprised! I was pleasantly happy to read the back of the Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips to find, as far as I can tell, no animal products. These are now my chocolate chips of choice - and they are delicious.
One of the things I love about Greg is how incredibly hard he works. Unfortunately, this almost always means he will work a 12+ hour day without stopping to eat. You can probably imagine how I feel about this habit of his. Through the power of baking, though, Greg and I have been able to work out a compromise where he eats little snacks throughout the day, and I can stop panicking that he eats like a camel.
This recipe is adapted from Naturally Thin, by Bethenny Frankel. I was making the original recipe one day, when Greg tasted a cookie and asked if there was a way to beef up the protein and turn it into a "mini meal" for him. We had a lot of fun experimenting with different ingredients until we got the combination to a point where we always have a batch of these living in the freezer, so Greg can stock up before a work day. And, as a fun plus, Greg and I got to bake together, which is something I just love to do.
I will admit that these cookies are a bit on the dense side, but they are tasty and very filling (and vegan, too!). If you've never cooked with soy flour before, I highly recommend it. It's a great source of protein and mixes well with other flours; be sure to store it in the fridge so it stays fresh. Raw soy flour has the slight aroma of banana, so it works really well in this recipe. If, however, soy flour isn't your thing, you can use a different kind of flour. Speaking of banana, this recipe is a great way to get rid of bananas that have been lurking around your house a bit longer than they were welcome to stay.
Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Yields: 18-24 cookies
Ingredients:
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. soy flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. raw sugar (if you only have granulated sugar, that will work as well)
1 Tbsp. natural applesauce
1/3 c. soy milk
1 1/2-2 medium ripe bananas
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 - 2/3 c. chocolate chips (optional) (you can use vegan or your favorite brand)**
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2) Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. While mixing, add the applesauce, milk, and vanilla.
3) Add the bananas last. For a smoother consistency, mash the bananas before you add them. If you like banana chunks, just throw the bananas in whole.
4) Once the dough is well combined, stir in chocolate chips, if you desire.
5) Scoop little cookie dough balls (about one tablespoon) onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. I recommend using a cookie scoop or tiny ice cream scoop, but regular spoons work just fine.
6) Bake in the oven for about 12 minutes, or until the bottoms and/or edges start to turn a light brown. The cookies won't rise or spread while baking, but don't fret - that's normal! Also make sure to rotate the pans halfway through.
7) Rest the cookie pans on a cooling rack for about 2-3 minutes, and then remove the cookies and cool all the way on a cooling rack. The cookies may be a little sticky when you take them off the pan, but that's normal. Parchment paper is a wonder for minimizing sticking to the pan.
**For those who know me, you are probably shocked that you saw "chocolate chips optional" because I am a huge lover of all things chocolate. However, Greg and I have a philosophical difference on whether chocolate should be added to these cookies. He likes them just the way they are, and I think everything improves when chocolate is added. I would just follow your gut and do what you normally like in a cookie. I've also approximated the measurement, because you should just eyeball how much chocolate you add, until it is to the level chocolatey-ness you prefer.
If you think that you have never baked with vegan chocolate chips before, you may be surprised! I was pleasantly happy to read the back of the Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips to find, as far as I can tell, no animal products. These are now my chocolate chips of choice - and they are delicious.
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