However, before Jordan left he promised he would bake some cookies with me. When we lived together we used to cook dinner together all the time, and it was a lot of fun for... me! I always got to do the easy stuff like taking the food out, arranging it, being the cleaner/washer, while Jor got to cry during cutting the onions, stand over the stove as the grease splashed out of the Wok while making tempura'd shrimp/veggies, or having to stand there and watch over our food, making sure it doesn't burn while I take out the garbage... ah I miss the days. Baking however, was always my thing, he didn't like to get involved with that, it wasn't his forte, because well... I am as any careful baker is... ingredients can get switched and swapped but measurements have to be exact. Jay always liked to just throw things in, in whatever measurements he felt, and I would get very angry especially when it came to baking soda or baking powder, tsk tsk.Last year he did help me out with something in the kitchen that wasn't cooking... and what was it? Well, do you guys remember my Rainbow Cake? The one that took two boxes of cake box, and felt like it was a million feet tall? Yeah well, as I had written in that post, there was a massive gap in the middle, hugeeee hole on one side. I started crying, I was so sad, I wanted this cake to be perfect, then this hole?! But him being cool, collective and smart decided we could fix it! He got my skewers stuck 'em in and voila! It wasn't perfect, but if we had of walked down three streets to our friends house with out them, it would of been a smushed pancake!
Well, before he left, he promised he would bake cookies with me! Needless to say I was insanely giddy! I never really bake with anyone, just because, but, having him bake with me meant so much to me.
We made not one recipe but two! The results? Insanely delicious cookies! The first cookies we made were these delicious Macadamia Ginger Crunch Cookies I had been eying for quite some time, however due to the exhaustion of never being able to find Macadamia nuts I never got a chance to make these cookies. However, when he was asleep I went to the grocery store and to my delight Macadamia nuts in the bulk section, I may or may not of done a happy dance... but I was insanely happy. I loved these cookies, to me they were sweet, with a kick of spice, and a bite of crunch. Jordan and my mom felt that these cookies had far too much zing, were however still delicious, but the zing was too overpowering. I disagree, however, I loveeee ginger so much, I didn't find it strong at all, heck I could of added much more and still been happy. However, Jordan's reasoning is that he felt the ginger made the Macadamia's far too subtle, which I could see but still!
Mmmmm... I still have some of these frozen, which I sneak out here and there... I don't want to eat them all at once, because he helped me make them.
Macadamia Ginger Crunch Cookies
Recipe taken from “Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar.”
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 2/3 cup canola oil
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 1/3 cup nondairy milk
- 1 tbsp ground flax seeds
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp coconut extract
- 1 1/3 cups unsalted macadamia nuts, chopped
- 1/2 cup candied ginger, finely chopped
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.In a medium-size bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt and nutmeg.
In a large bowl, beat together oil, sugar, brown sugar, nondairy milk, flax seeds and the vanilla and coconut extracts. Fold in the flour mixture and mix to moisten. Just before mixture is completely combined, fold in the macadamia nuts and ginger.
For each cookie, drop one generous tablespoon of dough onto the cookie sheet. The dough will be sticky and thick. Leave about two inches of space between each cookie.
Bake for 14 minutes until edges start to brown. Let the cookies rest on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to complete cooking. Store in a tightly covered container.
Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies
Salty Peanut Butter Vegan Carob Chip Cookies
Recipe slightly adapted from here
Since Jordan's favourite cookie is chocolate chip, I suggested we make this recipe. These were one of the first cookies I had put into my must-try vegan cookies. The only baked goods I now make are vegan, I just feel better about them, however, I never got around to making them. I always found other cookies that just took precedence. These however, should have been one of the first ones to be made. They were so freakin' good! I loved them, honestly, LOVED. Jordan however, oh my goodness, I laughed so hard. He loves to snack on chipits whenever they are in plain sight... well he was trying to sneak some... however, he didn't realize that the "chipits" on the counter were not milk, or even semi-sweet chocolate chips, no no no, they were CAROB. He was like "SAM! WTF IS THIS? THEY ARE NOT CHOCOLATE CHIP!" "No, you're right, they are carobs" "... NO CHOCOLATE?!?!?!" "They taste like dark chocolate!" "NO THEY DO NOT!" That continued for a few minutes while I continued to laugh. I really don't find carob chips to be awful, he however really didn't enjoy them. He loved the finalized product minus the carob chips, oh well more for me!
Ingredients:
- 1 + 1/4 cup whole grain spelt flour
- 1/4 cup organic sugar
- 1/4 tsp fleur de sel (or reg. salt)
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 1/2 tbsp carob chips
- 1 1/2 tbsp homemade peanut butter
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 3 1/2 tbsp canola oil
- Sea salt, for garnish
Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with oil. In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients (spelt flour, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt, sugar). Whisk together. In a medium sized bowl mix all wet ingredients (peanut butter, maple syrup, oil. vanilla). Mix well making sure the PB is thoroughly mixed in. Now add wet to dry and stir. Mix with hands if necessary until fully incorporated. Stir in carob chips. Wet hands and shape small cookies about 1.5 inches in diameter and place on baking sheet. Bake for just 10 minutes. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack after a couple minutes. Cool for 10 minutes. Makes 14 medium sized cookies.
Peanut Butter Pillows
Recipe taken from here
Before Jordan left for Korea I had sent him a couple links to some vegan cookie recipes. The last month or so before leaving he started developing an interest in becoming more physical and being more healthy all around. When I asked him if he wanted regular chocolate chip cookies as his goodbye "food" gift he said "no, I'd like some of the healthy treats you prepare". Well lucky me, I got to kill two birds with one stone. I got to make him a nice gift, and got to knock off some recipes I'd been wanting to try/get to taste some too.
The one cookie that he really wanted was for these scrumptious Peanut Butter Pillows. You often find non-vegan versions of this cookie here and there, but this recipe was perfect. What I find amazing is that, I always read people who opt for applesauce when a recipe calls for oil because they find the baked good becomes oily... I think they're on crack and just don't use a measuring cup (perhaps they learn't from Jordan...). I've never gotten a greasy baked good when using oil. I used my homemade peanut butter, and they were just super. When Jorg was packing his bag, the topic of my "homemade cookies" came up with his family. At first it was a joke of "well he can't take that on the plane to Korea so we should eat them for dessert"... then it actually became truth because we didn't want crazy dogs attacking him because he smelt so good, then to be detained because they may think drugs were laced in the cookies. Well, those bad boys disappeared at a rate faster than the speed of light. His dad definitely liked them, and by morning I got asked, while rubbing his stomach, "Ughhh... Sam what did you put in those cookies?" ... the answer was nothing I put in the cookies, it was the fact that he literally ate like twelve. They were really were good though.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 3 tbsp chocolate almond milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cup AP flour
- 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 homemade peanut butter
- 2/3 cup icing sugar
- 2-3 tbsp almond milk
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl combine oil, sugar, maple syrup, non-dairy milk and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Sift in flour, cocoa powder, black cocoa if using, baking soda and salt. Mix to form a moist dough.Make the filling. In another mixing bowl beat together peanut butter, confectioner’s sugar, 2 tablespoons of soy creamer and vanilla extract to form a moist but firm dough. If peanut butter dough is too dry (as different natural peanut butters have different moisture content), stir in remaining tablespoon of non-dairy milk. If dough is too wet knead in a little extra powdered sugar.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line bakings sheet with parchment paper.
Shape the cookies. Create the centers of the cookies by rolling the peanut butter dough into 24 balls. Scoop a generous tablespoon of chocolate dough, flatten into a disc and place a peanut butter ball in the center. Fold the sides of the chocolate dough up and around the peanut butter center and roll the chocolate ball into an smooth ball between your palms. Place on a sheet of waxed paper and repeat with remaining doughs. If desired gently flatten cookies a little, but this is not necessary.
Place dough balls on lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart and bake for 10 minutes. Remove sheet from oven and let cookies for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to complete cooling. Store cookies in tightly covered container. If desired warm cookies in a microwave for 10 to 12 seconds before serving.
Oatmeal Pumpkin Cookies
Recipe taken from here
The next cookie I made for him were the Pumpkin Oatmeal cookies. Just like any cookie you make with pumpkin they come out like perfect little pillows. I really enjoyed these, but as you all know I'm biased when it comes to these flavours since it's my favourite spices! I loved them. If I had to pick a favourite between all four of these, I seriously don't know which it would be.
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1 1/3 cups rolled oats
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 2/3 cups sugar
- 2/3 cup canola oil
- 2 tbsp molasses
- 1 cup canned pumpkin, or cooked pureed pumpkin
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Optional: 1 tbsp ground flax seeds
- 1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
Preheat oven to 350. Have ready 2 greased baking sheets.
Mix together flour, oats, baking soda, salt and spices.
In a seperate bowl, mix together sugar, oil, molasses, pumpkin and vanilla (and flax seeds if using) until very well combined. Add dry ingredients to wet in 3 batches, folding to combine. Fold in walnuts and raisins.
Drop by tablespoons onto greased cookie sheets. They don’t spread very much so they can be placed only an inch apart. Flatten the tops of the cookies with a fork or with your fingers, to press into cookie shape. Bake for 16 minutes at 350. If you are using two sheets of cookies on 2 levels of your oven, rotate the sheets halfway through for even baking. You’ll have enough batter for 4 trays.
Remove from oven and get cookies onto a wire rack to cool. These taste best when they’ve had some time to cool and set. They taste even better the next day!
Ever since beginning to bake vegan-only cookies... I find that the cookies are so much better tasting. I don't feel that gross fatty feeling after I eat seven or eight either, not that that ever happens right? But seriously here, they are so much more satisfying, I love them and after having cookies this way I hope I never have to go back to non-vegan cookies.
If you have any vegan cookie recipes what are some of your favourites?
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