Vegan Double-Chocolate Bourbon Cookies

This is a small batch of cookies that I made to give the leasing office and maintenance of my building because they are awesome.  I ran out of sugar after I made the tequila lime cake, so I created this recipe with the last of my brown sugar.  They're bourbony!

Ingredients

• ¼ cup coconut oil
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup bourbon
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup vegan chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream together the coconut oil & brown sugar.  Add the almond milk and vanilla.
3. Slowly sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
4. When the dry ingredients have been incorporated, knead in the chocolate chips.  (The dough is going to be a little crumbly).
5. Roll into walnut-sized balls & place them on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Flatten them a bit with your palm. 
6. Bake for 7-10 minutes.

Makes 15-18 cookies

Vegan Banana Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips

While on the phone with my sister the other day, she told me about this wonderful concoction that she made for breakfast.  Into her regular oatmeal, she mixed some banana and chocolate chips.  I suddenly got very quiet on my end of the phone.  After a few seconds, I proclaimed, "I can make that into a cookie!"  

The recipe has very little sugar or fat.  It is mostly held together with the bananas which keep the cookies quite moist.

Ingredients

3 mashed bananas (approximately 1 ¼ cup)

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons water

1/4 cup shortening (Crisco)

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 cup rolled oats (old fashioned or quick oats)

1 cup vegan chocolate chips

 

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine the mashed bananas, vanilla, and water.  Incorporate the shortening to the banana mixture.
3. Slowly incorporate the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until blended. 
4. Stir in the oats, followed by chocolate chips.
5. Rest the mixture for about 10 minutes to allow the rolled oats to soften.  If you are using quick oats, you can skip this step.
6. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto greased cookie sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes.

 Makes approximately 18 medium-sized cookies.

Vegan Swedish Fish Cookie Recipe

It's 98 degrees in my kitchen, but it's worth it because now I have Swedish Fish Cookies.  I may, however, die before I have a chance to eat any.  It's so hot.  So very, very hot.

 

Ingredients:

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup vegan butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening (I used Crisco)

3 tablespoons water

Zest of one orange

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon orange extract

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup Swedish Fish (cut in half)

 

 

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, cream together the margarine, shortening, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the water, vanilla, orange extract, and orange zest.  Mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Add the Swedish Fish.

Shape the dough into walnut-sized balls and place the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet. 

Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes.

Makes approximately 36 cookies.

Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's a cookie party!

 

Ingredients:

 

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup vegan margarine
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup vegan chocolate chips

 

Preparation:

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, cream together the margarine, peanut butter, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the water and vanilla.  Mix in the flour and baking soda.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Shape the dough into walnut-sized balls and place the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet. 

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes.

Makes approximately 36 cookies.

Vegan Vanilla-Chai Cookies

These are essentially my Vanilla-Chai Cupcakes in cookie form.  A bit crispy, they are delicious with coffee or tea.

For those who I subjected to my Curry Bomb Cookies, these are sweeter (but with less sugar) and less explosive.

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons softened vegan margarine

6 tablespoons shortening (Crisco)
3/4 cup demerara sugar (or regular sugar)
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons garam masala spice mix**

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups whole wheat (or all-purpose) flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt


Preparation: 
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, cream together the margarine, shortening, and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add the water, garam masala, ginger, and vanilla.  Mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Shape the dough into walnut-sized balls and place the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Flatten slightly. 

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes.

Makes approximately 36 cookies.

** Check the ingredients on your garam masala mix.  I accidentally picked up one with onion and garlic powder.  They didn't taste horrible, but they didn't taste good.  I recommend McCormicks.

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Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup vegan butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening (I used Crisco)

3 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, cream together the margarine, shortening, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the water and vanilla.  Mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Add the chocolate chips.

Shape the dough into walnut-sized balls and place the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet. 

Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes.

Makes approximately 45 cookies.


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Pumpkin Cookie Recipe

Another pumpkin recipe!  YAY!  There's nothing quite like the smell and color of a freshly opened can of pumpkin!

I changed this recipe a bit since I first posted it.  I reduced the amount of sugar by 1/2 cup and added a little more spice.  If you tried the recipe previously and had different results, that's why.

1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup demerara sugar (or raw sugar)*
1 cup roasted, mashed pumpkin (or Libby's 100% Pumpkin)
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla (treat yourself to the real stuff; it's worth it!)
3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour


Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.

Cream together the sugar and butter.  Add the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla and mix well.  Add the spices, salt, baking soda, and baking powder and combine.

Slowly incorporate the flours.

Scoop onto a lined cookie sheet and bake for 17-20 minutes.



The cookies turned out lovely!  They tasted a bit like oatmeal pumpkin cookies.

I changed the recipe a bit, but here's a link to the original.  It includes a glaze.  I think the glaze is a bit unnecessary (especially since I already think that they are too sweet).

* I'm really fond of the demerara sugar - it gives pastries a hint of a brown sugar flavor - but if you don't have any, substitute it with a 50-50 combo of light brown sugar and regular sugar.


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Pumpkin-Applesauce Drop Cookies

You may have noticed that there's a bit of a theme to the last few recipes that I have posted.  I love to cook seasonal food, so I have been trying to develop recipes that make the most of the season.  Seeing that many people aren't particularly fond of Brussels sprouts, I decided to focus on apples and pumpkins/butternut squash instead.

Lightly sweet, these Pumpkin-Applesauce Drop Cookies are somewhere between drop cookies and scones, but despite their existential crisis, they are delicious.  

Pumpkin-Applesauce Drop Cookies *

3 ½ c whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch salt

4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 cup cold butter

2 cups cooked pumpkin/butternut squash (or Libby's 100% Pumpkin)

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (homemade or store bought)

1/3 cup honey

Preparation

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spice. Cut in butter, adding a bit at a time until it is mostly incorporated (it will probably be lumpy, but that's ok).

Add pumpkin, applesauce, and honey.  Mix until combined, but try not to overmix.

Drop the cookies by the spoonful onto a lined/buttered cookie sheet. 

Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes.  Makes approximately 36 cookies. 

* This recipe can be easily converted into a vegan recipe by replacing the honey with 1/3 cup of sugar and by replacing the butter with vegan margarine.


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Vegan Curry Cookie Recipe

Earlier today, I was sitting in my apartment thinking about two things: curry and cookies.  My mind Frankensteined the two ideas together and came up with the following recipe.

The initial flavor of the cookie is sweet until a touch of cinnamon and ginger begins to shine through, and just when you think it is over, the spicy curry flavor hits.  The flavors are complex and build upon each other in an intriguing way. 

I may experiment with the recipe a little bit.  I think 2 tsp of vanilla would nicely accentuate the almond and curry flavors.  I think I would also like to try a version with coconut instead of currants. 

Ingredients:
3/4 cup softened vegan margarine
1 cup demerara sugar (or regular sugar)
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 1/2 cups whole wheat (or all-purpose) flour
1/3 cup water
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp fresh ginger
4 or 5 tsp curry powder (I used a hot curry blend)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup dried currants or raisins (optional)
1/2 cup roughly chopped almonds

Preparation: 
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add the flour and combine.  Add the water, baking soda, salt, ginger, and cinnamon.  Incorporate 4 tsp of curry powder.  Taste the batter to check your spice levels (there are no eggs, so you can taste the batter without threat of salmonella).  If desired, add another tsp of curry powder.

Add the currants and almonds into the mixture.

Shape the dough into walnut-sized balls and place the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Flatten slightly. 

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes.

 Makes approximately 45 cookies.


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