Fragrant Vanilla Cake

Tag: cookies

Vegan Fluffernutter Sandwich Cookies

Ever since I discovered vegan marshmallow fluff made with aquafaba, I have wanted to make something fluffernutter. Mostly because I have never actually had anything fluffernutter…and it is a fun word to say, and the combination sounds delicious to someone craving salty and sweet. Also, I have had really good luck with my marshmallow fluff, since it is easier to make than something you would have to bake made with the meringue.

I decided last Monday that what sounded really good to make with it were Fluffernutter Sandwich Cookies with peanut butter cookies as the outer part. I was all excited about it, and unfortunately my oven was broken, so I had to go over to Eric’s to bake them. He didn’t mind though…any opportunity to be there and maybe get a taste of what I am baking in the process he is in. The dough was amazing by the way. I could have eaten that with a spoon.

Once the cookies were all baked and cooled and I had the fluffy sweet meringue made, I could not wait to try them. Let me tell you, they were heavenly. I admit I felt like a little kind eating one, because they seem like something I would have begged my parents for. Waaayyy healthier than any of the stuff I ate as a child though. This is an awesome use for vegan marshmallow fluff, and if you love peanut butter too, you must try these. They are really pretty simple to make besides the fact that there are two components.

Vegan Fluffernutter Sandwich Cookies

Makes 6 sandwich cookies

1 Tbsp ground flaxseed

3 Tbsp filtered water

1 cup coconut sugar

3/4 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup coconut oil, warmed to liquid

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups gluten free all purpose flour or quinoa flour*

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

Marshmallow fluff:

1/2 cup aquafaba**

1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum or guar gum

1/2 cup powdered xylitol, maple sugar or coconut sugar***

1/4 tsp sea salt (if your chickpea liquid has no salt)

1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

In a small bowl, whisk together the flax seed and water. Place the bowl in the fridge for 15 minutes, this is your flax egg.

In a large bowl, with a wooden spoon, mix together the sugar, peanut butter, coconut oil, vanilla and flax egg, until smooth. Then mix in the flour, soda, baking powder, and sea salt in until the mixture is smooth.

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment.

Shape the cookie dough into 2 inch balls, place on your baking sheet a few inches apart and flatten with a fork, like you would with peanut butter cookies.

Place in the oven and bake at 375 for 12 minutes or so, until lightly browned and set. Allow to cool completely on a rack.

Meanwhile, In a food processor (which is what I used, or you may use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment), whip up the chickpea liquid until it has reached pretty stiff peaks. This will take about 2 minutes in the food processor. Add the guar gum and process until incorporated. Add the sea salt and sugar and with the motor running, a little at a time through the feed tube (so you do not deflate it), then allow to process until the sugar is completely dissolved and the meringue is smooth, shiny and thick. Add the vanilla, and blend until uniform in color.

Flip half the cookies upside down, and spread some of the marshmallow fluff onto each one. Top with another cookie.

*If you do not want to make these gluten free, you can use whole wheat pastry flour.

**Aquafaba is the liquid from cooked or canned chickpeas. If you are using liquid from the cooked, you want to make sure it is thick, not watery.

***If using the coconut sugar or maple sugar, it will turn your marshmallow fluff light brown. Xylitol is toxic to dogs the same way chocolate is, so do not let your dog get ahold of this marshmallow fluff.

July 19, 2015
Vegan Chocolate Dipped Hazelnut Butter Cookies with Raspberries and a Giveaway!

Windy City Organics was kind enough to send me some Dastony Nut Butters to create recipes with, and I could not have been more excited. In case you haven’t noticed before I am in love with all things nut butter. I have at least 6 types in my pantry at all times. One of the nut butters they sent me was Raw Hazelnut Butter. Let me tell you, it was the silkiest smoothest hazelnut butter I have ever tried. It is delicious to enjoy by the spoonful on its own, or swirled into your morning porridge, or added to a smoothie to make it silky, but I wanted to make some cookies out of it.

I love peanut butter cookies, so I thought I would make some hazelnut butter cookies. Sounds upscale doesn’t it. Well it is kind of special, at least in my mind since hazelnut butter is more unusual than peanut butter. I made a dough the way I would with peanut butter, but it was extra sweet and delicious thanks to the hazelnut butter. I decided to add in some dried raspberries for a sort of PB and J effect, and it made it even better. The tart berries contrasting the sweet cookie dough perfectly. They smelled amazing while baking.

Once they were cooled I could not leave well enough alone, and I decided to dip them in dark chocolate. OMG…were these ever good! This is a heavenly combination, and I shared a few with my family who insisted I not share them with anyone else but them. Trust me, you need to try making these gems.

If this hazelnut butter is sounding pretty good to you right now, I totally understand, and I have the solution. You can either buy yourself some over at the Raw Guru Store, where they have 15% off all Dastony nut butter flavors if you use the special promo code: davanillacake15 and it is good from now until Monday 7/13! So you can get a deal on any of the Dastony Nut butters, including the Hazelnut Butter! Not only that, I am giving away a prize pack including one Dastony Sesame Tahini and one Dastony Hazelnut Butter courtesy of Windy City Organics. Just scroll down below the recipe to enter my giveaway! (Open to the USA only, sorry.)

Vegan Chocolate Dipped Hazelnut Butter Cookies with Raspberries

Makes 12 cookies

1 Tbsp ground flaxseed

3 Tbsp filtered water

1 cup coconut sugar

3/4 cup Dastony hazelnut butter

1/4 cup coconut oil, warmed to liquid

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups gluten free all purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 cup dried raspberries

1/2 cup chopped vegan dark chocolate

In a small bowl, whisk together the flax seed and water. Place the bowl in the fridge for 15 minutes, this is your flax egg.

In a large bowl, with a wooden spoon, mix together the sugar, hazelnut butter, coconut oil, vanilla and flax egg, until smooth. Then mix in the flour, soda, baking powder, and sea salt in until the mixture is smooth. Stir in the dried raspberries.

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment.

Shape the cookie dough into 2 inch balls, place on your baking sheet a few inches apart and flatten with a fork, like you would with peanut butter cookies.

Place in the oven and bake at 375 for 12 minutes or so, until lightly browned and set. Allow to cool completely on a rack.

Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler (or your preferred method), and dip half of each of the cookies into the chocolate allowing the excess to drain off. Set on a parchment lined tray to set the chocolate (it will set faster if you pop them in the freezer for about 5 minutes).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

July 7, 2015
Vegan Mississippi Mud Cookies

I was watching one of my coworkers drizzling chocolate over the freshly baked cookies at work and I decided that I had to make something with chocolate when I got home. Chocolate cookies. Because that was what I was suddenly craving after smelling that chocolate. I didn’t want to make something I had made before, I was up for something new and exciting.

While I was out for my walk after work it came to me. Mississippi Mud Cookies! It was kind of muddy out, my shoes were not happy, but my tummy would be after gaining this inspiration. Funny how the weirdest things give me ideas sometimes. Why Mississippi mud? Well I do live in Minnesota and I enjoy being around the Mississippi river. I have visited the point where it starts, and it is quite beautiful down here in the cities as it winds its way south.

Anyways back to the cookies…I know there are versions of Mississippi mud cookies out there, but this is my version. I wanted there to be lots of chocolate. So I made a gluten free chocolate dough, and added big chocolate chunks. I also wanted there to be crunchy nuts included. I added almonds, walnuts, and pecans for plenty of crunch. They were decadently delicious. Sort of like brownie cookies. This is the type of mud you want in your life, trust me.

Vegan Mississippi Mud Cookies (gluten free)

Makes 16 large cookies

2 Tbsp ground flax seed

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp filtered water

1 cup virgin coconut oil, warmed to liquid

1 1/2 cups coconut sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Tbsp espresso powder (or very finely ground good quality coffee)

1/2 cup cacao powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

3 cups all purpose gluten free flour

3/4 cup chopped almonds

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

3/4 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup vegan dark chocolate chunks*

In a small bowl, whisk together the flax seed and filtered water. Set aside in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, coconut oil with sugar and mix until well combined.
Mix in the vanilla extract and flax mixture until well combined.
Add the cacao powder, espresso powder, baking soda and salt then the flour, a cup at a time, mixing between each addition, until well combined.
Mix in the almonds, walnuts, pecans, and chocolate chunks.
To bake, Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll balls into about 2 inch balls, and place on prepared cookie sheets a couple inches apart. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, until puffed and just starting to brown slightly. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan a few minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining cookies and let cool completely.

*If you are using home made chocolate as I often do, hold off on mixing it into the dough, and press it into the cookies just as they come out of the oven. This prevents it from melting all over.

June 26, 2015
Raw Chocolate Raspberry Thumb Print Cookies

I really enjoyed dress up when I was a little kid. I was always putting on weird combinations of clothes that I thought would look pretty, even though most of the time I looked ridiculous. My own clothes were fun, but the most interesting clothes were at Grandma’s house. I would dig through her boxes of fabric and make “dresses” for myself draping them decoratively and securing them with a belt. Her scarves also made great accessories. They were colorful and beautiful and my Grandma was always a good sport never getting mad at me for trying on her things. Even letting me wear her lipstick and clip on earrings sometimes. I remember one time I didn’t want to take them off and I wore them to a pre-school program we were doing. I was up in front of everyone wearing those ridiculous dangly earrings. But it was awesome to my 4 year old self. Sometimes I would pretend to have a tea party with some of my dolls once I was all dressed up and of course I was the princess. Because queens were too old (at least that was my reasoning). I would have pretend food, but if I had real food I imagine thumb print cookies would be on the menu.

To me thumb prints make me think of tea parties. Not sure why. Maybe because they seem little and delicate. I decided that I needed to make some last week because I remembered how cute they were. Yes that is a valid reason for making cookies. But I didn’t want to make the same ones I used to make. It was a really hot day and I did not want to bake, so I made raw ones. But not just raw ones. Chocolate with raspberry chia jam. I am absolutely in love with chia jam lately. I love the texture, since I am a fan of jam with seeds, and it is simple and easy to make.

These cookies were really simple altogether to make, and I made them in less than half an hour which is always a plus. They were delicious as well. Fudgy and rich cookies the perfect contrast to the sweet light jam. These are definitely tea party material or just devour material…if you are not feeling lady like which I wasn’t really when I made them. If you are looking for a simple raw cookie recipe, this is it! No hard to find ingredients or tough techniques here!

Raw Chocolate Raspberry Thumb Print Cookies
Makes 10

Cookies:
3/4 cup soft dates, pitted (if not soft, soak them in filtered water 30 minutes and drain well first)
1/2 cup raw pecan butter or raw almond butter
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 Tbsp filtered water
1/3 cup raw cacao powder
3/4 cup raw coconut flour*

Jam:
1 1/4 cups organic raspberries
4 soft dates, pitted (if not soft, soak them in filtered water 30 minutes and drain well first)
pinch sea salt
2 Tbsp chia seeds

In a food processor, combine the dates, pecan butter, sea salt, vanilla extract and water and blend until smooth.

Next, add the cacao powder and coconut flour and blend until well combined and smooth dough (if it is a little dry (since dates can vary in moisture) add another Tbsp water).

Shape the dough into 10 round balls, press them down, and put an indentation into the center with your finger.

To make the jam, combine the raspberries and dates in the food processor and process until dates are very fine. Add the chia seeds and pulse a few times to mix in. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Spoon the jam into the centers of the cookies (you will have extra for another use).

Store the cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

*I prefer to make my own coconut flour since I find that storebought tends to be too dry. To do so, simply buzz finely shredded dried coconut in a blender until fine flour (but not too long you don’t want butter). Raw oat flour may also be used for this recipe if you do not want to use coconut.

June 15, 2015
Vegan Black Forest Cookies
My Mom gave me a bag of dried cherries, and asked me if I would make her some cookies. They were really good ones. Not those flavorless super sweet sugary dried cherries but the natural ones with a pop of tart with the sweet. What came to mind immediately was black forest cookies. Chocolate cookie, studded with chocolate chunks and the sweet tart cherries. The idea of them was simply heavenly. I asked her what she thought and she agreed so they had to be made.

The dough was crave worthy, me being a dough girl more than a baked cookie girl. But they smelled amazing while baking and were delicious once ready to indulge in. Like black forest cake without the layers in cookie form. Besides eating the dough, there is nothing like a warm freshly baked cookie with the chocolate still warm and gooey.

Vegan Black Forest Cookies

Makes 16 large cookies

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp ground flax seed

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp filtered water

1 cup virgin coconut oil, warmed to liquid

1 1/2 cups coconut sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup cacao powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

3 cups gluten free all purpose flour

1 cup dried cherries

1/2 cup vegan chocolate chunks
Instructions:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the flax seed and filtered water. Set aside in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, coconut oil with sugar and mix until well combined.
3. Mix in the vanilla extract and flax mixture until well combined.
4. Add the cacao powder, baking soda and salt then the flour, a cup at a time, mixing between each addition, until well combined.
5. Mix in the cherries, and chocolate chunks. Place in the fridge while you heat the oven.
6. To bake, Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll balls into about 2 inch balls, and place on prepared cookie sheets a couple inches apart (refrigerate unused dough while baking the other trays). Bake for about 10-12 minutes, until puffed and just starting to brown slightly. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan a few minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining cookies and let cool completely.
May 8, 2015
Vegan Strawberry Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies

I recently had a good amount of strawberries, and I decided to dry some. I thought the intensely flavored strawberries would be wonderful in recipes like granola. But I was craving some oatmeal cookies, and I didn’t want to just make the usual (I never do, it has to have a twist on it). So, I decided to make strawberry chocolate chunk.

I am in the mood for strawberries, since I have been deprived of them all winter long and spring is finally here, so they are ending up in many of the sweets I make lately. I know you usually find raisins in oatmeal cookies, not strawberries, but they ended up being pretty awesome in the cookies. Especially with the chocolate chunks, because chocolate loves strawberries. These are simply heavenly. If you are bored of the same old oatmeal cookies, give these a go!

Vegan Strawberry Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies
Makes about 4 dozen

1 cup virgin coconut oil, warmed to liquid
1 1/2 cups coconut sugar
2 flax eggs*
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups gluten free oat flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp sea salt
3 cups gluten free old fashioned rolled oats
2 cups vegan chocolate chunks
2 cups dried strawberries**

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the coconut oil and sugar until well blended. Add flax eggs, vanilla, and beat until well combined (the mixture will become very thick). Mix in the flour, soda, and sea salt until well blended. Mix in the oats until well combined, then add chocolate and strawberries and mix until evenly distributed throughout the dough. Heat the oven to 350 degrees with the rack set at the middle position. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough into 12 large balls, and spread them out on the 2 cookie sheets with plenty of room in between. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden, but not overbaked. Let cool on sheet a few minutes, then remove to a wire rack lined with parchment to cool.

*Whisk together 2 Tbsp ground flax seed, 1/4 cup and 2 Tbsp water in a small bowl. Allow to sit in the fridge for 15 minutes until the mixture has set up (or become kind of thick).

**I made my own dried strawberries. To make them, simply slice the strawberries thin, and place them on a lined dehydrator tray. Dry at 115F for about 24 hours until very dry.

April 3, 2015
Raw Spring Sugar Cookies

When I was in college, I used to love to make sugar cookies. You know, the ones you could decorate with all of the fun frostings. I used my Grandma’s sugar cookie recipe, which was amazing, topped off with buttercream in all sorts of shades of eye popping colors. Now gone are the days of me making refined sugar and bleached flour cookies with artificial dye frostings (I know, it sounds so appetizing when I put it that way, but just being honest). But I am not missing those cookies, because I have made new recipes for sugar cookies that are just as delicious, including the one I am sharing with you today.

These date sweetened babies are even better than my Grandma’s recipe (sorry Grandma, still love you, and you gave me a passion for creating delicious food which I appreciate). Can I even call them sugar cookies if there is no sugar? Well too bad I am going to because they taste like it. The dough is freaking awesome, and being a cookie dough girl, I could eat it just in gobs right out of the food processor. But that is not nearly as pretty as shaping it into cookies.

So once the cookies were cut into pretty Spring shapes (I wanted an excuse to use my flower and butterfly cookie cutters), I topped them off with colorful coconut frosting. No artificial colors here, just beet juice, spinach juice and carrot juice which make lovely colors! Don’t worry, you can’t taste the veggies, just the sweet coconutty goodness. It was perfect with the sugar cookies! Vanilla all the way though, just how I like them, and my Grandma would have been proud. If you are a fan of sugar cookies, but not the refined sugar, these are meant for you!

Raw Spring Sugar Cookies
Makes 12

2 cups finely shredded dried coconut
1 cup raw gluten free sprouted oat flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1 cup pitted, soft medjool dates (if they are not soft, soak them in water 30 minutes, and drain very well before using in recipe)
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup raw coconut butter, warmed to liquid

Vanilla Frosting:
1/2 cup raw coconut butter, warmed to liquid
1 heaping Tbsp raw coconut nectar (or your choice liquid raw sweetener)
1/3 cup filtered water and as needed
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

For color: about 1 tsp each carrot juice, spinach juice, beet juice

In a high speed blender, buzz the coconut to fine flour (but not too long or you will get butter). Add to a food processor with the oat flour, flax seed, dates, sea salt, and process until well combined. Add the vanilla, coconut butter, and process until smooth and dough like (if it seems too dry add a little more water 1 tsp at a time).

Roll out the dough on a sheet of parchment paper 1/4 inch thick, and cut out with medium sized spring cookie cutters (if it is too warm, pop it in the freezer for a few minutes to make it easier to work with). Once the cookies are all cut out, place them in the freezer to chill for about 30 minutes.

To make the vanilla frosting, whisk together all ingredients until smooth, adding a little filtered water as needed (it may seem clumpy at first, but it will smooth out, you want it to be the consistency to pipe over the cookies, so not too runny, not too thick). You can tint the frosting with the beet juice, carrot juice and spinach juice. I divided mine into 3 bowls, and added the color.

To decorate, place the frostings in small pastry bags, or ziplock bags with the corner cut off and pipe decoratively over the cookies. Let the frosting set (it will happen faster if you pop them in the freezer for about 5 minutes). Store leftover cookies in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

*Note, if you want these to be drier cookies, you can dehydrate them for 2-3 hours at 115F instead of chilling them.

March 23, 2015
Raw Tag-Along Cookies

I like to make Girl Scout cookie inspired desserts sometimes. Maybe it is because I loved those things as a child and I have good memories of enjoying them. I know if I ate them as an adult it would not quite be the same though since my taste buds and body are no longer used to refined sugar and flours and they would probably rebel. But luckily I can make my own versions of these tasty treats. Last week I decided to make Raw Tag-Alongs. They were one of my favorites next to the Samoas and Thin Mints. This is actually a recipe that is in my book Fragrant Vanilla Cake: Sweet and Savory, but since I was making them again I decided to share it on my blog in case you don’t own the book.

I think this raw version is even better than the original. Crunchy cookie topped off with gooey peanut butter which I leave unsweetened because the rich dark chocolate is nice and sweet and it is the perfect balance. When eating them I am instantly brought back to my childhood and remembering that peanut butter and chocolate always rules. Sorry Girl Scouts, you got nothing on my raw version of these! What is your favorite girl scout cookie?

Raw Tag-Along Cookies

Makes 10

Crust:

1 cup raw buckwheat groats, sprouted and dried

1 1/2 cups dried shredded coconut

1/2 cup ground flaxseed

3/4 cup soft medjool dates, pitted (soaked in water 30 minutes if not soft and drained well)

1/8 tsp sea salt

10 heaping Tbsp. raw jungle peanut butter or regular natural peanut butter

Raw Chocolate:

½ cup raw coconut oil, warmed to liquid

¾ cup raw cacao powder

¼ cup raw maple syrup or raw coconut nectar

A pinch sea salt

For the crust, combine all ingredients in a food processor, and process until finely ground and holding together when squeezed. Roll out on a lined sheet pan ¼ inch thick, and cut into 10 circles. Spread a heaping Tbsp. peanut butter over each one, and place in the freezer until frozen hard, about an hour. Meanwhile, whisk together all the chocolate ingredients in a bowl.

Dip each of the cookies into the chocolate, and let the excess drain off (use a fork to make it easier), and set back on the foil. Dip the remaining cookies, and then place in the freezer to harden (about 10 minutes). Store in the refrigerator.

March 21, 2015
Raw Vanilla Mint Shamrock Cookies

Thin mints always get a lot of attention this time of the year. And they are pretty delicious…but I couldn’t help but think what a white chocolate or vanilla thin mint would taste like? You know, no actual dark chocolate involved. I know, I know…to some I am sure that sounds absurd, no chocolate involved, but being that I am partial to vanilla, and often choose it over chocolate they sounded good to me. Also, I am always up for things out of the ordinary. So I got to work creating some vanilla thin mints last week.

As long as I was making something mint, and St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner, I thought why not tint them green and use my cute little shamrock cookie cutter that I have been waiting to use all year! I used mostly the usual suspects in the dough for these babies, but I included one unusual ingredient, pumpkin seed butter. Why pumpkin seed butter? Well I have been loving it lately, it is nutritious, it is neutral and most importantly it is green! So the cookies were naturally green and I added just a touch of matcha to make them a little darker. I glazed them with a mixture of coconut butter and cacao butter which tasted like delicious white chocolate.

They tasted like vanilla thin mints. Just what I was looking for, and the best part is I made them bite sized, so I can have more. At least that is how I think. Or, maybe more to share if you make these and you are feeling generous! If you are more of a vanilla person like me, but love thin mints…you need to try making these little guys!

Raw Vanilla Mint Shamrock Cookies

Makes about 24 cookies

3 cups finely shredded, dried coconut

1 cup pumpkin seed butter
1 tsp matcha powder or spinach juice

1/2 cup raw coconut nectar or maple syrup

2 Tablespoon ground flax seed

¼ teaspoon salt
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp filtered water

Glaze:
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp raw cacao butter, warmed to liquid
2/3 cup raw coconut butter (not oil) warmed to liquid
2 Tbsp coconut nectar or maple syrup
1/2 tsp matcha powder or spinach juice
1 tsp peppermint extract
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

In a high speed blender, buzz the coconut until fine like flour (about 15-30 seconds but not too long or you will get butter). Set aside.
In a food processor, combine the pumpkin seed butter, nectar, flax seed and salt and water. Process until well combined. Add the reserved coconut flour, and blend until well combined and smooth.

Roll out the dough on a sheet of parchment paper, and cut into little shamrocks (or whatever you like) with a tiny cookie cutter (you can re-roll the dough and cut out more if you can resist snacking on it).

Place cookies on a lined dehydrator tray, and dehydrate for about an hour until they are dry on the outside. Place in the fridge to cool for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk together the glaze ingredients, and dip the cookies into it, one by one (letting the excess drain off, I like to set them on a fork) and set on a parchment lined sheet pan. Once they are all dipped, place in the freezer for about 10 minutes to set the glaze. Store cookies in the fridge.

March 9, 2015
Vegan German Chocolate Cookies

A lot of times when I decide to make things, it is on a whim. That was how it was last Friday when I decided to bake a batch of cookies. I have been on a cookie baking kick lately, not sure why since cookies were never my favorite dessert in the past, but they have become sort of a weekly thing at my house in the last few months. Most likely because I am able to make them healthier than I used to, they are vegan and they usually taste wonderful. I had a little problem though last time. I was going to make some red velvet cookies, and use beets in them, but they were not blending up well. I only had one large beet and it was all chunky and not smooth like I wanted for cookie dough, and not quite large enough to work well in the Vitamix so…I ditched that idea and then decided screw red velvet cookies, I want chocolate cookies. Not chocolate chip cookies though, German chocolate cookies!

That is how random I am, and how it works out sometimes. I don’t give up, just change it up. I am happy I decided to make German chocolate cookies too, because they turned out awesome! I admit these were not a recipe I had made before, I actually took one of my old recipes and changed the dough quite a bit, but I was pleasantly surprised when it worked! They had the perfect texture, tasted amazing, and were just what I had pictured in my head.

The dough was amazing, how could it not be with a cacao base, coconut, crunchy walnuts and decadent dark chocolate. I could have eaten it as it was, and I did with some, but the dough that made it into cookies was wonderful warm from the oven. They smelled like heavenly brownies. Dare I say, they tasted better than traditional dairy and flour cookies. Thanks to the coconut sugar which has a wonderful caramel flavor and the coconut oil to make them a little rich. These are the type of cookies you bring to a potluck with people who are used to traditional food, let them try it and tell you how good it is, then tell them it was vegan. Hey, you might just catch their attention!

Vegan German Chocolate Cookies

Makes 16 large cookies

2 Tbsp ground flax seed

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp filtered water

1 cup virgin coconut oil, warmed to liquid

1 1/2 cups coconut sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup cacao powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

3 cups gluten free oat flour

3/4 cup coconut flakes

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup vegan chocolate chunks

In a small bowl, whisk together the flax seed and filtered water. Set aside in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, coconut oil with sugar and mix until well combined.
Mix in the vanilla extract and flax mixture until well combined.
Add the cacao powder, baking soda and salt then the oat flour, a cup at a time, mixing between each addition, until well combined.
Mix in the coconut flakes, walnuts, and chocolate chunks. Place in the fridge while you heat the oven.
To bake, Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll balls into about 2 inch balls, and place on prepared cookie sheets a couple inches apart (refrigerate unused dough while baking the other trays). Bake for about 10-12 minutes, until puffed and just starting to brown slightly. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan a few minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining cookies and let cool completely.

February 28, 2015
Vegan White Mulberry Date Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

In the deli I work in, I happen to work in the best part of the kitchen as far as I am concerned. You see, my work station is right next to the baked goods cooling rack. Let me tell you, Jimmy John’s “free smells” have got nothing on our deli treats that come out of the oven daily. Maple pecan scones, coconut oatmeal cookies and lemon cookies to name a few, their heavenly aroma filling the air. If I inhale slowly through my nose and take in the scent, I am immediately brought to my happy place. Even if I am having a bad day, and nothing is going right,

It is kind of evil and tempting at the same time, all of those baked goods right at arms length away, but I know I can go home after work and make my own gluten free vegan version of whatever is tempting me. That is exactly what I decided I needed to do last week. The oatmeal cookies smelled amazing, so I created my own that evening. I made a gluten free oatmeal cookie base, sweetened with coconut sugar and made rich with coconut oil. I admit this was somewhat of an experiment, since I haven’t made baked oatmeal cookies in years and I had never made a vegan gluten free version. I doctored up my old recipe and went for it though. The dough tasted to me a bit caramelly from the coconut sugar so I decided to go with the caramel flavored theme and throw in some of my favorite things as of lately. First, white mulberries. Vivapura was kind enough to send me some of theirs to try and omg…they taste like caramel berries! Which is pretty awesome, and not what I was expecting at all. But anyways, they went into my cookies. As did dates and pecans which to me are caramelly as well.

The dough for these cookies turned out freaking delicious, like eat it from the bowl with a spoon good. I was crossing my fingers and praying when I set the cookies in the oven though…and they turned out beautifully! Baked up just like my old version of the cookies, and taste wise, I ended up liking these babies better. I shared them with my Mom, who gave me a love for oatmeal cookies as a child, telling me that the oats made them healthy. I like your way of thinking Mom.

Vegan White Mulberry Date Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

Makes about 4 dozen

1 cup coconut oil, warmed to liquid

1 1/2 cups coconut sugar

2 flax eggs*

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

1 Tbsp maple extract

1 1/2 cups gluten free oat flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp sea salt
3 cups gluten free old fashioned rolled oats
2 cups chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups chopped dates
1 1/2 cups Vivapura white mulberries

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the coconut oil and sugar until well blended. Add flax eggs, vanilla, and maple, and beat until well combined (the mixture will become very thick). Mix in the flour, soda, cinnamon, and sea salt until well blended. Mix in the oats until well combined, then add pecans, dates, and mulberries and mix until evenly distributed throughout the batter. Heat the oven to 350 degrees with the rack set at the middle position. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough into 12 large balls, and spread them out on the 2 cookie sheets with plenty of room in between. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden, but not overbaked. Let cool on sheet a few minutes, then remove to a wire rack lined with parchment to cool.

*Whisk together 2 Tbsp ground flax seed, 1/4 cup and 2 Tbsp filtered water in a small bowl. Allow to sit in the fridge for 15 minutes until the mixture has set up (or become kind of thick).

February 20, 2015
Raw Chocolate Maca Almond Butter Cookies

Sprout Living recently sent me some of their protein powders to try, and I have to say they are some of the best protein powders I have tasted. If you have not heard of Sprout Living, you check them out, their protein powders are raw, non GMO, gluten free, made with whole foods, and vegan. Awesome products for active people like myself, or people who are looking to get good quality protein into their diets. The powders are delicious in smoothies, but I have made a few desserts and even a savory dish with them as well so they lend themselves well to many applications. One of the recipes I made was some Raw Chocolate Maca Almond Butter Cookies.

Their Epic Chocolate Maca Protein tastes wonderful as it is mixed into nut milk or water, but it is awesome in desserts as well. As proven by these cookies. I pair chocolate with peanut butter quite a lot, so I thought this time I would use almond. I made a raw almond butter cookie base, laced with cacao powder and the maca and it was so delicious just as it was. I could have eaten a bowl of dough. But I rolled them out instead into cute little hearts, dehydrated them for a short time, and dipped them in raw chocolate instead. What resulted was delicious goodness pure and simple. My taste testers loved them as well!

The best part is these include mood boosters with the maca and chocolate, as well as a protein boost AND they taste decadent. Can’t beat things that taste like they should be forbidden but they are actually good for you. This protein powder contains a generous 19 grams of protein and the benefit of maca! Which is awesome after a workout. I have been having this after my long runs lately and feeling good! You can find the Sprout Living Epic: Chocolate Maca Protein on their website!

Raw Chocolate Maca Almond Butter Cookies

Makes about 24 cookies

1 cup raw almond butter

¾ cup granulated raw coconut sugar

2 Tablespoon ground flax seed

¼ teaspoon salt
1/2 cup filtered water

1 cup sprouted oat flour
4 scoops Sprout Living Epic: Chocolate Maca Protein
1/4 cup raw cacao powder

1 cup raw chocolate chunks

In a food processor, combine the almond butter, sugar, flax seed and salt and water. Process until well combined. Add the oat flour, protein powder, and raw cacao powder.

Roll out the dough on a sheet of parchment paper, and cut into little hearts with a cookie cutter (you can re-roll the dough and cut out more if you can resist snacking on it).

Place cookies on a lined dehydrator tray, and dehydrate for about an hour until they are dry on the outside. Place in the fridge to cool for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the raw chocolate in the dehydrator, then dip each cookie half into it, and set on a parchment lined sheet pan. Once they are all dipped, place in the freezer for about 10 minutes to set the chocolate. Store cookies in the fridge.

February 16, 2015