First I made Lazy Samoas from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. How can you go wrong with a toasted coconut cookie dipped and dripped in chocolate? You can't! This may be the best cookie dough around. Consequently, the total cookie count was sacrificed due to many tablespoons of dough going right into my tummy. Oops! Here's the delicious cookie pre-chocolate-coated.
Next I made Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies. I know--chocolate chip cookies for the holidays seems a bit like cheating because you can make them in your sleep. But it's amazing what one small teaspoon of mint extract does to regular ole' chocolate chip--it elevates them to holiday cookie tray status. I made these last year, and many people told me it was their favorite. I agree, especially when they're warm and gooey right out of the oven. Recipe here.
I gambled on the third cookie of the weekend and made a recipe not from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar or a recipe from other well-known vegan cooks. I tried the Orange Pecan Squares from the December 2011 issue of Vegetarian Times. I love orange and was curious about the orange pecan combo...but I should have been known better when I saw there wasn't any baking powder or soda in the recipe. The ingredients were minimal: flour, processed pecans, margarine, sugar, orange zest, and vanilla. When I mixed the dough, it was dry and crumbly so I added some soymilk to make it form logs. I chilled the logs, cut off slices and baked them, then coated them with a glaze made of powdered sugar and orange juice.
They were...okay. The flavor was good but they were extremely dense with an odd texture. I actually thought to myself that these cookies were what omnivores would expect of vegan cookies: dry, a little weird, and just okay. When my husband tried one, he said pretty much the same thing! So now I have 35 of these in my freezer with a decision to make. Do they deserve a place on my gift trays and gift bags, or should I keep them for myself and feature only the spectacular cookies I know people will love?
This week I'll be reviewing my cookie list and seeing if I can find a good replacement in the event I don't give these out. Next week will be my final baking weekend!
Oh my, the lazy samoas sound delicious! I've got to give them a go :)
ReplyDeleteI'd leave the others out of your gift bags and make them into something better if I was you. Perhaps you could turn them into a crust for a pie or a crumble topping or a choc/nut/cookie terrine or blend them into a cookie butter?.. anything really- life is too short not to eat yummy food and you don't want to give people the wrong idea about your cooking skills or veganism!
Hope the next batch is better xxx
Useful informative blog on cookies. I like lot to present the cookie gifts for occasions. Thanks for sharing great information with us.
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