Epicurean Vegan

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Maple-Pecan Shortbread

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Maple-Pecan Shortbread -- Epicurean VeganI love thy neighbor… And I really love that we’re both foodies. I’ll bring over some vegan concoction (they’re so great to be my guinea pigs for some of my recipes) and she’ll return the dishes full of a different vegan concoction–even though she’s not a vegan!  How cool is that?! So this afternoon, she returned two dishes I had given her–minus the hummus I sent in them–and filled with other vegan goodness. These cookies are one of them. She said they were pretty easy to make–I obviously don’t have pictures of the process–just the end result, but I’ll assure you–they’re worth any time they may have taken.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup pecans
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup unbleached flour
1/4 cup maple sugar crystals or unbleached cane sugar (or white sugar from sugar beets)
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/3 cup vegan margarine
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 t. vanilla
1/2 t. almond extract
safflower oil, for oiling cookie sheets

DIRECTIONS:
In a blender or food processor, place the pecans, and pulse a few times to roughly chop. Transfer 1/3 cup of the chopped pecans to a small bowl and set aside. Add the oats to the remaining pecans in the blender and process for 30-60 seconds to finely grind them together. Add the flour, maple sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon, pulse a few times to combine, and set aside. In a medium bowl, place the margarine, maple syrup, vanilla, and almond extract, and stir the mixture until smooth. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir well to combine. Add the reserved chopped pecans and fold gently to incorporate them. Cover the bowl of dough, place it in the refrigerator, and chill the dough for 30 minutes or more.

Using a little safflower oil, lightly oil (or mist with oil) two non-stick cookie sheets and set aside. Transfer the chilled dough to a lightly floured work surface. Roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thickness and cut into 2-inch squares or diamonds or into desired shapes with small cookie cutters. Using a fork, gently poke the surface of each cut cookie a few times. Working in batches, carefully transfer the cut cookies to the prepared cookie sheets. Bake at 325 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottom. Allow the shortbread to cool on the cookie sheets for 3 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely. Repeat the baking procedure for the remaining cut cookies. Store the cookies in an airtight container.

Yield: 4 Dozen

Recipe source: VeganChef

Iced Oatmeal Cookies

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Iced Oatmeal Cookies -- Epicurean VeganYum! This recipe comes from Vegetarian Times (February 2010 issue) and they are quite delicious and easy to make. The recipe calls for a 1/4 C of applesauce and of course, I didn’t have any. We’re not big applesauce eaters here and I knew that any leftovers would turn different shades of green and white, so I opted to make my own. I just chopped up 1/2 a Grannie Smith–skins and all–and threw it into the food processor with a 1/4 cup of water and a tsp of sugar. Worked beautifully! The lemon-flavored icing is the perfect accompaniment to these cookies!

INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbs flaxseed meal
1 C oat flour (I ground 1-1/2 C of oats to reach a cup of oat flour)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbs margarine (I used Earth Balance)
1/2 C light brown sugar
1/4 C sugar
1/4 C applesauce (or they recommend prune puree)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 C old-fashioned oats
1/2 C raisins or dried cranberries (I used 1/4 C golden raisins and 1/4 C of orange-flavored craisins)
Icing:
3/4 C confectioners’ sugar
2 Tbs lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:
Stir together flax meal and water in a small bowl; set side. Whisk together oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl; set aside. Beat margarine, brown sugar and sugar with an electric mixer, 1-2 mins, or until light and fluffy. Add applesauce, vanilla and flax meal mixture and beat until smooth. Stir in oat flour mixture with a spatula or wooden spoon. Add oats and raisins/craisins, stir to combine. Cover and chill 2 hours or overnight. (I went with the 2 hours)

Iced Oatmeal Cookies -- Epicurean VeganPreheat oven to 350. Line baking pans with parchment paper or coat with cooking spray. (I like to use the parchment or waxed paper). Roll cookie dough into golf ball-sized rounds, and place them 1-1/2″ apart on baking sheets. Flatten each cookie to 1/4″ thickness with the bottom of a drinking glass dipped in water.

Iced Oatmeal Cookies -- Epicurean VeganBake 10-12 mins or until cookies look dry on top and are just starting to brown.
Meanwhile, to make icing: Whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth. Icing should be thick, but spreadable. Gently brush icing on hot cookies with a pastry brush. (On the second batch, I waited until the cookies cooled to ice them and I liked that better–the icing didn’t “melt” into the cookies). Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 24 cookies. Store cookies in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Christmas Bourbon Balls

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Christmas Bourbon Balls -- Epicurean VeganWho said Christmas cookies had to be sweet and innocent? And…who said you just had to make these at Christmas? Well…I just tend to make them that time of year. Keep them away from the kiddies though, but chances are, they won’t like the flavor of them as much as us adults! They’re also non bake, so they’re pretty easy.

INGREDIENTS:
1 C finely crushed vanilla wafers, about 26
1 C plus 1/2 C powdered sugar
2/3 C walnuts, chopped
1/2 C candied cherries, chopped
2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
5 Tbs Bourbon
1 Tbs water
1 1/2 tsp light corn syrup

DIRECTIONS:
In a mixing bowl combine crushed vanilla wafers, the 1 cup powdered sugar, walnuts, candied cherries and cocoa powder. Stir in bourbon, water and light corn syrup until well mixed. Chill the mixture about 30-60 minutes. Shape the mixture into 1″ balls. Place in an airtight container; let balls stand (ripen) for 2-3 days. Before serving, roll them in the additional 1/2 C powdered sugar. Makes about 24 balls.

Snickerdoodles

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Snickerdoodles -- Epicurean VeganThese cookies are not flat and crispy like your typical snickerdoodle, but more like scrumptious little bites–definitely something I love! These were a cinch to make and the aroma of these baking was divine!

INGREDIENTS:
1-2/3 C all purpose flour
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C butter, at room temp (I used Earth Balance sticks)
1/3 C plus 2 Tbs sugar
Ener-G egg replacer for 1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs cinnamon
Baking sheet lined with parchment, waxed paper or greased (waxed paper worked lovely)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat over to 350. Combine flour, nutmeg, baking powder and salt and set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter with 1/3 of the sugar until light in texture and pale in color, then beat in egg and vanilla.

Snickerdoodles -- Epicurean VeganStir in the dry ingredients until blended smooth.

Snickerdoodles -- Epicurean Vegan(Well, I couldn’t get mine smooth, and I was a bit worried, but it worked out just great…)
Spoon out rest of sugar and the cinnamon onto a plate and combine. Then, with your fingers, squeeze out pieces of dough and roll between the palms of your hands into walnut-sized balls. (Shaping with my fingers worked best–didn’t crack). Roll each ball in the sugar mixture and arranged on prepared baking sheet.

Snickerdoodles -- Epicurean VeganBake for 15 mins (13 1/2 mins was perfect for mine), by which time they will begin to brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Makes 32-34. Enjoy!
For a variation, replace 2 Tbs of the flour with cocoa to make chocodoodles. I haven’t tried this, but next time I certainly will!

Snickerdoodles -- Epicurean VeganRecipe source: Nigella Lawson

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