Monday, January 3, 2011

Dough-Lovers Anonymous

I love vegan cookie dough.

Although the risk of salmonella poisoning never stops me from devouring regular cookie dough, I hold back nothing when it comes to consuming vegan cookie dough. Is there a 12-step program for dough-loving fools like myself? I fear I'll one day reach a point where I simply turn off the oven, grab a spoon, and call it quits on baking altogether.

Okay, probably not. But I'm close.

This weekend I made some vegan dough and (reluctantly) baked them into chewy, yummy Chocolate-Cherry-Almond Cookies. Think Black Forest Cake meets Sugar Cookie. I love taking the flavors of decadent desserts and baking them into bite-size cookie form.

These cookies are adapted from a recipe I found in my favorite dessert cookbook: Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. This cookbook has taught me the basics of vegan baking, and I've learned that flaxseed and canola oil are truly the best friends of stellar vegan cookie.

And friends, this is one seriously stellar cookie.

Do you have any favorite vegan dessert recipes? Share your link below!

Chocolate-Cherry-Almond Cookies
(recipe adapted from one found in Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar)

For me, the essence of a good cookie is in its chewy-ness factor. Do NOT give me a cake-like cookie. A cake-like cookie is just what it is: a miniature cake that simply doesn't fit in the cookie category. These cookies are definitely rocking a perfect chewy factor.

Ingredients:
  • 2/3 cup canola oil
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 6 TBSP vanilla almond milk (unsweetened)
  • 2 heaping tablespoons of ground flaxseed
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 - 1/4 tsp. almond extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup oat flour (whir one cup of oats in your food processor)
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or white chocolate chips (or a rockin' mixture of both!)
  • 3/4 cup chopped, toasted almonds
  • 1/2 cup chopped dried cherries
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat 2 large baking sheets with cooking spray.

2) In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugars, milk, flaxseed, and extracts until thoroughly combined. Stir in the flours, baking soda, and salt. Fold in the almonds, chocolate chips, and cherries.

3) Drop dough by spoonfuls onto the baking sheets and bake for 10 - 11 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Eat up!



12 comments:

  1. Yum. I love that you can eat this dough without the guilt! The only problem is that I definitely would eat ALL of it and have none left to bake. the one thing that keeps my batter nibbling in check is that ever-present fear of salmonella. :)
    Thanks for visiting my blog and for the advice you left me about photos. I can't believe you don't have a super fancy DSLR! Your pix are super. I almost always have to photograph at night (I have a full time job; blogging is an after hours hobby!). Do you have any tips for indoor low light photography? I just hate that orangey tint the photos have... thanks again.

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  2. Yum! I love raw cookie dough! Several years ago I came upon a recipe in a cookbook of mine, for cookie dough. Just cookie dough. The recipe didn't have eggs or baking soda or anything like that. After mixing up the dough, you just roll it into balls and freeze it. I haven't made it in a while, but my family loves the recipe! Happy New Year Kylie!

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  3. I am a major cookie dough lover too! Whenever I make cookies I set aside some extra dough to snack on. My husband is the same - not that he bakes but he loves the dough. These cookies look great, how do you like that cookbook? I've been eyeing it on amazon for a while now.

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  4. I can't have vegan cookie dough around at all! I'll just eat it all too. These do look yummy and I'll have to try them. I love black forest cake.

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  5. me too.. count me in... I was sitting there with a spoon (I mean shovel).. do you remember when in the US they released the first cookie dough ice cream? Who or what company started that?

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  6. These sound delicious, no one will ever know they're vegan. I make a vegan panna cotta that everyone loves and has no clue it's vegan.

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  7. Raw cookie dough is my favorite, as for the vegan versions, I don't even miss the egg!

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  8. These sound delicious--and I LOVE cookie dough, so I need no convincing to try them. :) I've only tried vegan cookies once, but they were cakey, and I'm like you--give me a chewy cookie. Perhaps these will convert me!

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  9. I'm with you on vegan dough being awesome! In the past, I wouldn't even eat the regular kind due to paranoia, but things have changed. ;) I love the chocolate, cherry, almond combo in these! Really need to check that book out. I have a friend who has the cupcake book, and she loves it!

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  10. Chewy cookies are my favorite too- these sound delectable!

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  11. I've never tried any type of vegan baking..but I have to admit these do sound amazing!

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  12. Dude, I can RELATE. I don't like to admit it to myself, but I know deep down the real reason I ever made cookies is just to snack on the dough. =X

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