The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Baking - Donna Diegel [54]
Tips for Baking Vegan Cookies
Because vegan cookies and brownies have no dairy products in them, they must rely on substitutes and flavors to make them taste buttery and delicious. Nonhydrogenated vegan margarine comes in a buttery flavor, making all you bake taste wonderful.
Substituting butter, eggs, and honey is easy in vegan baking. Most of the time it’s a 1:1 ratio. However, there are exceptions to the rule, so be sure to check the recipe before cranking up your oven. Refer to Chapter 1 for suggestions on how to substitute the ingredients you love to make these vegan cookies.
Most cookies can be stored in the cookie jar for up to a week before losing their crunch or softness. Cool cookies completely before storing them in an airtight container. If you want to store them longer, freezing is the way to go.
BAKER’S BONUS
When working with extra-sticky cookies, layer them between sheets of waxed paper or paper towels before placing in airtight containers or zipper-lock bags.
Classic Chocolate-Chip Cookies
These classic “buttery” cookies are soft on the inside with just the right chocolate chip-cookie dough ratio. Eat them warm from the oven, when the vegan semisweet chocolate morsels are still super soft.
Yield:
24 to 30 cookies
Prep time:
20 to 25 minutes
Bake time:
10 to 12 minutes
Serving size:
1 cookie
2½ cups unbleached all-purpose
flour
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup nonhydrogenated vegan
margarine, at room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar, firmly
packed
¾ cup Florida Crystals or
unbleached cane sugar
Egg substitute for 2 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups vegan semisweet chocolate
chips
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil or spray 2 baking sheets with vegetable shortening, or line with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine unbleached all-purpose flour, salt, and baking soda with a wooden spoon or whisk. Set aside.
3. In a separate large bowl, and using an electric mixer fitted with the beater attachment on medium speed, beat vegan margarine, light brown sugar, and Florida Crystals until creamy, scraping the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula. Add egg substitute and vanilla extract, and beat again until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl, and beat again until batter is nice and smooth.
4. Reduce speed to low, add ½ of dry ingredients to batter, and mix to combine. Add remaining dry ingredients, and mix until dough is smooth, scraping the bowl as needed. Add vegan chocolate chips, and mix only enough to combine. (If your kitchen is especially warm or humid, cover and chill dough for 30 minutes before scooping and baking.)
5. Using a ¼ cup ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, scoop out cookie dough and place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving enough room for cookies to spread, about 1 inch apart.
6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until slightly firm around the edges. Cookies will continue to bake for a few minutes after they’re removed from the oven. Allow them to sit for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks. Cool cookies completely before storing in an airtight container or in zipper-lock plastic bags.
Variations: For Chocolate-Chip Walnut Cookies, add ½ cup chopped walnuts to cookie dough when adding vegan chocolate chips. For White Chocolate-Chip Cookies, substitute an equal amount of vegan white chocolate chips for semisweet chocolate chips.
BATTER UP!
Vegan chocolate chips are available at natural food stores. Generally sold in 12-ounce packages, they come in different flavors like semisweet and white chocolate. They taste similar to real chocolate chips but are completely vegan and dairy free.
Peanut Butter Cookies
These cookie jar favorites are a little soft on the inside, a little crumbly on