The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Baking - Donna Diegel [60]
Thumbprint Cookies
These Christmas cookie favorites are filled with raspberry jam and rolled in toasted nuts. Brown sugar and a touch of almond extract take them over the top!
Yield:
25 to 30 cookies
Prep time:
30 to 55 minutes
Bake time:
10 to 14 minutes
Serving size:
1 cookie
2 cups toasted nuts (walnuts,
almonds, pecans, etc.)
2¾ cups unbleached all-purpose
flour
1 tsp. aluminum-free baking
powder
1 cup nonhydrogenated vegan
margarine, softened
½ cup light brown sugar, firmly
packed
Egg substitute for 2 large eggs
½ tsp. pure almond extract
2 TB. agave syrup
2 TB. water
¾ to 1 cup raspberry jam (or your
choice jam or marmalade)
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil or spray 2 baking sheets with vegetable shortening, or line with parchment paper.
2. Grind toasted nuts in a food processor or chop on a cutting board with a sharp knife until fine. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine unbleached all-purpose flour and aluminum-free baking powder with a wooden spoon or whisk.
4. In a separate large bowl, and using an electric mixer fitted with the beater attachment on medium speed, beat vegan margarine and light brown sugar until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula. Add egg substitute and almond extract, and beat again.
5. Reduce speed to low, add ½ of dry ingredients, and mix to combine. Add remaining dry ingredients, and mix only enough to combine, scraping the bowl as needed. (If your kitchen is especially warm or humid, cover and chill the dough for 30 minutes before scooping and baking.)
6. In a small bowl, whisk together agave syrup and water until blended.
7. Using a tablespoon, scoop out cookie dough and form into 1¼-inch-round balls. Dip each cookie in agave syrup mixture, and roll in toasted chopped nuts, coating completely.
8. Place cookies on the prepared baking sheets, leaving a little room for cookies to spread, about 1 inch apart. Press the back of a teaspoon or your thumb into cookie, creating a shallow well. Fill indentation with a little jam.
9. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes or until slightly firm around the edges. Do not overbake. Cookies will continue to bake for a few minutes after they’re removed from the oven. Remove cookies from the oven, and allow them to sit for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks. Cool cookies completely before layering between waxed paper or parchment and storing in an airtight container.
Variation: For Chocolate Thumbprints, omit the jam and bake the cookies first. Immediately upon removing the pan from the oven, place 1 vegan semisweet chocolate disc or chocolate kiss in the center and press down lightly.
BAKER’S BONUS
Get festive! Vary the flavor and color of the jam according to the season. Peach, blueberry, and strawberry jams are not only refreshing for the summer, but beautiful as well. Make Christmas colors of green and red by using green mint jelly in half the cookies and red raspberry jam in the remaining half. Orange marmalade is a good choice, as is grape jelly. For a special cookie platter, line the plate with a pretty doily or napkin and fill the cookies with 4 or 5 different jams and jellies.
Shortbread Cookies
“Buttery” shortbread cookies are a classic holiday favorite. But you can enjoy these tender, melt-in-your-mouth cookies all year round by varying the flavors and shapes.
Yield:
48 to 60 cookies
Prep time:
20 to 25 minutes
Bake time:
30 to 40 minutes
Serving size:
1 cookie
4 cups unbleached all-purpose
flour
½ tsp. aluminum-free baking
powder
½ tsp. salt
2 cups nonhydrogenated vegan
margarine, softened
1 cup vegan confectioners’ sugar
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil or spray a 9×13 baking pan with vegetable shortening, or line with parchment paper.
2. In a large