i love to cook. it's probably one of my top five things to do on a day off. and i rarely make a complete blunder (though it does happen occasionally). this is not so with baking. i waffle with measurements and substitute when i probably should not. there was once a loaf of 9 grain bread that was going to be yummy and healthy, until i lifted it from the oven and felt its immense weight. i thought the brick analogy in poor baking was a joke. i assure you it is a real phenomenon. but i am as stubborn as i am contrary, so i tried again. this time with a delicious sounding cookie recipe from a lovely vegan blog i found. like her, i have an abundance of almond butter that, despite my smearing granny smith slices with it almost daily, i will never be able to use. throw in my distaste for eggs and butter, and i pretty much have to rely on vegan baking blogs. my version only had a few minor tweaks to it; i used a 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour and a 1/2 cup of white flour, added a bit of allspice, and i omitted the almond extract because i'm lazy and didn't want to go to the store in the rain (next time i won't though). buh.1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tbs sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp allspice
1/3 cup almond butter
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
3 tbs canola oil (i also used olive oil, not ideal for baking, but whatever.)
-preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease your cookie sheet.
-combine dry ingredients in one bowl.
-in a separate bowl, combine the almond butter with the maple syrup and extract(s). stir in the oil.
-add the dry mix to the wet mix until well combined (i also added a little more flour because it seemed a bit liquidy to me, just a few tablespoons).
-place tablespoon-fuls of dough on cookie sheets and bake for 7-8 minutes or until deliciously golden looking.
the cookies smelled awesome and were really moist despite the lack of dairy. they don't look quite as smooth as the cookies in the original blog, but i blame the whole goodness of the wheat flour. my roomies said they tasted a bit like oatmeal cookies, and i agree. not quite what i was wanting. i will definitely make these again, but probably use 1/4 cup honey and 1/4 cup maple syrup. or maybe a bit of vanilla soymilk. i think what i'm saying it i found them a bit too maple-y, but otherwise they had the perfect texture and really made the house smell wonderful on this wet and nasty day. do it, tweak it, perfect it, and enjoy.
