Cinnamon Roll Cookies in December

I didn't have high hopes for something so simple to yield such a yummy not-cinnamon-roll-but-cookie concoction. But it worked. The cookies have a shortbread feeling to them. Not super crumbly, but in a milder, crunchy treat way. They're not like a cinnamon roll per se. But they will satisfy a serious cinnamon spice craving. I found the recipe via the New York Times Cooking app--or rather a "no-yeast cinnamon roll" recipe, video and all. I've made no-rise cinnamon rolls before and they were just meh. I had about 30 minutes to tinker. Fingers crossed.

This recipe is fairly simple. With a small bit of math and modifying the original recipe, this made enough cookies for two. You could double the amounts if you'd like more cookies. Here's a short summary of the process.

In first bowl, mix the vegan butter with organic brown sugar or coconut sugar, a good amount of cinnamon, some chopped pecans and a splash of vanilla extract. 

In the second bowl, dry ingredients: flour--(I blended oat flour with all-purpose and sorghum flours for my own taste--I love sorghum flour and AP mixed together), baking powder, baking soda, vegan buttermilk, little bit of olive oil, bit of salt and a little sugar. Mix all together and knead for minute or so, roll flat and spread with pecan/butter mixture and very carefully roll the tube (the long end, not the short end which is what I started doing before I had my a-ha moment). The key to keeping them in the "cookie" category and not the "roll" is in how thin you slice the roll--about a half inch is perfect. I had doubts about this actually working but once they cooled and I mixed some vegan cream cheese (Philadelphia--yes, they have a Plant Based cream cheese now! I'm thrilled!) with a bit of organic powdered sugar--they were superb. I don't think the cookies require the cream cheese--they're delicious on their own, but it is a nice touch.

Cinnamon Roll Cookies

*makes around 12 cookies

(Modified NYT No-Yeast Cinnamon Roll Recipe)

For the filling:

1/2 stick or 1/4 c. vegan butter

1/4 c. coconut sugar with 1 teaspoon (tsp) organic brown sugar

3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

1/4 cup (c.) chopped pecans

For the dough:

1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour plus 1/4 c. oat flour and 1/4 sorghum flour

1/2 tablespoon baking powder

1/8 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. sugar

pinch of salt

1/8 c. olive oil

1/4 c. almond milk with 1/2 t. of apple cider vinegar

For glaze (if you must)

vegan cream cheese, about 2 tablespoons mixed with 3 tablespoons organic powdered sugar

Preheat oven 400. Line with parchment paper or spray cookie sheet with baking spray.

In first bowl, mix all filling ingredients together until a somewhat smooth paste appears. Set aside.

In second bowl, add all dough ingredients, mix with a spoon until a smooth dough forms. Knead the dough for around a minute in the bowl or on an oiled counter. Roll the dough out on parchment paper, until around 1/4-1/2" thick, forming a rectangle. Spread filling carefully over dough. Roll long edge of dough carefully and as tightly as possible without breaking the dough. With a knife, slice dough into approximately 12 1/2" rounds. Space out 2 inches apart on cookie sheet and bake for 18-20 minutes or until cookies begin turning light brown around edges. Let cookies cool completely before glazing. Store in airtight container for about 1 week. 

A Snickerdoodle Kind of Day

The other night I set out to bake a cinnamon-y treat with hints of nutmeg and cardamon--mostly hoping to fill the house with warm spices and homey vibes. A snickerdoodle! I remember a version of this cookie resembling a flat, all white flour sugar cookie, light on cinnamon, heavy on sugar. If there ever was an easy-bake-oven kind of re-entry into this world again, this cookie is it. I try to keep the number of left over cookies to a minimum, so I bake smaller batches lately vs "recipe makes 24 cookies" because no one around here will want the same cookie for two months.  

In attempting to not succumb to sugar comas, I prefer less sugar--loving coconut sugar lately--and definitely less all-purpose flour, rather blending flours mostly using combos of rye, sorghum and oat. Rye being a favorite.This recipe can be doubled, or just made straight with white flour and white sugar...but why do that when the options are endless? Coconut sugar is used here with a bit of the regular stuff. I tried subbing some of the other "no sugar" types in my baking over the years... just no. Especially no to erythritol. (Look it up.) I spend most of my grocery shopping reading labels, then searching on google for descriptions/warnings...sometimes falling into a black hole of fear in the middle of the baking aisle.

Vegan Snickerdoodle

*makes around 12 cookies

1 1/4 c. flour 

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. cream of tartar

1/4 t. ground cinnamon

1/8 t. ground cardamom

1/4 t. salt 

1 stick vegan butter

1/2 c. plus 2 T. Florida Crystals sugar

1/4 c. coconut sugar

1 stick vegan butter

1/2 t. vanilla extract or vanilla paste

1 t. ground flax mixed with 2 T. water

*2 T. of sugar plus 1/4 t. cinnamon and dash of nutmeg for rolling cookies before baking

**powdered sugar for an extra pretty add-on

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare cookie pan with parchment or light spray.

 Sift together dry ingredients. Set aside. In another bowl, blend butter, sugar, vanilla and flax "egg". Add dry mixture to wet and blend until no dry flour remains. Shape into small walnut-sized balls, roll one side in a bit of the sugar. Bake for approximately 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool before sprinkling a few of the cookies with powdered sugar. 

And then this...It's been a minute. And for what it's worth, it hasn't even felt as long as nearly four years. I'd wanted to jump in here again on and off over the years. Some pithy comment on this or that accompanied by a yummy recipe or two but the pull of other priorities fills the day and "poof"...day over. There's always tomorrow. Well, we're all good here. A few more wrinkles and grey hairs, but thankfully, healthy and still able to dress ourselves.

 

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie from Joy of Cooking (Update: Good News Monday Edition)

I've made these chocolate chip cookies at least a half-dozen times since quarantine. But when I whipped up a batch yesterday, the feeling of folding in the butter and flour and chips brought with it a sense of new purpose. Now I was baking like I had during "normal" times: for relaxation. For pleasure. Not for stress relief and escape and sugar coma. The results are in: COVID negative. We're elated! Relieved. Grateful. I wonder how many other families received similar news yesterday and how they're feeling. Did they jump into their kitchens and bake cookies?

The roller coaster of emotions we endured while this was all going on was terrifying. And now states (including Missouri) are considering easing restrictions. I hope the virus gets the memo, and surely it has because of course a virus takes direction. I can see it putting on its little coat, fedora hat, grabbing its luggage and just shuffling off into the great unknown. Downtrodden and broken because we, the human hosts--are not going to stand down any longer. We're coming back! 

I've been trying to incorporate whole wheat flour/ground oats or almond flour into as many recipes as I can to extend the use of my all-purpose flour. So far I've only ruined one loaf of bread because my ratio of water wasn't increased enough or something for a proper rise. It became a nice flat bread instead. Waste not, want not.

Use whatever form of chocolate you have on hand here. It can be chopped up chunks, it can be tiny chips, it can be peanut butter chips and chocolate chips. It can be M&Ms--whatever you have on hand that gives you the chocolate jolt you need, use it. This cookie also welcomes any bit of nut you'd like to add as well. 

Here is my modified vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe from Joy of Cooking. 

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie 

1 stick Earth Balance butter

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 brown sugar 

1 t. vanilla extract

1 T. ground flax plus 2 T. water and 1 t. olive oil (Flax Egg)

3/4 cup AP flour

1/4 cup whole wheat flour (or sub any kind of flour you have here)

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 cup chocolate chips

1/3 cup chopped pecans *optional

Preheat oven to 375. Prep a cookie sheet with parchment paper or light oil. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt. Set aside. Prepare flax egg and set aside. In medium mixing bowl, add butter, sugars, extract and mix well. Add flax egg and blend until smooth. Slowly add dry ingredients to butter mixture until all dry flour pieces are incorporated. Then fold in the chocolate and nuts (if using).

Drop by tablespoon onto cookie sheet spaced two inches apart. Place in fridge for twenty minutes. 

Remove and bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges of cookies begin to brown. Freeze any unused dough into round balls for later. 

Vegan Chocolate Chunk Blondies (somehow I must've known it would come to this)

I threw these blondies together as I prepped a big batch of black bean burgers to freeze for later. (Yes, I am food prepping.) Probably made over a dozen batches of these cookies over the past few months. As usual, I took a break from sugary carb-craving in February. Things are much different now. Even though the grass is beginning to green up and my daffodils are blooming, the urge to bake and soothe my soul with comfort foods normally reserved for dark, winter months has returned with a vengeance. 

(As a news-obsessed individual, I'm sure you can guess why.)

My cookbooks lining the kitchen walls are more precious to me than ever right now. I've collected hundreds over the decades. I drop into flea markets looking for Pyrex and instead find myself with a two-dollar cookbook I'd wanted years ago. One more for the collection. Call me crazy, but in my Marie Kondo cleaning frenzy last spring--very few cookbooks left this house. Very. Few.

One of my old stand-by cookbooks, an Alice Medrich classic, stands the test of time.  

Published in 2010, my dog-eared, taped-page and post-it noted guides indicate the cookbook's utility. 

Here's my vegan version blondie--and don't bake these in an 8" square pan. Use instead a rectangle if you can. Mine is 10 x 6" pan I purchased for eight bucks at the grocery store. Once you add the batter to the pan, you may look at it and think: this cannot be right--there's barely enough batter to cover the bottom of the pan. Trust the recipe, they bake up beautifully. And after a night in the fridge, even better. 

Vegan Blondies (adapted)

3/4 cup unbleached AP flour

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. fine sea salt

1 stick vegan butter

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1 t. vanilla extract

2 T. ground flax, plus 3 T. water, 1 t. olive oil (vegan egg)

2/3 cup walnuts or pecans

1/2 cup chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350. Line pan with parchment paper, lightly spray.

Mix dry ingredients together, set aside.

Place small saucepan over low heat, add butter and sugar and stir until butter melts and sugar is mostly dissolved. Remove from heat. Add vanilla extract and flax egg. Mix well. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture. Mix just until flour is mostly incorporated. Add half nuts and half chocolate. Spread batter in pan, then sprinkle remaining nuts and chocolate over. Bake for about 20 minutes or just until the sides begin to turn golden. Let cool completely, then cut into squares and store in fridge.

With all the bleak AF stuff out in the world lately, my own version of self-care includes a nice vitamin rich juice first thing in the morning. I've had my juicer for a dozen or so years now. It's come in very handy lately (even though it sat literally unused for about eight of these). If you think, "Hey, nice blondie recipe, but then juicing...how's that work?" Um, resistance is futile. I will always have chocolate in my life in one form or another.

This is my favorite juicing recipe:

1 beet

1 carrot

1 celery stick

1 knob ginger

1 granny smith apple

juice of half a lemon

When I can, I make enough for two small pints (one before I eat oatmeal for breakfast, another to drink later in the day--you know, around three in the afternoon when I'd rather scarf down a whole package of M&Ms). I've been a believer in juicing for ages...has it helped? I have no damned idea. It makes me feel good. So yes. It "helps".

Also been intermittent fasting. So basically the day goes like this:

Eat between nine and five. Stop. 

Went to my local WM on Tuesday, just as a precaution, trying to get my hands on bleach cleaner. Wow. I happened to turn the corner and spotted an out of place single bottle left. I was like: "Thank you retail-eagle-eye for helping me spot the thing that wasn't like the other things."

Vegan Peanut Butter Sandies

This cookie isn't your typical peanut butter cookie--no fork tine and crosshatched business required. Which is good, because having to maneuver a fork over balls of dough poses challenges for me right now. Simple baking only. One handed baking and cooking only. It's okay. These peanut butter cookies surprised me. They have a light, crumbly texture--even with the addition of my natural chunky style peanut butter. By my own insistence that I get back to baking, I stumbled upon this recipe in the New York Times for cookie inspiration. Julia Moskin was on a mission to recreate this cookie from City Bakery in New York. There are seventy-five comments regarding the cookie making attempts. I read them all (because why not). To make vegan, I simply used flax egg--with so few ingredients, it's really a very easy cookie to make/adapt. (I will admit that though I love a peanut butter cookie, just the thought of the measuring cup after sort of makes me not pursue it as regularly as I'd like.) What an insane concern. As a fan of peanut butter of all stripes, these have been worth the effort. I made them using my small cookie baking scoop. You will thank yourself later when you can't resist having another one.  

Took a little tumble a few weeks ago, and like THAT, I was in a cast. Broke my wrist, needed surgery, blah, blah, blah. The whole thing has been an awakening for me. My fifties so far have proven to be, well. . . I'm ready to skip into my sixties and forget this decade is all I'm saying. I'm not sugar-coating here nor do I need be reminded of how much worse it could have been. Were it not for my sister, my dear friends and my oh-so-patient husband, this ordeal may have been my undoing. We were on a hike, on a beautiful fall afternoon--the crispest, coolest Saturday we've had all year, then. . . DH saw me go down. Wrist was in a bit of a twisted and unnatural state at the end of my arm as I struggled to stand up, then came OMG! I broke my wrist! (and other choice words). Luckily I: 1) did not break my dominant hand 2) have an amazing orthopedic surgeon who saw to it that I was tended to per his direction in the ER and then subsequently operated on said fracture, and 3) had both a wonderful urgent care and hospital staff who utterly and completely took excellent care of me despite my cries, screams and moments of near passing out--and then made sure I was passed out to properly tend to the break: thank you!    

Other knitters/crocheters and bakers and people in general have had similar wrist break experiences. I know because I have read about them ALL. My first thought was: WHAT ABOUT KNITTING AND CROCHET: OMG! By my second week, there were fewer tears and woe is me-ing, and I finally picked up my needles and held them in my hand for the first time. 

Knitting Shoulder Cozy by Churchmouse Yarns.

Using Lion Brand Shawl in a Ball.

The Puppy. . .The Runt--a fitting term of endearment as we have realized: we definitely have a runt. She weighs in at under forty pounds and. . .we are past our six month mark. Her sister weighed almost sixty by this point. She is just adorable and smart and loves, loves, loves her very big sissy. Though I think there are times when she wonders: when will I get that big? Actually, she's perfect just the way she is.

Vegan Peanut Butter Sandies

*adapted from NYT / Julia Moskin

makes appx. 24 cookies with small 1" cookie scoop

1/2 cup vegan butter

1/4 cup plus 2 T. brown sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 T. granulated sugar

1/2 t. fine sea salt

1 cup chunky natural peanut butter (I used Smuckers)

2 T. ground flaxseed + 4 T. water + 1 T. olive oil whisked (to replace egg)

1 cup all purpose flour

*extra sugar and salt for dusting

Preheat oven to 350. Get your cookie sheet ready with parchment paper. In medium bowl, cream together the sugar and vegan butter--then add peanut butter and flax egg--mix well. Then add salt and flour and mix until just combined--don't over mix. Scoop out in small 1' cookie mounds. They won't spread so no worries on crowding. Then sift together 2 T. sugar and 1 t. sea salt or flake salt in a small bowl and lightly sprinkle over each cookie before baking. Bake for 15 minutes--you want them to brown a bit around edges.   

Vegan Chocolate Dipped Eclipse Shortbread Cookies

We're in the 'path of totality' so I thought I'd bake some cookies. Who needs an eclipse to be inspired to bake? Not me, but the idea of something coated in chocolate to munch on while the sun disappears tomorrow is where I was going. (Apparently this is kinda a big deal and maybe the first and last one I'll witness in my fifty-some years of living on this planet! So we'll call it a BIG DEAL!)

The dough will come together in under fifteen minutes or so. It requires about two hours of chilling (and I will tell you the dough is quite solid after this chill)--you'll need a sharp knife to cut into the quarter-inch thick sliced miracles. There's a bit of cinnamon in the mix to add a little zing to the flavor with all the chocolate happening. Also, there's coffee for good measure and then, THEN, the chocolate dipping thing happens. These are so crunchy and melt-in-your-mouth, you'll love 'em. (We had to taste-test before the eclipse!)  

See you after the eclipse St. Louis!

Vegan Chocolate Dipped Eclipse Shortbread Cookies

(makes about 20 cookies--double recipe if you'd like more)

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 t. ground cinnamon

pinch of salt

1/4 cup vegan butter, room temperature

1/4 cup vegan shortening

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

2 t. coffee granules

2 t. warm water (to mix in with the coffee)

1/2 t. vanilla extract

2 t. ground flaxseed plus 2 T. water AND 1 t. light flavored olive oil (egg replacement)

1/8 cup chocolate chips melted

For dipping sauce:

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1 1/2 T. shortening

In a medium bowl, sift dry ingredients together. In another bowl, mix together the butter, shortening and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the flax egg, melted chocolate chips, vanilla extract and coffee mix, blend until well mixed. Then add the dry ingredients and mix until a soft dough forms. (Your dough will be a little sticky, but just flour the counter before you roll it into a log--about six inches long.) Wrap in plastic and place in fridge for about 2 hours until firm. 

Preheat oven to 350. Remove the dough and slice into 1/4" slices and place about an inch apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes--until the cookies are just getting a little color around the edges. 

Allow to cool completely. While cookies cool, prepare the dipping sauce. (I used the "20 seconds at a time in microwave" to melt the chocolate/shortening for dipping.)

Dip cookies and place on parchment. Enjoy! Store in the fridge for best results once the dipping edge has solidified. 

Little Vegan Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Spice Cookies (Gluten Free!)

Named so for their little bite-sized appeal, these cookies are a powerful reminder that even if it's an unbearable 90 degrees in St. Louis (and has been so since like May!), fall is really just around the corner.

The fact that my oven has been on the fritz since about the same time means my kitchen magic has, too. Thank god for husbands who will stay home while one works to answer the door when oven repairmen appear, to steadfastly refuse to let said person leave unless it has been undeniably tested beyond a reasonable doubt that said oven is FULLY functional because, godforbid, should said WIFE come home and even for one minute NOT be able to work her oven because we had that happen already and to say life was pretty miserable for awhile without the oven is an understatement, well. . . it was. 

I am happy to report, things are MUCH better here now.  

Little Vegan Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Spice Cookies (GF)
*makes 12 cookies

3/4 cup plus 2 T. gluten free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill 1:1)
1/4 C sugar
3 T. brown sugar
4 T. vegan butter
1 1/2 t. ground flax seed plus 2 T. water with 1 T. olive oil (for the egg)
2 T. pumpkin puree
2 T. pecan pieces
1/3 C chocolate chips
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. ground allspice
1/4 t. fine sea salt
1/4 t. baking soda
1/4 t. baking powder

Sift all dry ingredients (including spices) together in a medium bowl. Set aside. Then mix your vegan egg (flax seed mixture) in a small bowl and set aside. Put butter, sugars, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract in a medium bowl and mix well until smooth and creamy. Add the flax seed mixture to this. Slowly add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet mixture while also adding the pecans and chocolate chips--mix just until all dough is wet. Place the dough in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400. Using a cookie scoop, place cookie dough about 2" apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool. Enjoy!

Vegan Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Rosemary Pecan Cookies (September flew by. . .Milestones and Knitting Markers)

I bake a batch of these rosemary cookies at least once a month--when I remember to trim my rosemary. The cookies are delicious, aromatic and, of course, filled with chocolate. Lately it's been all I can do to keep up with my garden. The late summer heat wreaked havoc on everything from the tomatoes, to the lawn to even the oregano--which tolerates everything. While I was doing some container plant housekeeping I discovered hidden underneath some erstwhile yellow pear tomato plants a little bush of rosemary I had tucked into a container as companion plant with thyme and lemon balm. After trimming back the vines, here was this gorgeous, full rosemary plant flourishing. I pinched off a stem and inhaled the piney aroma. I had to bake something with this now. 

Pistachio Cardamom Shortbread Cookies (perfectly "crumbly". . . for this winter slump)

Sometimes a really good cookie can rescue me from a really bad day. We woke to bitterly cold winds, temperatures in the single digits--and only expected to climb to the teens--and a layer of new snow on the ground. (At least we don't have a hundred inches of snow, things could be so much worse)--I shouldn't complain. Then there was a rambunctious puppy under foot whose only desire in this world involves chasing, running, and gnawing. Little can be done to keep her "down" and quiet other than wearing her out with games of indoor hide and seek and little short trips outside. I was desperate for a break and thought she would find her chew-bone more exciting than my leg, arm, kneecap or hip--so I began pulling together the ingredients for this amazing shortbread cookie. I love, LOVE, love these.

I whipped these up in no time, before my second cup of coffee, even! They were almost too easy. 

Vegan Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies with Extra Chocolate Chips (and a smidgen of hazelnut flour I had left over from a "flour-buying" spree: Love. These.)

I took our food pantry completely apart one afternoon. I re-sorted, re-arranged and basically brought some sanity into the kitchen. In my journey to creating a much neater, more organized life, I discovered I had amassed four different flours (aside from your basic all-purpose and bread flour). So really, I had like eight flours on hand (plus two gigantic bags of slivered almonds!) Why? I remember having this really crazy notion in November (when we all have visions of a "Jimmy Stewart" kind of holiday): "Wouldn't it be great to make ALL kinds of cookies this Christmas with ALL kinds of different flours!?" That'd really UP my cookie baking game!. . . And then the really busy time of December and reality of life/puppy raising set in and here I was in January staring at four bags of flours I had no idea what to do with. The hazelnut flour spoke to me the most. I was NOT going to let this bag perish. 

Vegan Spice Cookies with Chocolate and Zesty Citrus Glaze (How the "Problem" of Christmas Gets Solved)

The miracle of Christmas for me isn't what you might imagine it would be. The real miracle is that I make it through the C-R-A-Z-Y. This is my second round of cookie baking. The first round of cookie-palooza went out in boxes and packages. I love doing this and it sort of makes me happy--for a bit. Then there is the second needed push I have for that little extra that I set aside for just us--and when I find it, I know it. I found it in this cookie. For what it's worth, I am thrilled I took a little extra time to "find" just the perfect, newest cookie recipe to try. Thrilled because this cookie--filled with warm cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg and then chocolate!, and citrus--met all my criteria for a superb trifecta of delicious and solved the problem of blah-Christmas-cookie-baking doldrums. (And kept me from going nuts chasing a five month old Pyrenees puppy out from under the Christmas tree for the one hundredth time. . .Gahhhh!)  

Vegan Brown Butter Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (. . . and summer canning tips for the "cherry" obsessed)

This is one of those recipes that came about because another oatmeal raisin cookie recipe didn't. I was insane to bake today in this ninety degree gawdawful heat. Cravings have priority. While I was at it--baking, that is, I whipped up some cinnamon raisin bread, too. It was a little steamy in here. (Something about the cinnamon being out made me crave the bread. But I don't know.) I can barely concentrate enough to stay on task going from one room to the next. But somehow today I was able to accomplish both bread and cookies thanks to a little cinnamon-obsessed moment.  

I think of the oatmeal cookie in the way I was raised to think of them: chewy. There are other schools of thought on the matter of oatmeal cookies. And I won't eat them. You know who you are: dry and crumbly. Save that for the shortbread cookies. So after one huge, messy kitchen cookie disaster, I did what any other woman would do, I baked another batch of cookies again, only this time, I wasn't messing around. And brown butter showed up to take these to the next level of yum. It wasn't on purpose, sort of a happy accident with the butter. I wasn't paying attention. But it worked, okay?   

Vegan Chewy Double Chocolate Chip Cookies (in my garden and our 30-mile bike trip on the Katy Trail. . . whew.)

When something grabs my attention, like say a cookie recipe, life as we know it pretty much stops. Such was the case this afternoon. I had taken a nap. Napping is under appreciated. I don't indulge in them very often, but when I do, I will confess to feeling like a new woman after a little day time shuteye. Usually I'm hungry when I wake up. I suddenly had an urge for baking after spotting a "Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie" recipe on the Cook's Country blog, The Feed, while catching up on my reading (post nap). I probably shouldn't have been looking at food right after waking up. My whole afternoon schedule got re-arranged because of this cookie. Alas--I had to recreate a vegan version of the cookie. No problem-o. You will have to try this recipe to see for yourself if you agree about the "chewy" part. If you go to their post, they break down into helpful, straightforward speak why this recipe works. I just had to make sure it "worked" as a vegan cookie. And thank god it did because not only was I just waking up from my nap, my blood sugar demanded I have a cookie SOON. 

*And yes, I am well aware this is like the twentieth vegan chocolate chip cookie I've posted on this blog. But I ask, is there any such thing as "too many chocolate chip cookie recipes"? I think not.

Vegan Double Chocolate Chip Heart-Shaped Cookies (because he asked and because I needed chocolate. . . my half century/half marathon countdown begins)

I was having one of those recipe moments where I saw a picture, fell in love, scanned the ingredients, then stopped in my tracks after this: egg yolks. This cookie required four. Four egg yolks. Must I always be fighting the vegan fight? (Well, yes I must, but that's beside the point.) I had bookmarked AND stored this particular recipe twice. It was destined to be made, I just kept forgetting when it popped up as eye candy that there was this little hurdle to get over: Vegan Egg Conversion Nightmares. I've faced down many an egg. I'm not letting a little fancy-pants chocolate chip cookie ruin my kitchen 

chocolate hopes.

Vegan Italian Sesame Seed Cookies (thirty years and counting. . . BFFs, fried pickles and snow)

The serious cookie baking has begun. Last week, I was hard pressed to get something together to take as a hostess gift. I had stocked up on a bag of toasted sesame seeds I'd purchased on The Hill (St. Louis Italian food destination), in hopes of a cookie exactly like this. Little did I know I shared an affinity for the sesame seed. I arrived at my BFFs with gift in hand and we nearly ate the ENTIRE tray of these cookies before they ever made it to her mother's house! Some things never change: cookie love and best friends. I have made two more batches of this sesame seed cookie since then. Need I say more about their lusciousness? I've been savoring them in the afternoon as a mid-day pick-me-up and in the evenings with a cup of tea before bed. They are THE cookie of 2013. If you want to jump to the recipe below, feel free to do so. They come together in a snap and travel well, too. Meantime, let me backtrack a bit about girlfriend and me.  

Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Sesame Bars (Italian Cookie Baking for Christmas Begins. . . and Ankle Boot "Nemesis" Update)

Right before I broke my ankle, I'd been on a quest to expand my collection of Italian Christmas cookie recipes. I love Italian cookies. (Thank you "genetics" on my biological father's side: Italian baking suits me.) They have more heft than the usual cookie affair of other European descent. What do I mean by "heft". Well, take the biscotti. Heft, no? Dunkable, crunchy, long shelf life. If you handed me an almond finger cookie--a delicious Italian, crumbly cookie in its own right--and a chocolate chip cookie--good old American fare--it'd be no contest, I'd take the almond finger cookie every time. I know that smacks in the face my professed love of chocolate, but I do have other applications for which chocolate prevails. 

Natural "Chunky" Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (And. . . Me paint pretty one day. Hopefully.)

 In most peanut butter cookies recipes, you're told to NOT use the "natural" peanut butter. I find statements like these to be an open invitation to doing exactly the opposite. I've been playing around with my peanut butter cookie recipes for as long as I can remember. I never bake the same one twice. I have mentioned my love of peanut butter goes way back. There's a picture my mother took of me when I was around fourteen walking through the kitchen with a spoon in one hand and a huge jar of Jiff cupped in the other. (I've since moved on from brand "x" and now prefer to only indulge in natural types of peanut butter.) 

Oatmeal Buttered Popcorn Cookies (My Smitten Kitchen Post-Sleep, Post-Four-Mile-Run Aha Moment)

Last night I had a hankering for something sweet, but on the healthy-ish spectrum. And after having had some decent sleep for once!--oatmeal cookies kept speaking to me. So. . . long story short, I will first admit to not having the original idea for these cookies. The credit goes instead to Deb Perelman and The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. A newly acquired cookbook purchase, I literally flipped the book open to begin perusing the pages for yummy things to try and it fell right open to the picture of her Buttered Popcorn Cookies. Need I say more?