Babycakes Covers the Classics: Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes From Donuts to Snickerdoodles (10 page)

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets
with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, oats, flax
meal, cinnamon, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt. Add the coconut oil, applesauce,
and vanilla and stir with a rubber spatula until a thick dough forms. Add the
raisins and stir until evenly distributed.

Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto the prepared baking
sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 8 minutes, rotate the baking sheets, and bake
for 7 minutes more, or until golden. Let stand on the baking sheets for 15 minutes
before serving.

Makes 36

Valentine’s Day Overboard Cookie Craziness

I grew up as that weird kid who disliked frosting and cake in general.
But if it meant I could get one of those massive Valentine’s Day cookies in the
window at Mrs. Fields, I was willing to endure any amount of frosting, icing, or similar
childhood misery. You can use any cookie recipe in this book to make this fantastical
creation, obviously, but I went ahead and developed a
third
chocolate chip
version (in addition to the bakery standard in the first book and the Chips Ahoy! in
this one) to mimic what is found in Mrs. Fields’s venerable kitchens. It’s
big and it’s bold and it’s buttery. It’s practically a Toll House
cookie, if that helps you imagine.

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a 9-inch heart-shaped
pan with parchment paper, brush the bottom and sides of the pan with coconut oil,
and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together the 1 cup coconut oil, the
applesauce, vanilla, sugar, and salt with a rubber spatula. In another medium bowl,
whisk together the flour, flax meal, xanthan gum, and baking soda. Carefully add the
dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir with the rubber spatula until a grainy
dough forms. Gently fold in the chocolate chips until they are evenly
distributed.

Using the rubber spatula, transfer the dough to the pan and mash
it into the mold until it is one-third of the way up the sides of the pan. Bake for
22 minutes, or until the center is cooked through. Let cool for 30 minutes.

Run a knife along the edges of the pan to loosen the sides.
Carefully invert the cookie onto a cutting board. Before decorating, make sure the
cookie is completely cool or the icing will melt. Fill the piping bag halfway with
the icing. Using the piping tip of your choice, pipe along the edges to create a
decorative look. Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4
days.

Makes 1 massive cookie

Nilla Wafers

I don’t think I’m alone in my ever-so-slight
embarrassment about being a fan of the Nilla Wafer. They are like the frozen burritos of
cookies: You don’t particularly crave them, yet every time you’re checking
out at the grocery store, there they are. They get eaten. And not because they’re
the only things available; it’s because they are sneakily delicious. This is a
tried-and-true cookie icon, no matter what anyone says.

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with
parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt,
and baking soda. Add the coconut oil, applesauce, and vanilla and stir with a rubber
spatula until the dough is smooth.

Drop the dough by the teaspoonful onto the prepared baking sheets,
about 1 inch apart. Using the bottom of a measuring cup, gently press on each cookie
to flatten it slightly. Bake for 5 minutes, rotate the pans, and bake for 4 minutes,
or until the cookies are golden brown. Let stand on the baking sheets for 15 minutes
before serving.

Makes 48

IN MIDDLE SCHOOL I WAS A VERY HOMELY CHEERLEADER.
Lots of spirit, sure, but cursed with overly gangly appendages, a bowl haircut, and the inability to do back handsprings or even cartwheels. I also had a short attention span and a junk-food addiction. Not even my unbridled love of wearing a cheerleading uniform could save me. So I ask you this: What’s a scrawny and perpetually hungry cheerleader to do but spend all her non-cheering game hours standing on her tiptoes surveying the goods of the nearby snack bar? The snack bar was soon my pantry away from home.

In the end, though, the innumerable hours I spent scouring the assorted snack sheds of the greater San Diego area’s school districts served me well. Before long I was studied in the intricacies of what comprises a quality snack bar: How is its candy selection? Are the baked items motherly contributions or at least a recognized and trusted brand? How’s the drink selection—is there fountain soda or anything resembling a root-beer float? What type of frozen items do they offer, if any? Is the pizza square or is it in slices? Trivial questions to some, perhaps. But to a discerning young lady with $1.50, no interest in sports, and a few hours to kill, they meant everything. In this chapter I make good on what I learned.

Here you will find everything from my vegan version of Rice Krispie Blocks to Sno Balls to whoopie pies to chocolate-dipped frozen bananas. I also tossed in savory pizza squares and a sweet-and-spicy popcorn ball that I’ve been making constantly for weeks now. My guiding principle throughout this section was nostalgic simplicity, and I’m certain you’ll happen on more than a few memories of your own through these recipes.

RICE KRISPIE BLOCKS

WHOOPIE PIE

IT’S-IT

S’MORES

SNO BALLS

FROZEN CHOCOLATE-DIPPED BANANAS

BANANA ROYALE

SWEET-AND-SPICY POPCORN BALLS

SQUARE-PAN TOMATO PIZZA

CHEESE STRAWS

Rice Krispie Blocks

Heads up, beginners and cheapskates! This recipe is so easy you don’t even have to turn on the stove (melt the coconut oil in the microwave!), which makes it ideal to make with kids or frugal old folks. If you want to reduce the fat in this recipe, you can omit the coconut oil, but be warned that the blocks won’t be as buttery. All the ordinary tricks you learned from your mom as a child apply: Chocolate can be added on the top or throughout, colored rice cereals are in play, even dried fruit or nuts can be tossed in to frighten or entice your young ones.