Babycakes Covers the Classics: Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes From Donuts to Snickerdoodles (7 page)

Line the bottom of a 9-inch-round tart pan with parchment paper (you do not
need to line the sides).

To make the crust, in a medium bowl whisk together the flours, arrowroot,
baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum. Add the coconut oil and agave nectar and
continue mixing using a rubber spatula.

Add the water slowly until a thick dough forms. Wrap the dough in plastic and
refrigerate for 20 minutes. Turn the dough out onto the center of a work surface
dusted with ⅓ cup rice flour. Dust the top of the dough and a rolling pin
with the remaining rice flour and roll out the dough into a ¼-inch-thick
rectangle.

Transfer the rolled-out pastry dough to the prepared tart
pan, allowing the excess dough to fall over the edges. Using a knife, cut away the
extra dough and discard. Press the dough into the pan, brush it with coconut oil,
and set aside.

To make the filling, preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking
sheet with parchment paper, brush with coconut oil, and set aside.

Line the baking sheet with the sweet potato slices, brush them with coconut
oil, sprinkle with salt, and bake for 20 minutes, or until the slices are tender.
Set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add
the leeks, zucchini, and bell pepper and sauté for 8 minutes. Add the garlic,
rosemary, 1 teaspoon salt, and the chili flakes, if using, and continue cooking for
an additional 4 minutes, or until the vegetables become soft.

Place the sweet potato over the crust, then spoon the vegetable mixture evenly
over it. Sprinkle the top with the cheese. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the cheese
is melted and the crust is golden brown.

Makes 8 slices

Granola

Not everyone has time to sit down to a plate of waffles or crepes made from scratch every morning. Before you ask who would even
want
to do such a thing, I will go ahead and say that I would, actually. But I hear what you’re saying. Granola is a wonderful alternative to a proper sit-down breakfast—a naturally light and easy choice that is as satisfying as any other baked breakfast item. When traveling, I pack this in a little baggie so I don’t starve to death when the flight attendants clink down the aisles offering sodium-soaked chips or dried-up cookies.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment
paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the oats, salt, cinnamon, ginger, coconut, pecans, if
using, and dried berries and mix together. Add the coconut oil and agave nectar and
toss until the oats are covered. Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, stir, and continue baking for another 10 to 15 minutes,
or until the granola is golden brown. Remove the granola from the oven and allow to
cool before serving.

Serves 12

I HAVEN’T TRAVELED THE GLOBE ALL THAT MUCH,
what with all the baking and book-writing and hair appointments,
but this I know: Cookies make the world go ’round. In pulling some of my favorite
iconic cookies together for this book, the problem was deciding which could absolutely
not be overlooked. The result is this book’s longest chapter.

Now, I know I have left some perennial favorites out. There will be many
of you who are saddened by the absence of, say, a gluten-free Nutter Butter or a
vegan-friendly Double Stuf. To you I say: Maybe next time. For you I add: It is no
hyperbole when I explain that the eleven brand-new recipes I developed for this section
will help you completely reimagine what is possible in the cookie realm for vegans,
celiacs, the gluten-averse, and the health-minded. I mean, Thin Mints? Madeleines?
Snickerdoodles?

What’s more, many of these recipes—like my quiet hero, the
sugar cookie—will leave you perfectly positioned to experiment and add new and
interesting flavors to suit your taste. In some pretty obvious other places, though,
you’ll need to stick close by my side; things can get a bit tricky on occasion,
and some of these cookies have an extremely finicky nature. I assure you, it’s
entirely worth the effort in every single case.

THIN MINTS

CHIPS AHOY!

BLACK-AND-WHITE COOKIES

GINGERBREAD COOKIES

SUGAR COOKIES

SNICKERDOODLES

MADELEINES

LACE COOKIES

OATMEAL COOKIES

VALENTINE’S DAY OVERBOARD COOKIE
CRAZINESS

NILLA WAFERS

Thin
Mints

I’m Catholic by birth. Winter to us means Lent, which, to be
honest, is about all I remember beyond the school uniforms. Anytime winter/Lent rolled
around, the only thing we could count on was the house-wide hostility that would mount
as we spent several weeks avoiding sweets and desserts in all their overindulgent forms.
The colder months, you might recall, make up Girl Scout cookie season. In a unique show
of torture, rather than simply not placing an order with the Scouts, our family bought a
bunch, tossed them into the freezer, and stored them until Easter—about two
months later. This recipe is for all you lifetime gluten-free folks who have never been
able to enjoy a winter of Girl Scout Thin Mints—and for all you weak-willed kids
who can’t help but break the Lenten period of atonement. Bless your hearts!

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, cocoa powder,
arrowroot, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt. Add the coconut oil, applesauce, and
vanilla and mix with a rubber spatula until a thick dough forms.

Drop the dough by the teaspoonful onto the prepared baking sheets
about 1½ inches apart. Gently flatten each mound of dough, smoothing the
edges with your fingers. Bake for 7 minutes, rotate the baking sheets, and bake for
7 minutes more. Let stand on the baking sheets for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the chocolate chips and mint extract in a
small saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir until the chips are just melted. Do
not overcook. Remove from the heat. Dunk the top of each cookie into the melted
chocolate and place in a single layer on a platter. Refrigerate the cookies for 30
minutes, or until the chocolate sets.

Makes 30

Chips Ahoy!

I’m a lady who unabashedly prefers her cookies thin, chewy, and
intoxicatingly buttery. If I want a hunk of cake, I go for the cake section. This
isn’t to say, however, that the preeminent cookie of my youth was not the mighty
and comparatively meaty Chips Ahoy! And not those late-issue, M&M–flecked
monstrosities, either. I’m talking the real-deal original flavor, in all their
dry and crumbly wonder. This is my version of that wonderfully named cookie.