Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar: 100 Dairy-Free Recipes for Everyone's Favorite Treats (18 page)

Morsels

 

✦ You’ll want to use only sweetened, fluffy, white flaked coconut for these. Save the natural shredded stuff for a healthy curry.

✦ Press the graham cracker crumb crust like crazy into the pan; the more you pat it down the firmer the resulting crust will be.

3 ounces firm silken tofu, like Mori-Nu
(¼ of the package)
¼ cup nondairy milk
⅓ cup canola oil
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line an 8 x 8-inch brownie pan with parchment paper; it should cover the bottom as well as curve up and cover the sides.

2. Puree the tofu, nondairy milk, and oil in a blender or a food processor until smooth and fluffy. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides to make sure you get everything.

3. Transfer the tofu mixture to a mixing bowl. Use a fork to vigorously mix in the sugars. Add the vanilla.

4. Sift in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Use a spatula to fold and mix the batter until smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips. Transfer the batter to the pan and smooth out the top. It’s okay if the batter doesn’t sink all the way into the sides and edges of pan, as it will spread a bit during baking. Bake for 27 to 30 minutes; the sides of the blondies should be just slightly browned. Remove the pan from the oven and let the blondies cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

¾ cup cooked, well-mashed, orange-
colored sweet potato (less than a
1 pound of raw potato)
½ cup canola oil
⅔ cup sugar
½ cup dark brown sugar
¼ cup nondairy milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1¼ cups unbleached flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
½ cup toasted chopped pecans or
walnuts
½ cup chocolate chips (optional)

1. Line an 8 x 8-inch square metal brownie pan with enough aluminum foil so that it folds over the sides of the pan by about an inch. Spray the bottom of the covered pan with a little nonstick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the sweet potato, oil, sugar, brown sugar, nondairy milk, and vanilla until smooth. A few tiny chunks of sweet potato are okay.

3. Sift in the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. Mix just enough to moisten, then fold in the nuts and chocolate chips, if using. Do not overmix.

4. Pour mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, checking the bars at 28 minutes by poking a toothpick into the center of the cake. Bars are done if a toothpick comes out mostly clean; a few moist crumbles here and there are okay. Take care not to overbake. Allow the blondies to cool at least 30 minutes for the texture and flavor to fully develop, then slice into 12 bars. Store in a covered container.

Morsels

 

A regular old fork is
probably the best sweet
potato mashing device ever
made. Just mash away until
it’s as creamy as you
can get it.

 

¾ cup peanut butter (see note)
⅓ cup oil
1 cup brown sugar
¼ cup nondairy milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
⅓ cup peanuts

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a metal 8 x 8-inch baking dish.

2. In a mixing bowl, use a fork to vigorously mix together peanut butter, oil, and sugar. Stir in the nondairy milk and vanilla. Stir in the flour, salt, and baking powder. Once you get the flour somewhat mixed in, it’s easier to just use your hands to knead the dough until soft. It will be very very thick and won’t spread on its own. Transfer dough to the baking pan and press it into place. Sprinkle on the peanuts and lightly press them into the top.

3. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes; the blondie edges should be just barely darkened. The top will appear soft, and that’s okay. Remove the blondies from the oven and cool completely before slicing.

Morsels

 

We used a salted, no-stir creamy peanut butter here, but a very well stirred natural peanut butter in which the oil has been incorporated should work as well. If you prefer chunky PB, that’s cool, too.

3 ounces semisweet baking chocolate,
chopped
5 tablespoons nonhydrogenated
margarine
⅔ cup sugar
⅓ cup nondairy milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 ½ to 3 teaspoons espresso powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose
flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons Dutch cocoa powder
A pinch of salt

1. Line an 8 x 8-inch square metal brownie pan with enough aluminum foil so that it folds over the sides of the pan by about an inch. Spray the bottom of the covered pan with a little nonstick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Place the chocolate and margarine in a large glass mixing bowl. Microwave at 50 percent power for 1½ to 2 minutes until the chocolate is soft enough to melt into the melted margarine when stirred with a rubber spatula. Stir until smooth, add the sugar, and stir again to combine.

3. In a liquid measuring cup, vigorously whisk together the nondairy milk, cornstarch, espresso powder, and vanilla until foamy. Stir this into the chocolate mixture, using the rubber spatula, until completely combined. Sift in the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt and fold into the chocolate mixture until moistened. A few small lumps are okay; do not overmix. Scrape the batter—getting as much as possible—into the prepared pan and smooth it out evenly to the edges of the pan.

4. Bake for 22 to 24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs (but no gooey batter). Place the pan on a wire rack to cool for at least 30 minutes, if possible allowing the brownies to cool completely before serving. Slice into 12 brownies. Store in a tightly covered container.

Morsels

 

✦ No microwave? Melt the chocolate and margarine together on your stovetop in a double boiler (see page 24 for more on melting chocolate). Proceed as directed.

✦ The easiest way to cut fudgy brownies is to use a thin plastic knife, carefully running it from end to end in the pan.

✦ If your brownies have cooled and you want to serve them warm, just microwave them at medium high power for 10 to 12 seconds.