Vegan Treats

By Danielle Carlson, SacMidtown.com

In addition to thrift store shopping, which I wrote about in my Fall Vegan Products Column, cooking is the next best skill you can utilize in this time of financial hardship.  After all, isn’t the way to a man’s heart through his stomach?  Well it’s also the way to a woman’s heart so listen up fellas!

The holidays may be over, but it’s not too late for year-round treats.  Most of them leave you feeling like a puddle of fat with little energy left to do much of anything. That’s because a majority of recipes have LOADS and LOADS of DAIRY!  That’s right.  Cream, butter, and eggs are hiding in most of those delicious looking pieces of heaven.

Not to mention sugar, which is NOT vegan!

You heard me, over half of the cane refineries in the United States use bone char (charcoal made from animal bones) to refine the sugar.  I’m sorry but that’s gnarly and in my opinion, totally unnecessary.  The good news is, most of the recipes can be veganized rather easily, which will benefit the planet, our animal friends, and our bodies.  And this means you can still enjoy all of your favorite treats without the guilt or fat blob hangover!

Soy milk, rice milk, almond milk and hemp milk are all great milk alternatives.  Make sure to get plain and unsweetened or you’ll be loading your treats with even more sugar!  Earth Balance, as I mentioned in my column dedicated to vegan butter, is a perfect butter alternative for any recipe.  Though be aware that it does have salt so if the recipe calls for unsalted butter, just don’t add salt to the recipe (most cookie recipes will ask for a tsp of salt.)  Ener-G Egg Replacer is a perfect substitute for eggs. It’s made of potato starch and tapioca flour and hasn’t failed me in any recipe yet!

And finally sugar.

Vegan sugar is available at Whole Foods and at most health food stores.  You can also substitute maple syrup, brown rice syrup, and/or agave syrup in most recipes and just add less liquid (milk/water.)  Brown rice syrup is probably the best alternative as it has a low glycemic value and will not cause a sudden spike in blood sugar like refined sugar will.  This would also be my recommendation for diabetics as research is showing links between sugar-free sweeteners and cancer.

With all these substitutes, you should have no problem veganizing your favorite cookies and treats without sacrificing the flavor or quality.  Here are a few recipes I’ve made so far this holiday season. I would love your feedback and would also love to hear about YOUR vegan recipes!

Ginger Molasses Cookies by Kathy here. (Makes 20 cookies)
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp ginger powder
1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
1/4+ cup water
1/4 – 1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup melted vegan buttery spread
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder

Directions:
1.    Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Soften the vegan butter spread. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, ginger powder, cinnamon, salt, baking soda/powder. Mix well.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the softened buttery spread, molasses, vanilla extract, grated ginger and water.
5. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir by hand well until all the ingredients are blended into a moist ball of dough. The dough will seem dry at first, but keep stirring and folding and it will come together. If needed add in extra water one spoonful at a time until the dough consistency is reached.
6. If you want perfectly shaped ginger cookies, you can freeze the dough for 1/2 hour then roll out the dough to cookie cutter circle shapes for baking. Or you can simply roll the dough into moist balls, dip in a coating of sugar and bake. I tried both versions and was pleased with both. (If you want crunchier, thinner Gingersnaps – roll the dough out thin, cut into thin circle shapes and bake.)
7. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Fluffy, but not hard. Cookies will firm up when they cool. Note: do not over-bake – or you will get gingerSNAPS instead of cookie chews.
8. Allow the cookies to cool at least 15 minutes before serving. They will harden as they cool as well as overnight.

Danielle’s Vegan Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup Earth Balance,  softened
2/3 cup vegan sugar, plus more for rolling
Egg Replacer equivalent to 1 egg
1/8 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 strawberry jam

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.
In another bowl, whip the softened earth balance and the sugar with a hand-held mixer until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the egg replacer and vanilla until just combined. Slowly beat in the dry ingredients in 2 additions, mixing just until incorporated.
Scoop the dough into 1-inch balls with a cookie or ice cream scoop and roll in sugar. Place about 2-inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Press a thumbprint into the center of each ball, about 1/2-inch deep. Fill each indentation with about 3/4 teaspoon jam.
Bake cookies until the edges are golden, about 15 minutes. (For even color, rotate the pans from top to bottom about halfway through baking.) Cool cookies on the baking sheets. Serve.
Store cookies in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days.

Vegan Caramel Corn by Danielle

Ingredients:
Serves: 12
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup popcorn
1/2 cup Earth Balance
1 1/2 cups vegan sugar
1/2 cup brown rice syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup salted peanuts

Directions:
1.    Heat oil with 3 kernels in a 3-quart heavy saucepan, covered, over moderate heat until 1 or 2 kernels pop. Remove lid and quickly add remaining kernels, then cook, covered, shaking pan frequently, until kernels stop popping, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and uncover.
2.    Line bottom of large shallow baking pan with foil and lightly oil.
3.    Melt Earth Balance in a 6-quart heavy pot over moderate heat.
4.    Add brown sugar and rice syrup and bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring, then boil, without stirring, until syrup registers 300F on the thermometer, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat.
5.    Using a wooden spoon, stir salt and baking soda into syrup, then quickly stir in peanuts and popcorn to coat. Immediately spread mixture in baking pan as thinly and evenly as possible.
6.    Cool completely, and then break into bite-size pieces. Enjoy!

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Posted by Jimmy Spencer on Jan 3 2011. Filed under All Writers, Dining, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.