Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Wow, I was busy in the kitchen all day yesterday, working this recipe for Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies.  It took awhile, but I think I finally got it right.  The vegan in the house will have to taste test them and let me know how I did, AND believe me, HE WILL LET ME KNOW, hahaha!  There are so many ways to make vegan chocolate chip cookies when you look up recipes online, but I chose to work it myself, with some new ingredients I found, while perusing the organic/vegan aisles at the grocery store.  You never know what you will find when taking time to look around, especially in a big grocery store.

I pulled out my ingredients, lined them all up and got busy.

Well, well, well, would you look at this new product I found, The Neat Egg.  You can use this to replace eggs in baking, but you can't cook it for breakfast, sorry.

I combined the almond meal, flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl.

Creamed the butter, added the sugars, egg replacement, vanilla and meal/flour mix.

These are vegan chocolate chips, a little pricey but worth it if you're a vegan!

Mix them all in and drop your dough by teaspoon on a baking sheet.

Pop them in the oven and when they come out they look just like your old fashioned favorite cookie.

See!

I cool mine on a paper towel covered cooling rack, it helps absorb any extra oils.  I do this when I make regular chocolate chip cookies too.

Looking good!  I am sure he'll have a tall glass of almond milk with these for dunking.

And, they passed his inspection, half of them are gone already!

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups Almond Meal, I used Trader Joe's

1 cup unbleached white flour (see note 1)

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

Vegan Egg Replacement to equal 2 eggs, I used The Neat Egg (see note 2)

1 cup vegan butter, I use Earth's Balance

3/4 cup pure granulated cane sugar

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups vegan chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  In a large bowl, whisk together the almond meal, unbleached flour, baking soda and salt, set aside.  In a smaller bowl, follow directions on the back of The Neat Egg bag for mixing 2 "eggs", or see note at the bottom of this recipe. To make it from ground flax meal and water see note at bottom of this page. In the bowl of a mixer, cream the butter.  Add both sugars and continue to cream. Add the "egg" mixture, and blend it in. Add vanilla.  Add the flour mixture slowly until all is combined, scraping bowl as you are mixing. Turn off mixer, mix the chips in with a wooden spoon or spatula, until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.

Drop by teaspoonful onto baking sheets 2-3 inches apart.  Bake, turning sheets once during baking, until the edges are lightly browned and cookies are firmed up in the center.  Remove from oven, cool on sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks covered with paper towels.  The paper towels help to absorb any excess oils from the cookies.  Cool completely before storing in airtight container. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

NOTE 1: Depending on the type of almond meal/flour you are using, your cookie dough may be a little too wet.   I used a different brand of almond meal/flour (Bob's Red Mill) and discovered they do not bake the same, hence the adjustment of the amount of flour to be used.

NOTE 2:  The Neat Egg is a new product I found in Wegman's while browsing around the organic/vegan aisles. It's an all natural vegan egg substitute, but can not be used as a stand alone egg, so you can't scrambled them up.  It is a combination of ground/powdered chia seeds and garbanzo beans (chick peas).  So here is the mix for Neat Egg replacement:

2 tablespoons water + 1 tablespoon Neat Egg mix + Mix well with a spoon = 1 egg

If you are using Flax Meal, here is the mix for that:

6 tablespoons of water + 2 tablespoons ground flax meal + Mix well with a spoon = 2 eggs


NOTE 3:  Test bake one cookie on a baking sheet to be sure the almond meal/flour and unbleached flour mix is right.  The cookie should not spread too much.  If the cookie comes out too flat add more unbleached flour.

Paris Is Always A Great Idea!

My youngest is leaving for Paris, France next week, for her whole Junior year of college.  We are going to miss her, A LOT!  I thought it was bad enough sending her off to college her Freshman year.  She went to London that year for her first semester.   I was a mess, worrying how would she manage, shop for herself, cook for herself, learn the money system, the transportation system, school, as well as just being in a foreign country.  It was very scary for me, not her though, she mastered all of it.   I grew many gray hairs that year,  now I will have to buy stock in one of the hair color companies!   A year is a long time not to see her.  She will be there for all the holidays too, we won't see her until May 2015.  She does not speak French, has to learn another money and transportation system, school will be another challenge for her.  She is very bright (not just a mom saying her kid is bright) she really is smart.  Took college courses in her senior year of high school, always on the honor roll since elementary school.  She also can hold her own in a group of seasoned adults when having conversations about politics, religion or any other subject you throw at her.  I am sad about her leaving, but also glad for her, she earned it with all her hard work through many years of school, and she deserves it because she is a good kid, never any trouble.  I had many sleepless nights these past few months, but time's running out for me to worry, she is leaving and that's that.  I will see and talk to her via social media, I am grateful for that, and I am sure she is going to have the time of her life!

In honor of her leaving, we decided to have a small gathering (a going away party, but sure to return!) of her friends and family for a night of everything French.  French food, decorations, music and wine.  One of the first things I made was a dessert, Madeleine's, and they were so easy to make.  Madeleine's are little cake/cookies.  Recipe below.

What you  need: Flour, sugar, baking powder, butter, eggs, honey, salt, lemon and lemon extract and confectioners sugar.  You also need a Madeleine pan, they are not very expensive, and trust me after making these, you WILL make them again.

 Some equipment you will need and butter melting in the pan.

Butter is melted and adding the honey.

Lemon zest and pure Lemon Extract.  My Madeleine's were lemon flavored, you can make them whatever flavor you like.  My dry ingredients mixed together.

Mixing in the wet ingredients and generously spray that pan.

 The batter will be on the bubbly side.  Refrigerate for 2 hours.

 I used a flatware tablespoon to fill my pan, it almost has the same shape and size as the pan.  The batter went in with no mess.

 Baking in the oven and getting brown around the edges.  Sprung from the pan and cooling on a rack.  The bottom of them are plain....

 When turned on the right side they have a shell shape.

 

 Dust with confectioner's sugar and serve.

 LEMON MADELEINE'S

Ingredients

Cooking Spray

7 tablespoons of butter

1 tablespoon of honey

3/4 cup of unbleached flour

1/2 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

3 eggs, room temperature, beaten

Zest of a lemon

1 teaspoon of pure Lemon Extract

Confectioner's sugar for dusting

Directions
In a small saucepan, melt the butter.  When butter has melted add the honey and stir until honey has melted. In a medium bowl with a whisk, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until combined.  With a hand mixer on low, add the eggs, lemon zest, lemon extract and the butter mixture.  Cover the batter with plastic wrap and let sit in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray Madeleine baking pan with cooking spray.  Spoon batter until 2/3 full into the wells.  Bake until brown around the edges and cake springs back when touched, about 6 - 8 minutes. Remove from oven and shake them out of the pan onto a cooling rack, they have to be removed from the pan ASAP or they will stick.  Dust with confectioner's sugar and serve, or store in an airtight container for up to 2 days, then dust with confectioner's sugar before serving.  Makes 18 large Madeleine's.

Holla For Some Challah

Whether we go out or stay in, we love a nice big breakfast on Sunday mornings.  Eggs, bacon, scrapple, ham, steak, hash browns, pancakes, waffles or French toast, we love it all.  This Sunday I was in a French toast kind of mood.  I had a small loaf of challah preserved in the freezer so I took it out the night before and made French toast out of it.  It was sweet and delicious, if you have never tried making French toast out of challah, do it, it's fantastic! 

Slice the challah to your desired thickness.  Dip on both sides, in a mixture of eggs, cinnamon, heavy cream and vanilla extract.  I used 6 eggs for my small loaf, and use as much or as little as you like of the the other ingredients.  I am also brave enough to use flavored coffee creamers if I don't have heavy cream,  they taste great!

 Use a tablespoon of canola oil on the griddle, heat it up and place the slices on the griddle.  When brown and crispy on one side, flip them over, cook on the other side.  Transfer toasted pieces to a serving plate.

 And, VOILA!  Yummy French Toast.

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

I made up an Easter/Spring display across my dining room table, I need something to brighten my mood for the season, the temperature certainly isn't doing that.  I started with a twine runner, and these tall wood candlesticks and faux topiaries that I found at Gabriel Brothers, they are the center piece on my table.  I built the rest of my display from things I had in my Easter/Spring decorations.  You don't always have to buy new things, use what you have.  Although, I will have a lot of uses for those candlesticks!

Carved wood candlesticks- Small 18", Medium 22" and Large 24". with faux topiaries.

This is the front of my display.  Wrapped around the candlesticks are two garlands - Lilacs and a mixed Boxwood.

I started tucking little things into the garlands - A moss covered birdhouse and little bird, a bunny and speckled eggs.

 Sparkly bunny and a small pot of tulips.

Another sparkly bunny and a big bunny, more speckled eggs.

And a bird nest.

This is the other side of the display.

Glittered birdhouse and speckled eggs.

 

Sparkly peep and more eggs.

 Grape Hyacinth and Daffodils with moss in egg cups.

 Baby bunny.

 And another glittered birdhouse.