 I started this blog to document my adventures in lactose free baking. I have always been more of a baker than a cook. When I discovered that I am lactose intolerant, I stopped baking for myself and started only baking for others. I continued to use the same products that I always used and just stopped eating the fruits of my labor! I can't even remember how I first stumbled across food blogs. Somehow I ended up on vegan blogs. After looking around, I realized that while I am not vegan, I could really benefit by using vegan products and techniques so that I could enjoy my own baked goods! (Not to mention they are much healthier products) I have learned even more now that there is a bit of a learning curve involved in vegan to non-vegan baking. I say this because when you start to change things around you start to play around with the science involved in the baking process. Cookies are especially tricky no matter how you bake. Most people think that baking cookies would be one of the easiest things to do in the kitchen...how wrong. Cookies are tricky because you are looking for a specific texture and flavor depending on the kind of cookie you are baking! I came across a recipe from Have Cake Will Travel for Chocolate Chai Snickerdoodles. We love all of those flavors in this house, so I figured this would be the perfect cookie! Well, it was and so much more! Celine had veganized a non-vegan recipe that I have now changed a little to suit our house. At first, I thought I had really messed it up. The only changes that I made from her recipe were to use whole eggs and pumpkin pie spice instead of the separate spices. Well, the mixture was not very firm at all. In fact I had to put it in the freezer in order to get it to firm up enough to roll in the sugar mixture. I asked Celine if this was the consistency that she had and she said no. So, I continued on with the recipe, not knowing if it would work. Let me tell you, it worked perfectly (even with the change in consistency of the dough)! I sent some to the studio with the illustrator and they were fighting over them by the end of it! So, I was told not to mess with the recipe again...it was perfect!
Chocolate Chai Snickerdoodles
(adapted from Have Cake Will Travel)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/8 t ground black pepper
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup softened vegan margarine
2 eggs
1 t pure vanilla extract
1 cup + 2 T AP flour [do not spoon it, scoop it!]
1 1/8 t baking powder Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare cookie sheet with parchment paper or Silpat. (I did not do this, but I would recommend it!)
Mix sugar and spices in small bowl. Remove 1/4 cup. Add cocoa to small bowl with sugar/spice and stir to blend. Beat butter until fluffy. Add cocoa mix and beat until creamy. Add egg and vanilla, then flour and baking powder until combined. Place dough in the freezer for about an hour.
Using a small cookie scoop, scoop a ball of dough and roll it in the sugar mixture, place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes. Let cool before transferring (make sure you do this)! makes 39 cookies = 56 calories each
If you look at Celine's recipe, you will notice that I double the recipe and made smaller cookies.
Labels: cookies |
they look awesome!