Since going vegan, I’ve had to rethink my approach to chocolate chip cookies. My favorite recipes all included butter and eggs. I have a few traditional favorites. One is from a 1970′s copy of Better Homes & Gardens cookbook, that has been my go-to recipe for years. Cooks Illustrated has a wicked version that requires browning butter on the stove top.

So far, I have found two vegan recipes that are both just as good, if not better. The first uses some ingenious, albeit expensive ingredients. The second is a more refined and adult favorite. No, it doesn’t contain alcohol, but espresso. Not to say that kids don’t like coffee, but the caffeine kick along with the sugar may be a monster in the making.

Vegan Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies

I found this recipe doing a Google search for vegan recipes. There is even a YouTube video demonstrating how to make them. It’s from a cookbook called “Vive le Vegan“! Dreena Burton, the cookbook author, generously posts the recipe so you can try it yourself.

I like this recipe for many reasons. First of all, it is easy to mix with a bowl and a wooden spoon. I don’t need to use a mixer, which can be a big plus for someone who has a small kitchen or doesn’t bake enough to justify the expense. The cookies also keep well for a few days. Generally, chocolate chip cookies are not my favorite unless they come right out of the oven. These stay moist and delicious for a few days (if they last that long). I even store a few extras in the freezer and pop them in the toaster oven when I need a  cookie fix.

The only downside to these cookies is the expense of pure maple syrup. We always buy organic and I usually double the recipe, so it can get a bit pricey. However, the maple syrup is what gives it that buttery flavor without the butter. The last time I made them I sprinkled a bit of sea salt on the tops to offset the sweet.

Espresso-cinnamon Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made these cookies for the first time this week. The recipe comes from Chloe Coscarelli a.k.a. Chef Chloe. She’s the young, bubbly chef who was the first vegan to win Cupcake Wars. I’ve made her macaroni and cheese and her gravy at Thanksgiving. Both recipes are quite good. She recently came out with her first cookbook, “Chloe’s Kitchen“. It’s a beautiful book with some tantalizing recipes.

She has a recipe for a espresso-cinnamon chocolate chip cookie I wanted to try. The mixing method is more traditional in creaming the fat with the sugar. However, she uses powdered sugar instead of granulated. The recipe also calls for powdered espresso, which luckily I had in the pantry from another baking experiment.

I have to say that I think this version is my all time favorite. The espresso pairs very well with the semi-sweet chocolate chips. The cinnamon also adds a nice note without being overpowering. I also find that one cookie satisfies me. It’s similar to how a really good piece of dark chocolate is more satisfying than an inexpensive mass-market milk chocolate.

My only complaint was that they spread too much in the oven. She notes that the dough can be made ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen. I’ll try that next time. I’ve had the same issue with oatmeal cookies and have found that by chilling the dough ahead of time, I alleviate that problem.

Unfortunately, Chef Chloe doesn’t have this recipe available online at this time. She does have many others that you can try, including many desserts. The book should be available in many bookstores or online. I would recommend giving it a try. The recipes are easy to follow and do not have a lot of exotic ingredients. They may not be the healthiest “plant strong” recipes, but they are delicious and a good way to introduce non-vegans to the rich and delicious world of plant-based eating.

I was given some Callebaut cocoa powder from a fellow baker recently. I’ve been trying to find new ways to try out this treat. I made some chocolate raspberry brownies that were wonderful and some chocolate cupcakes that were not. Wow, those cupcakes have to go down as one of the worst things I’ve ever made. It’s my own fault for trying to veganize a recipe and not really know what I was doing. Ha ha.

Not wanting to end in failure, I used a tested vegan recipe from “Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar”.  These ladies have never let me down, and once again they came through with an amazing marriage of chocolate and coffee in a gooey, rich package.

I highly recommend this book. If you are new to vegan baking, make sure to read the beginning to see what ingredients you may not have in your pantry. There are some tricks to getting traditional favorites to work without the use of dairy and eggs.

The Espresso Fudge Brownies were a good choice because I had everything on hand including some good dark chocolate, the Callebaut cocoa powder and some espresso powder. The mix came easily together in one bowl, which is also a big plus. Less clean up makes me a happy baker. I feel like I’m always cleaning up after I make a huge mess in the kitchen. I’m thinking of training the cats as sous chefs. I’m not sure sous chefs do actual clean up, or just prep work. I’m also pretty sure they would just get cat hair in everything. I may have to rethink that plan.

The brownies did turn out very well.  I don’t have permission to post the recipe, but it is available in the book. You can preview some of the recipes using the “Look Inside” feature on Amazon.com or Google Books. Isa Chandra Moskowitz is a lovely person who shares many of her recipes on the Post Punk Kitchen. Check out her site and buy her book. It’s well worth it to support such an awesome asset to the vegan world.

Gram enjoying her party

Although we live more than 400 miles away from one another, I still am very close to my best friend from high school. We email, Facebook and talk on the phone several times per week. I spent as much time at her house growing up as I did my own. She was raised in part by her grandparents who became my surrogate grandparents. J’s grandfather died about 10 years ago, but her grandmother is still thriving and just turned 90 yesterday.

J’s family traveled from all over the country to come celebrate their matriarch’s big day. Gram no longer has immediate family in the area, so D and I check in on her and help her out when needed. Gram didn’t want anyone making a fuss. Just having her family in town was all she needed to feel special. She chose the Olive Garden as the place to celebrate. It may have seemed an odd choice, but it was what Gram wanted and that’s what was important. They don’t take reservations, so we had to wait more than an hour to seat the 12 guests. It was worth the wait to see the joy on her face to be surrounded by her progeny. We felt blessed to be included.

I wanted to bake something for her birthday to show her how much she means to me. She has always made me feel welcome and during my turbulent teens, her home was often a sanctuary. Gram loves coconut, so I made her some macaroons. I found the following recipe in Bon Appetit. While it was rich and more decadent than other macaroons, it was also quite delicious. The orange zest takes these little gems to new heights.

Ambrosia Macaroons

Ingredients

Searching for the perfect chocolate chip cookie seems to be a culinary “Holy Grail”. I’m not sure if such a thing even exists, since it is really a matter of preference. I’ve tried many recipes over the years, starting with the quintessential “Toll House Recipe”.
A few years ago, I came across my favorite recipe in a 1980′s version of Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. That recipe has proven to be a reliable standard that people always love. I’m not sure why it’s so good. It may be the half butter – half shortening that gives the cookies a moist, yet buttery taste and texture. It may be the salt and baking soda that offset the sweetness with a little savory. It may be the extra vanilla that rounds out the flavor. I’m not really sure, but I often get asked for the recipe and people clamor for the cookies when I make them.

I have found that freezing the dough in individual portions helps create a better consistency when baking. When baked soon after mixing, they are great tasting, but sometimes spread too much. When I make the dough ahead of time, I can freeze individual cookie balls and then bake from frozen. It takes longer to bake, but that is the only downside. One of the benefits is that you can bake as many as you want, leaving some in the freezer for when a cookie craving hits.

I also love the convenience of using a scoop or disher to make perfect little dough balls. I am a gadget geek, but this is one of my favorites. In fact, I currently have four in varying sizes. Parchment paper is also a must in my kitchen. I used to buy the rolls until I found I could buy half sheets that fit my Vollrath cookie sheets perfectly. I bought both the parchment sheets and cookie sheets at Surfas Online, a restaurant supply store in Los Angeles.

The recipe in the current Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook differs slightly, so I’ll post the “retro” version here. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 2 1/2 cups (12.5 oz) of all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 cup of unsalted butter (1 stick) softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup of vegetable shortening
• 1 cup (7 oz) of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (3.5 oz) of granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt and set aside. Cream together butter and shortening with an electric mixer until well combined. Add brown sugar and granulated sugar and mix until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined. Stir in flour mixture until well combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking racks.

Freeze Now, Bake Later

You can also make the cookie dough ahead of time and freeze in individual portions. I like to use a cookie scoop to make nice round cookies. It also speeds things up quite a bit if you bake often.

Scoop out dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or wax paper.
Put cookies in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.

When they are frozen, you can put the frozen cookie dough balls in a zip lock bag and keep in the freezer until you are ready to bake. You can bake as many as you want and save the rest for later.

You will need to adjust the baking time when baking frozen cookie dough. I find that 14 minutes works well in my oven, but check ahead of time. Keep the temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. If you bake two sheets of cookies at once, swap out the cookie sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through. They will bake more evenly that way.

A few years ago, I used to make Lemon Bars (or squares) quite often. I had a really good recipe that was tart but sweet. The only thing I didn’t like was how sticky they were when eating. It was easier to eat them with a fork than with your hands, which shouldn’t be the case for bar cookies.

I found a new recipe in the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion that seemed like it was worth a try. The amount of lemon juice and lemon zest foretold a lemony, tart taste. I had tried the Cook’s Illustrated version before, but had not been impressed.

One of my favorite people at work, Montie, is leaving to go pursue a dream to work in the entertainment industry. His one request before he left was that I make Lemon Bars again. I decided to try the King Arthur recipe, although it is always dangerous to try a recipe out for the first time on a crowd.

We had a going away party for him that was well attended. As I descended the stairs to go to the conference room, I could hear the gathered voices rising into the roar of a crowd.

I carried the lemon squares on a tray as eager hands reached for a treat. I could see Montie fighting his way towards the lemon squares shouting, “Out of my way!” so he could grab one of his favorite desserts.

The King Arthur Lemon Squares were a hit. One friend commented that she usually doesn’t like Lemon Bars because they taste too “eggy”. This recipe does call for four eggs, but is not eggy in the least. All you can taste is delicious lemon curd atop a shortbread crust. Heaven if you like lemon.

I forgot to take a photo of the lemon bars as I was exhausted last night when making them. They were so good that I’ll make them again soon and publish a photo.

Lemon Squares

Crust

• 1 1/2 cups (6 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) confectioner’s sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter

Topping

• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (4 ounces) freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
• Confectioner’s Sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 9 inch, 11 x 7 inch or similar sized pan.

To make crust: In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Using a pastry blender, your fingers, or a mixer, cut in the butter, mixing to form course crumbs. Press the crumbs in the prepared pan. Bake the crust for 20 minutes or until it’s light brown.

To make the topping: In a medium sized bowl, beat together the eggs, granulated sugar, and the lemon juice until smooth. Stir in the flour, salt and lemon zest.

Pour the topping over the hot crust, return the pan to the oven and continue baking for about 25 minutes or until the top appears to be set. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan. Cut and sprinkle with confectioners sugar just before serving.

Nutrition Information: (1 square, 58g): 183 cal, 7 g fat, 3 g protein, 10 g complex carbohydrates, 17 g sugar, 70 mg cholesterol, 117 mg sodium, 44 mg potassium, 82 RE vitamin A, 4 mg vitamin C, 1 mg iron, 10 mg calcium, 36 mg phosphorus.

Some Tips

• Use fresh lemons instead of bottled lemon juice.
• Lemon Squeezers work really well to get most of the juice out of a lemon.
• Roll the lemons on the counter or microwave for a few seconds to break down the cell walls making juicing easier.
• Use a Microplane Zester to grate the zest before you cut and juice the lemons. A great deal of the lemon flavor comes from the zest.
• While preparing the rest of the topping, let the zest soak in the lemon juice. This will enhance the lemon flavor.
• Consider coating the pan with two intersecting layers of aluminum foil creating a sling and greasing or spraying with baking spray. This will allow you to remove the bars in one piece and cut them on a cutting board instead of the pan. It’s easier and saves your pan from scratches.