Ever wanted to explore Vegan Baking? These cookies pack flavor and crunch… and yes – a little zesty!
Baking is more of a science than an art. For Vegan desserts you have many ingredient options that are plant based.
The good news is there’s no need to give up your favorite treats. Vegan and Gluten Free bakeries are sprouting all over – being curious, I have tried many of these baked goods – and love creating my own interpretations in my kitchen.
These cookies have the texture of shortbread, the recipe does not contain eggs.
So, why not make your own? A few simple swaps will produce these delicious, crispy delightful cookies all can enjoy.
Ingredients:
Butter is what makes traditional baked goods so darn tasty—as well as helps keep it all together.
I do not care for Vegan Butter – they contain “natural flavoring” – to achieve a fake “butter flavor.” These are chemicals…cheat flavors – I have written about this a lot!
So – I have used organic, virgin coconut oil and expeller pressed safflower oil. Produces a flavorful and crispy crumb.
The sugar in the recipe is organic cane sugar and confectioner’s sugar (gluten- free consisting of sugar and cornstarch – for celiac choose “gluten-free on label.) Any questions of gmo’s.. but “organic.”
Baking with gluten-free flours is simple, there are many good blends out there. Try a few to see which ones you like the best.
Recipes which work the best do not depend on too much of this flour – this is why this recipe works so well -ingredients include: lots of ground almonds, lemon rind for a zesty, assertive flavor, earthy poppy seeds and a dash of pure almond extract.
The flour is a gluten-free all purpose flour blend, I have been very successful with Pamela’s All-Purpose Artisan Blend.
The dough is made in a stand mixer, although you can whisk the dough in the beginning, and fold in remaining dry ingredients with a rubber spatula.
How this recipe works:
The dough is easy to work with! Comes together in a shiny ball, then rolled to 1/4 inch thick in-between waxed paper sheets.
Cut out shapes with a cookie cutter and place on a cookie sheet. Create “dot” openings with the end of a pastry tip… or indent with your fingers. Fill holes with your favorite jam, and refrigerate the sheet until the cookies are cold – this insures they will hold their shape. Bake until crispy and enjoy!
Vegan Diet:
Considerably lower quantities of crops and water are required to sustain a vegan diet, making the switch to veganism one of the easiest, most enjoyable and most effective ways to reduce our impact on the environment.
The production of meat and other animal products places a heavy burden on the environment – from crops and water required to feed the animals, to the transport and other processes involved from farm to fork.
Enjoy these Vegan, Dairy Free and Gluten Free Cookies!
Karen
