Vegan Oreos
Sure there are all those bean and tofu and vegetable dishes, but what about…cookies? Who can live in a world without cookies? Funny you should ask. We have been on a cookie spree that began one dark New Years Eve when my son Amnon prepared a cookie tray for his New Years Party:
Amnon's New Year's Cookie Platter
You may recognize this from the banner of this blog and it was an inspiration to me to start blogging. From left to right we have Fig Smushed Anise-Almond Cookies from p. 234 of “Veganomicon” by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Chocolate Chip Chai Spice Shortbread and Sell Your Soul Pumpkin Cookies found on p. 193 and p. 53 respectively of “Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar”, also by the same author, and Chewy Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies from Moskowitz’s Post Vegan Kitchen Blog.
The Pumpkin cookies were the hands down winner, closely seconded by the Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. I alone loved the Chocolate Chip Chai Spice Shortbread – perfect for the mid-morning glass of tea break. But having broken the vegan cookie barrier, we weren’t content to stop with one platter, and Amnon was soon pressed into service to create Moscowitz’s “vegan oreo cookies,” or Ooh La Las on p. 186 of the Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar book. (Pictured at top of post.)
To start off the second week of the New Year and have something ready to pop into lunchboxes, I picked a recipe from p. 201 the Cookie Book, as we now call it, and made Frosted Grapefruit Icebox Cookies. By the time I got to the icing all three kids were standing around spooning the glaze on and decorating the tops with the zest.(And with zest). Waiting to taste. And these are GREAT! Who would have thought that the slight bitterness of grapefruit would set off the sweetness of these shortbread-like cookies so beautifully.
Frosted Grapefruit Icebox Cookies
A word about the science of vegan baking. The cookie is relatively flat in the world of baked goods and does not need the kind of interventions that larger, fluffier goods, such as muffins, cakes and scones require in lieu of eggs. A little cornstarch and baking powder in the recipes has these rising nicely.
If you would like to get the cookbooks referenced here, I have set up (with the permission of WordPress) a Tofu Crossing Trading Post where you can find all the cookbooks and gadgets referenced here.
http://astore.amazon.com/rebeccacarmiw-20
I hope this is helpful and may your world be full of cookies.
Tofu Crossing 
Hey Rebecca,
As a person who has dabbled in all kinds of cooking, including vegetarian/vegan, I did discover a wonderful alternative to eggs that can be used in vegan baking: Flax seeds. They become rather foamy and gluey when blended with water in a blender, and produce very nice hearty muffins.
I saw your post on vegan baking, so thought I’d share. It’s from a book called “Recipes from an Ecological Kitchen” by Lorna J. Sass. I’m not vegan any longer, but I just love this book and still like to turn to it for some really interesting, and popular, treats (the chard with raisins and pine nuts, and the cashew “cheese,” among the several more popular ones).
Nice blog, btw. Enjoy!
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Thanks for the comment, Keith. Here’s a link to a page that talks about flax seed and other alternatives. http://www.theppk.com/vegan-baking-the-post-punk-kitchen-shows-you-how/. I have my own little trick I’ve developed involving soy milk, vinegar and baking soda, which I’m get into when I next bake something fluffy. I’ve noticed you post about cooking on FB! So hope you’ll keep coming to visit.
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After reading your blog, cooking vegan style no longer looks complicated. You make it sound so simple, quick, easy and even super-tasty as reported by your Dad who often has dinner with you. The pictures of the food you prepared (especially the cookies) look “good enough, not just to eat, but to have more than seconds.
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