The Food52 Vegan Cookbook is here! With this book from Gena Hamshaw, anyone can learn how to eat more plants (and along the way, how to cook with and love cashew cheese, tofu, and nutritional yeast).
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18 Comments
Kitchen B.
February 27, 2013
These look really wonderful - I didn't know you could whip coconut oil.
I wonder if chia seeds could work like flax seeds - they do have that gelatinous quality as flax seeds do? Have you ever tried them?
I wonder if chia seeds could work like flax seeds - they do have that gelatinous quality as flax seeds do? Have you ever tried them?
Suescan
December 24, 2012
Thank you! I've been dreaming about Gingerbread cookies recently and decided at the last minute to make some for gifts. I stumbled across the recipe by accident - wasn't looking for vegan (since the cookies are for others), but really liked how they looked and all of the ingredients are things that I already had in the cupboard. I'm pleased to say they came out perfect - even better than how I remember non-vegan gingerbread cookies, and I can have some, too!
ChristyBean
December 21, 2012
I made these last weekend, and apart from the dough drying out overnight (fixed easily by mixing in water until no longer crumbly), they came out like a dream. I rolled out some thicker than others, which meant that some puffed up, but those that were rolled out very thinly were more of a classic texture. I don't know how they hold up over the course of a few days, as they were all gobbled up by the next day. This recipe is definitely my new go-to for gingerbread cookies.
Newton M.
December 19, 2012
Dough i chilling in fridge for rollling, cutting and baking after work. Is there a recipe for vegan icing out there?
ChristyBean
December 21, 2012
I found one that was from IsaChandra at the Post Punk Kitchen that I used: "
Re: the icing question – If you just want to get enough to make eyes and mouths and maybe a few buttons, then use 1/2 a cup of confectioners sugar and mix in 1 tablespoon non-dairy milk. Don’t even both with vanilla because it’s such a scant amount it won’t matter. Mix really well with a fork until it’s pasty, then add 1/2 a teaspoon milk at a time until it’s a bit thicker than toothpaste, usually I need maybe 1 1/2 more teaspoons, but since confectioner sugars vary it’s best to start small."
http://www.theppk.com/2008/12/the-ghost-of-gingerbread-past/
Re: the icing question – If you just want to get enough to make eyes and mouths and maybe a few buttons, then use 1/2 a cup of confectioners sugar and mix in 1 tablespoon non-dairy milk. Don’t even both with vanilla because it’s such a scant amount it won’t matter. Mix really well with a fork until it’s pasty, then add 1/2 a teaspoon milk at a time until it’s a bit thicker than toothpaste, usually I need maybe 1 1/2 more teaspoons, but since confectioner sugars vary it’s best to start small."
http://www.theppk.com/2008/12/the-ghost-of-gingerbread-past/
GMA8.5
December 19, 2012
Thank you so much, Gena. I use the lovely biscotti recipe from "Biscotti" with (what else?) olive oil. So good. Will try these ASAP.
www.gma85.com
www.gma85.com
2nd S.
December 19, 2012
THANK YOU!! My granddaughter, Lia, watches as others dig into cakes, pies, ice cream and other goodies. I just emailed this recipe to my daughter in law and soon Lia will be scarfing these down!
Steffanie
December 19, 2012
I'm trying to make a cookie for my daughter in law: dairy, egg, gluten but also coconut-free (she is allergic to way too much). How could I replace the coconut oil ? Thanks
Matthew M.
December 19, 2012
Try Vegan Butter (at Whole Foods) for the coconut oil. You can also use corn starch instead of flour and flax meal/water as an egg.
j_en
December 17, 2012
My boyfriend is vegan, and I'm a lunatic baker (especially around the holidays), so I really appreciate this article! Coconut oil is a great tip. Would coconut oil also work for soft caramels and other candy?
jim.corcoran.7
December 16, 2012
Delicious vegan food, like these cookies, is one reason why the number of vegans has doubled in less than 3 years. Here are two uplifting videos that will help people understand just some of the implications of this lifestyle: Why Vegan? by EVOLVE! Campaigns and http://www.veganvideo.org
AntoniaJames
December 13, 2012
I made these over the weekend and they plumped up while baking (like the ones in the photo above seem to have done). Each day since then, they've become softer and softer. I followed the recipe exactly, and yet they are not and have never been crispy. What do you think went wrong? Should I have cooked them much longer than I did? I cut out smallish reindeer shapes, and they darkened around the edges. ;o)
Gena H.
December 14, 2012
Hi Antonia,
I'm not sure why they softened! They've always stayed firm for me. One thing you might do is be sure to keep them in a totally airtight container after letting them dry 100% (and cool). Sometimes egg-free baked goods can be a little more moist than others. If you try again, you might also reduce baking powder to 1/4 tsp; I am hesitant to suggest this, since 1/2 is the measurement that worked for me, but these things can be slightly variable (also depending on the environment you're in, temperature, climate, etc.), and they will plump less. Finally, you might add another 1/4 cup flour, and see if that changes things.
I'm sorry it didn't turn out perfectly! Let me know how another round goes.
G
I'm not sure why they softened! They've always stayed firm for me. One thing you might do is be sure to keep them in a totally airtight container after letting them dry 100% (and cool). Sometimes egg-free baked goods can be a little more moist than others. If you try again, you might also reduce baking powder to 1/4 tsp; I am hesitant to suggest this, since 1/2 is the measurement that worked for me, but these things can be slightly variable (also depending on the environment you're in, temperature, climate, etc.), and they will plump less. Finally, you might add another 1/4 cup flour, and see if that changes things.
I'm sorry it didn't turn out perfectly! Let me know how another round goes.
G
Nozlee S.
December 17, 2012
Thought you might both like to hear this update: I made the gingerbread cookies on Friday and reduced the baking soda to a 1/2 teaspoon. Out of the oven the cookies were VERY snappy, becoming just a little softer every day. We finished the last of them this morning, and they were soft but still not "bendy" or fragile. That said, we kept them on an uncovered platter -- I forgot to experiment with sealing some in an airtight container.
(We also made a gingerbread house with the same recipe and a vegan royal icing of powdered sugar, unsweetened soy milk, and a teaspoon or two of pastis: http://instagram.com/p/TPlQZ8r96W/)
(We also made a gingerbread house with the same recipe and a vegan royal icing of powdered sugar, unsweetened soy milk, and a teaspoon or two of pastis: http://instagram.com/p/TPlQZ8r96W/)
Alexandra Z.
December 19, 2012
An amazing thing I discovered to make baked goods crunchier is adding 1 or 2 tablespoons of potato flour to the recipe. Note that potato flour is NOT the same as potato starch. You can find it in health food stores. The most common brand is Bob's Red Mill. It's vegan (just ground dehydratated potatoes) and it works like magic!
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