Monday, January 10, 2011

A little Christmas Giving


 This holiday season I wanted to be "practical" and save some money on all the gifts I planned on purchasing. So in my game plan, I concluded on making a small assortment of different cookies and giving them to friends and family. This sounds like a good idea, no? I had been pondering, and trying to creatively conduct a unique combination of holiday favorites. I came up with Hazelnut Fig drizzled with chocolate (what is in the pictures above), Gingerbread dipped in white chocolate, and Infused Pomegranate Dark chocolate cookies. The hardest one for me to figure out was the pomegranate cookie. I had no idea of how to get that beautiful pomegranate flavor into a chocolate cookie. I tried two ways, one just pomegranate juice and the other a pomegranate molasses. I would try this cookie again with a better molasses. I tried to make my own and it didn't work out too well for me... The gingerbread on the other hand was DELICIOUS! I believe it was my favorite. Although the white chocolate part is not vegan the whole cookie was. It had a bright ginger flavor with a texture right below that of a typical crunch cookie. blissful. The hazelnut and fig was my favorite to try and figure out. It was really nice and chewy and good flavor. Next time i'll add more fig to the recipe in bigger sizes and maybe some hazelnut extract? Overall it was not truly time saver. I ended up spending allllllll night in the kitchen, up till two a.m. baking cookies! But it was fun! 
Pomegranate Chocolate Cookies
( I only used half the recipe which will yield 2 dozen cookies)

3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup earth balance
1/2 cup applesauce
1 tbls vanilla
1/4 cup pomegranate molasses

1 12oz bag dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds ( optional)

Line cookie trays with parchment paper.
Mix your dry ingredients together in one bowl.
In a second bowl mix together wet ingredients.
Begin adding the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mixing thoroughly as you go.
When the cookie dough consistency is formed, fold in chocolate chips and pomegranates.
Let the dough sit in the fridge for one hour.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Place two tablespoons of dough on your cookie trays about two inches apart, flatten a bit with the bottom of a greased/floured glass.
Bake for 8-10 minutes and let cook before eating!


Ginger Cookies

4 tblsp raw sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp canola oil
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup almond milk
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper
Place raw sugar in a bowl.

Sift together dry ingredients.
In a mixing bowl, mix together the wet ingredients.
Them pour flour mixture into mixing bowl and combine well.

Roll into 1-inch balls and flatten. Place into the raw sugar and line on the cookie trays.
Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Hazelnut Fig Cookies

1 cup hazelnut butter
1/2 cup earth balance softened
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1.4 cup applesauce
1/2 tsp vanilla (hazelnut) extract

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp cup hazelnuts (optional) 

2 cups semi sweet chocolate
2 tblsp earth balance

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large bowl beat together hazelnut butter, brown sugar, and sugar until creamy, then add applesauce and vanilla.
In a second bowl combine the dry ingredients, add chopped hazelnuts.
Add flour mixture to wet ingredients. 
Cover and refriderate for 30 minutes.
Roll into balls the size of golf balls, roll into sugar and place on cookie sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes

Next heat the chocolate in a saucepan  over low heat, as it melts add the earth balance.
Next dip cooled cookies into chocolate, dust with hazelnut pieces and let settle in the fridge on wax paper. 


ENJOY!

No comments:

Post a Comment