The general solution of the cookie
Last weekend, I was really craving mint oreos. Now, technically, oreos are vegan (if you're being a stickler about it, it's possible that the white sugar in them is filtered through charred animal bones... but that's sort of on the line). However, I wanted something that was a little less sugary (oreos are mostly sugar) and that packed a bit more of a flavor punch.
I ended up revising the recipe for the below cookies, which are featured on the all-original food blog "Coconut Lime".
My recipe was as follows:
3/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour/white whole wheat flour
1 cup raw sugar
2 T strong espresso
4 tablespoons Earth Balance
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 c warm espresso mixed with 1 T Ener-g Egg replacer (equivalent of 2 eggs)
The instructions said to refrigerate the dough overnight, then slice it up, icebox-cookie style. Unfortunately, my dough ended up slightly too sticky to cut. I ended up shaping it into balls and baking it that way, which turned out well enough. I noticed in the comments that other people had the same issue I did... then again, it could have been the substitution of Ener-G for eggs, or perhaps I should have used 1 T espresso where it called for the instant stuff mixed with water.
Anyway... they turned out fine, absolutely chocolate-packed (note that there's as much cocoa as flour in these)... but a bit flat and delicate. I was planning to make them into sandwich cookies anyway, as per the oreo craving, so I made up some frosting:
Rumpelmintz Frosting:
~2 T Earth Balance
~3 cups powdered sugar
~1/3-1/2 cup cocoa
~1/2 cup Rumpelmintz
I wanted a less greasy frosting, but something very intense. I started out with a dab of Earth Balance just to get things going, then started adding the powdered sugar. As the mixture became drier, I started adding slugs of Rumpelmintz. I decided it needed to be chocolate-laced, too, so I dumped in a generous chunk of cocoa, then went back to alternating between Rumpelmintz and sugar. The end result was perfect: a dense, chocolatey, smack-you-in-the-face frosting; I had enough for 15 cookie sandwiches, with a tiny tupperware container of leftover gooey goodness. I actually suspect I may have put more than 1/2 cup of Rumpelmintz in the bowl, but I refuse to confess to any more than that...
The end result was just what I wanted... I no longer crave oreos, and it's impossible to overindulge in these things; they're just too intense for that. I used to be capable of eating half a box of oreos at a go, so I'm pretty pleased that I've managed to supplant the oreo love with something better. Next time, I think I'll add some espresso powder to the dough (maybe 1 T?), and leave out the 2 T espresso, while still using brewed espresso instead of water when mixing up the egg replacer. The coffee flavor came through a bit less intensely than the chocolate and mint, and could stand to be increased. I'm also going to decrease the sugar to 2/3 c; these were plenty sweet, and could definitely stand to be less so, even without the frosting. The flavors are intense enough that a lot of sugar is completely unnecessary.
I'm thinking these might be awesome party fare, too... :)
Oh, and I'm vegan now. I'm told it's actually improved my culinary skills, so... y'all ought to come over for dinner sometime.
I ended up revising the recipe for the below cookies, which are featured on the all-original food blog "Coconut Lime".
My recipe was as follows:
3/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour/white whole wheat flour
1 cup raw sugar
2 T strong espresso
4 tablespoons Earth Balance
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 c warm espresso mixed with 1 T Ener-g Egg replacer (equivalent of 2 eggs)
The instructions said to refrigerate the dough overnight, then slice it up, icebox-cookie style. Unfortunately, my dough ended up slightly too sticky to cut. I ended up shaping it into balls and baking it that way, which turned out well enough. I noticed in the comments that other people had the same issue I did... then again, it could have been the substitution of Ener-G for eggs, or perhaps I should have used 1 T espresso where it called for the instant stuff mixed with water.
Anyway... they turned out fine, absolutely chocolate-packed (note that there's as much cocoa as flour in these)... but a bit flat and delicate. I was planning to make them into sandwich cookies anyway, as per the oreo craving, so I made up some frosting:
Rumpelmintz Frosting:
~2 T Earth Balance
~3 cups powdered sugar
~1/3-1/2 cup cocoa
~1/2 cup Rumpelmintz
I wanted a less greasy frosting, but something very intense. I started out with a dab of Earth Balance just to get things going, then started adding the powdered sugar. As the mixture became drier, I started adding slugs of Rumpelmintz. I decided it needed to be chocolate-laced, too, so I dumped in a generous chunk of cocoa, then went back to alternating between Rumpelmintz and sugar. The end result was perfect: a dense, chocolatey, smack-you-in-the-face frosting; I had enough for 15 cookie sandwiches, with a tiny tupperware container of leftover gooey goodness. I actually suspect I may have put more than 1/2 cup of Rumpelmintz in the bowl, but I refuse to confess to any more than that...
The end result was just what I wanted... I no longer crave oreos, and it's impossible to overindulge in these things; they're just too intense for that. I used to be capable of eating half a box of oreos at a go, so I'm pretty pleased that I've managed to supplant the oreo love with something better. Next time, I think I'll add some espresso powder to the dough (maybe 1 T?), and leave out the 2 T espresso, while still using brewed espresso instead of water when mixing up the egg replacer. The coffee flavor came through a bit less intensely than the chocolate and mint, and could stand to be increased. I'm also going to decrease the sugar to 2/3 c; these were plenty sweet, and could definitely stand to be less so, even without the frosting. The flavors are intense enough that a lot of sugar is completely unnecessary.
I'm thinking these might be awesome party fare, too... :)
Oh, and I'm vegan now. I'm told it's actually improved my culinary skills, so... y'all ought to come over for dinner sometime.