I made my first few batches of Christmas cookies this past weekend. Melissa and I are hosting a cookie exchange this Saturday, so I had to get a jump start on my recipes to make sure they're omnivore friendly. I'll be the first to admit that vegan baking can often be lacking, especially in the dessert category. The results are either too soft (as in eat your cookie with a spoon) or too crumbly (more like the topping on a fruit crisp). And the biggest drawback is the curb appeal. Vegan baking is rarely pretty. Have you googled "vegan Chrismtas cookies" lately? Even the "models" aren't that attractive. I can't take ugly cookies to a cookie exchange! I guess I'll just have to make up for it with some pretty packaging or a shiny bow to distract the eye.
I tried three different recipes. The first is a traditional chunky monkey style cookie. I didn't have brown sugar, so I substituted molasses and white sugar which resulted in a dark dough that looked more burnt than beautiful. The problem with these cookies is that they just weren't anything special. They looked like a cookie...like one of those circles with the black dots that a kindergartener would draw. And the taste wasn't particularly unique. It was a basic flour, sugar, flaw-seed "egg" recipe. This cookie has been denied! It will not be making a debut at the cookie exchange.
The second recipe I attempted was a little more fun. They're called pina colada cookies, taking their name from the coconut and pineapple ingredients. I'm not a huge fan of coconut, but these have a sweet, sticky goodness that is not like the typical bird's nest cookie. Again, they're not particularly attractive, but they at least look somewhat out of the ordinary. They will definitely stand out on a plate with chocolate chip cookies. Next time, though, I'll add a marschino cherry to each for a punch of color.
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| Pina colada oatmeal cookies |
The third recipe looked very pretty online...but mine were not as successful. They're supposed to turn out to be little sugar-coated balls of lime green...mine are more of a flat, pancake-looking section of sod. I plan to frost them to disguise their fugliness. The green comes from spinach. I thought that was a pretty cool idea, but they taste too healthy. You can't taste the spinach, there's just not enough sweetness. It's almost a spinach bread. Again, I think the frosting will help with that.
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| Mine look nothing like this... |
I also made banana bread on Sunday while I was doing all of this baking. Our refridgerator is on the fritz...ie. it doesn't work. So I felt it was essential, my domestic duty, to bake up everything in there. Did you know soy eggnog turns into a gelatinous yogurty substance when not kept cold? I wonder if I should just eat it with a spoon...
I think all the baking was also a result of the previous day's race festivities. There's something about the day after a race that makes me want to eat everything in sight. It was a great event, though. Jason and I ran over the Talmadge Bridge (that big one between Georgia and South Carolina) not once, not twice but three times at this year's Bridge Run. We were joined by almost 6000 people, including Santa, a flamingo, a whole team of Forrest Gumps and a number of other people competing for the $400 costume prize. This is Savannah's most popular run (at least it was pre-marathon days). And as a city with no hills, it is also the toughest run of the year and arguably the coldest of the year, hence the mittens. We ran both the 5 and 10k this year just to get an extra dose of the bridge while it was runner friendly.
I've agreed to dress up for the Reindeer Run on the 17th...so I'll keep you posted on what I come up with. Any suggestions? It has to be holiday themed. I'm leaning towards Mrs. Claus...
Sorry about the lack of photos...I thought I brought my camera cord with me today, but I guess I didn't...
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