Creating yummy vegan sweets

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Creating yummy vegan sweets

Amanda Berne

 

Sunday, July 5, 2009

 

 

After a week of following a vegan diet, I might have given up a big toe for a

good chocolate chip cookie.

 

 

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I don't have a sweet tooth. In fact, I'll take crispy salty potato chips over

buttery cookies, cake or candies any day. But after cutting out not just animal

products from my daily regime, but also refined sugar and flour, fruit was not

cutting it.

 

Tinkering with dessert recipes to make them vegan isn't as easy as just

switching a few things around. Most vegans cut white sugar out of their diet

because it's arguably processed in a non-vegan way, and also eliminate many

processed and " white " foods. Changing the flour and sugar in any recipe will

change the structure, as gluten, moisture and caramelization are affected.

 

Many fruit desserts are an easy way to start. Most fruit recipes don't use eggs,

and shortening, margarine and coconut oil can substitute for butter in pie

crusts, cobblers and crumbles. Agave nectar can substitute for white sugar

(generally 3/4 cup agave nectar replaces 1 cup sugar). Just be aware that the

end result might be more moist.

 

For something fancier that's actually simpler to prepare, a vegan chocolate

mousse, made creamy with silken tofu, takes all of 10 minutes to whip up. It's a

bit tangier than a traditional chocolate mousse, mostly because of the tofu, but

each spoonful satisfied my craving for something creamy and rich.

 

For cookies and cakes, I turned to a new book " Babycakes: Vegan, Gluten-Free,

and (Mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes from New York's Most Talked-About Bakery "

(Clarkson Potter, 2009) based on recipes from Erin McKenna's Lower East Side

shop.

 

McKenna somehow crafts chewy chocolate brownies, flaky savory biscuits and

crisp-edged cookie all without animal products, and many without gluten. Vegan

or not, they're good.

 

I delved into the cookbook and immediately started cooking. Some things are

straightforward - blueberry muffins, thin chocolate chip cookies - but others

are pretty complicated. It's also not easy to make substitutions until you learn

how different ingredients react.

 

McKenna uses flax meal as a binder instead of egg. It can be tricky to get the

amount just right, but this book gives a good base for learning proportions. It

also boosts fiber in the recipe (always a plus nutritionally).

 

Xanthan gum, used in small amounts, is especially handy in gluten-free recipes

(or low-gluten, as with spelt) for keeping the crumb together in cakes,

otherwise they may just crumble. McKenna substitutes rice milk for regular, but

soy can also be used if you want something creamier. Most ingredients are

available at Whole Foods or well-stocked natural foods markets.

 

Coconut oil lends crispness and a buttery flavor to the chocolate chip cookies.

Keep them small - I made a batch of larger cookies, but they spread into one

large sheet. If done right, the cookies are lacy, with crisp edges and chewy,

soft middle.

 

Definitely good enough to keep my big toe intact.

 

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 36

 

This recipe is adapted from " Babycakes, " by Erin McKenna (Clarkson Potter,

2009). Coconut oil, evaporated cane juice, xanthan gum, flax meal and Bob's Red

Mill gluten-free all-purpose baking flour can be found at Whole Foods. If you

purchase expeller-pressed coconut oil, soften it for about 10 seconds in the

microwave before using. The cookies will spread, so scoop out just 1 tablespoon

of dough per cookie and space each 1 1/2 inches apart.

 

•1 cup coconut oil

•6 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce

•1 teaspoon kosher salt

•2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

•1 1/4 cups evaporated cane juice

•2 cups Bob's Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose baking flour

•1/4 cup flax meal

•1 teaspoon baking soda

•1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum

•1 cup vegan chocolate chips

Instructions: Preheat the oven to 325° and place racks toward center of oven.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

 

In a medium bowl, mix together the oil, applesauce, salt, vanilla and evaporated

cane juice. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, flax meal, baking soda

and xanthan gum. Using a rubber spatula, carefully add the dry ingredients to

the wet mixture and stir until a grainy dough is formed. Gently fold in the

chocolate chips just until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.

 

Using a melon baller, or 1-tablespoon scoop, scoop the dough onto the prepared

baking sheets, spacing the portions 1 1/2 inches apart. Gently press each with

the heel of your hand to flatten slightly, which helps them spread. Bake the

cookies for 15 minutes, rotating the sheets 180° after 9 minutes. The finished

cookies will be crisp on the edges and soft in the center.

 

Let the cookies stand on the sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire

rack and cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room

temperature for up to 3 days.

 

Simplest Chocolate Mousse

Serves 6 to 8

 

Use the best quality chocolate you can. Also, look for the softest silken tofu

you can find, otherwise the texture of the mousse will be gritty. The mousse

will firm up a lot so pipe or pour the chocolate mixture into your serving glass

before refrigerating. Once the mousse gets firm, you can use it as icing for a

vegan cupcake.

 

•1/2 cup soy milk

•1 1/2 cups chopped vegan dark chocolate

•10 ounces silken tofu (both Nasoya and House brands work well)

•1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

•-- Pinch of salt

•1/4 cup kirsch, whiskey or amaretto (optional)

Instructions: In a small pot, bring the soy milk to a simmer. Turn off heat, add

chocolate and let stand to melt, stirring occasionally until smooth. Add

chocolate mixture to a food processor with silken tofu, extract, salt and

liquor, if using.

 

Pipe or pour into a large container, or small ones, cover and chill for 2 hours.

The mousse will get thicker the longer it stands. Mousse will keep for up to 3

days refrigerated.

 

Amanda Berne is a former Chronicle Food staff writer. E-mail her at

food, and go to sfgate.com/food for her previous Accidental

Vegetarian columns.

 

This article appeared on page K - 4 of the San Francisco Chronicle

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Thanks Fraggle. I have a HUGE sweet tooth.

Judy