Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles 5/5 Spoons

It is so rare when my end product actually looks almost exactly like the product in the recipe picture. I am so proud of myself here.

Isa's cookies:

My cookies (with a camera phone under the harsh light of my stove, so use your imagination...)

These Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles are exactly what I wanted to eat tonight. I wanted something chocolate-y and I had everything I needed for these simple and easy cookies. The heat hits you about 30 seconds in to eating these cookies and linger but not in a bad way. It's a warming taste and really damn good.

Here are my notes:

-- I used vegetable oil because it is what I had.
-- Instead of a full cup of sugar, I only used 2/3 of a cup.
-- I have been using So Delicious unsweetened coconut milk lately instead of soy/almond milk and I love it, especially in baking.
Edit: I forgot to add this, about halfway through the baking, I took the cookies out and pushed them down with the bottom of a drinking glass. It flattens the cookies out so they aren't puffy but more flat and chewy in the middle.

For some reason, I'm always wary of using maple syrup in baking. I can't really taste it at all in the cookies so I'm assuming it gives it a depth of flavor along with the chocolate. No matter what, these were amazing. These will definitely be made again.

Up next, Red Velvet Waffles with a Coconut Cream Cheese topping!

Thick and Chewy Oatmeal (Not Raisin) Cookies 5/5 Spoons

There are very few things I really have a serious distaste for when it comes to food. Here is my list:

-- Wasabi in any form
-- Radishes (but even those I don't mind shredded)
-- Sesame oil (as stated previously)
-- RAISINS!

(Shriveled devils!, Photo courtesy of The Daily Green)

To me, raisins are just so damn gross and I just can't get over it. I thought they were something that I would enjoy as I got older but I feel like I hate them even more now. I love other dried fruit such as cranberries, blueberries, apricots, mango, etc. etc. There is just something about the flavor of raisins that makes me gag.

So my plan for these cookies was to make a plain batch sans raisins and then my own batch (for the chocolate lover in the apartment) with chocolate chips and pecans. AND I made them vegan! So I really kind of messed with this recipe but it was so worth it because they were like some of the best cookies I've had in awhile.

(Photo courtesy of Vegan Occasions)

Here are my notes (there a few, but trust me, it is worth it):

-- I used softened Earth Balance instead of butter.
-- To replace the egg I used 1 T. flax seed meal and 3 T. water whisked vigorously by hand until it was frothy and thick.
-- Because I'm running low on my unbleached flour, I used 1/4 c. whole wheat flour and 1/2 c. AP flour. I really think you could use all whole wheat and I will probably try that out next time.
-- I split the dough in half and add about 1/2 c. of my same old Ghiradelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chips and about 1/4 c. diced pecans. I thought about adding dried cranberries but I think two additions were plenty.
-- Oh, and definitely chill the dough like is instructed in the recipe. I did it for about two hours and I think it really did help it maintain the chewiness that made these cookies amazing.

So I adore this recipe because you can easily customize it and make it your own. It was super easy to make vegan and add whatever pleases me. They were so chewy, soft and crunchy all at the same time. You all know how much I adore chocolate and throwing oats and cinnamon (some of my other favorites) in the mix made me a happy lady.

I give this recipe:

5/5 Spoons!

I might not be back until next week because of moving... but there will be more to come soon.

Vegan (Almost) Chocolate Chip Cookies 5/5 Spoons

Let me preface this by saying, who doesn't love a really good chocolate chip cookie? I feel like you are some sort of evil Reagan-humping Tea Party lovin' Republican if you don't like buttery dough with chocolate mixed in.

So this recipe is totally vegan but I only had white chocolate chips to use, so that's why the (almost) is up there. Obviously, do as you want. I almost added coconut as well, but eh, I wanted something really basic.



(Photo courtesy of The Post Punk Kitchen)

My cookies did not end up looking anything like these BUT I made a lot of tweaks (based on what I had in my apartment) and they are still crazy delicious. Here are my notes:

-- So I had no brown sugar. I pondered what to do. Aha! Molasses + white granulated sugar = brown sugar. Duh. I found the right combo of the two on this website and made my own. There is another reason to keep molasses in the cabinet. So for this recipe it called for 1/2 c. brown sugar. I took 1/2 c. regular sugar and added 1 T. of molasses. Simple as that. Make sure to blend it together well. I just used a fork and mashed the hell out of it until everything was well incorporated.
-- I used plain soy milk instead of almond milk, no big whoop either way.
-- As for the tapioca flour, I just don't really ever have it around. Instead of that, I used 1/2 T. cornstarch. I found the substitution guide for thickeners here.
-- When I mixed everything together, the batter seemed a bit thin so I added about 1/8 c. more of all-purpose flour. Either way, the cookies that came out of the oven were very flat.

She is not kidding when she says that you need to mix the sugar, oil and milk combo very well. You need to whip the hell out of it but it makes a delicious caramel-y concoction that works so well in this cookie. I am not sure I would even call this is a "standard chocolate chip cookie" but it still came out phenomenal. I'm not sure what I could have done differently to make them more poofy but I didn't care. These are chewy and have a deep caramel flavor without even a hint of butter! I was wary of a oil-based cookie but now I am sold. It is nice to know that if I need to make vegan cookies that everyone will enjoy that I have this recipe (and all the ingredients) handy!

I give this recipe:

5/5 Spoons!

I'll probably post my favorite homemade pizza recipe tomorrow.... we shall see. Have a good night all!