Giveaway

Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil Giveaway

Here’s how it went. I entered a giveaway for a quart of Tropical Traditions coconut oil over at Blissful Britt. I wasn’t feeling particularly lucky, but you can’t win if you don’t play. Then a few days later, I received an email from Tropical Traditions asking if I’d like to review their product and give away a bottle to boot. I was on it like brown on rice! Hot on the heels of this invitation, Brittany announced that I’d won the coconut oil – talk about the universe aligning!

I was a slow convert to the ways of coconut oil, but I’ve found that I love using it in variety of recipes from savory dishes to breads and sweets. This product has staying power in my kitchen, though I have vowed to use it sparingly as I do all oil products. One of the great things about using coconut oil is that it adds an unmistakable and (in my opinion) welcome flavor to every recipe; the smell alone has me hooked.

Snickerdoodles

You can find the recipe for my snickerdoodles here.

Coconut Almond Butter Granola

I made a modified version of the Coconut Peanut Butter Granola recipe found on the Tropical Traditions website.

The Kelvis Sandwich

The Kelvis sandwich with Maple Whole Wheat Waffles.

Cornbread

Hands down this is the best cornbread I’ve made. The coconut oil gives it an almost buttery flavor and the texture is moist with the perfect amount of crumbliness. You don’t taste the orange juice in this – it just mellows out the whole wheat – a little trick I learned from King Arthur Flour. This comes together fast so it’s perfect for a quick side. You can find a treasure trove of coconut-oil recipes on the Tropical Traditions website.

Cornbread
Makes 8 slices

1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup corn meal
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tbsp. flaxseed meal + 3 tbsp. water (whisk together until frothy)
1-2 tbsp. pure maple syrup
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn

Preheat the oven to 400F and lightly oil a 9″ pie plate or 9″ square baking dish.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, corn meal and baking powder. In a smaller bowl, mix together the milk, orange juice, coconut oil, flaxseed meal mixture and maple syrup.

Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry and add the corn. Stir until thoroughly combined. Pour into the prepared baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes before slicing.

Now for the legal stuff and – - how to win!

Win 1 quart of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!

Tropical Traditions is America’s source for coconut oil. Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their website: What is Virgin Coconut Oil?

You can also watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:

Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the advantages of buying coconut oil online. Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

(If you are interested in purchasing a product from Tropical Traditions, please click on the image below to be taken to the site. If you order by clicking on any of my links and have never ordered from Tropical Traditions in the past, you will receive a free book on Virgin Coconut Oil and as a member of their referral program, I will receive a discount coupon. There is also a link to the Tropical Traditions site at the bottom of my website. Thank you!)

Enter for a chance to win a gigantic quart-sized jar via Rafflecopter! Important: in order to be eligible you MUST subscribe to the Tropical Traditions newsletter – so be sure to make this one of your entries!

Tagged Blissful Britt, coconut oil, cookies, cornbread, giveaway, snickerdoodles, Tropical Traditions, waffles

Jan 07 2013

46 Comments

Cookies and Bars, Desserts

Creamsicle-Coconut Cookies

The inspiration for this crumbly, buttery cookie came from Whole Food’s winter coupon book. Their cookie is also vegan, but called for mandarin oranges – which I couldn’t find that particular shopping day – a whopping 1 1/4 cups white sugar and boring, old all-purpose flour.

Creamsicle-Coconut Cookies
Makes 2 dozen

1/4 cup orange juice
1 cup dates, soaked, drained and chopped
1/4 cup maple sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup coconut oil
zest of one orange
1/2 cup coconut flour
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
3 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/4 cup unrefined sanding sugar

Preheat oven to 325F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a bowl, combine the 1/4 cup coconut flakes and 1/4 cup sugar and set aside. Have a small bowl filled with water handy, along w/ a flat-bottomed glass.

In a food processor, add the orange juice, dates, maple sugar and vanilla extract and process until fairly smooth. You will need to scrape down the sides of the bowl several times. Pour this mixture into a small bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, 1/2 cup coconut flakes, orange zest, cornstarch and baking powder. Pour the date mixture into the dry mixture and thoroughly combine. The mixture will be very stiff and crumbly. Add more orange juice or some nut milk if the dough does not come together when pressed.

Scoop up enough dough to make a 1 1/2″ ball. Place the ball on the prepared baking sheet and continue with the remainder of the dough. Dip the glass in water, then in the sugar-coconut mixture and press down firmly on each cookie. Bake for about 14 minutes, switching pans halfway through. Cool on a wire rack.

Tagged coconut, coconut flour, coconut oil, cookies, dessert, easy, orange juice, orange zest, quick, vanilla, whole wheat pastry flour

Dec 11 2012

19 Comments

Cookies and Bars, Holiday

Kristy’s Cookie Exchange: Molasses Crinkles

Every generation has its version of “the good old days.” For some, the memories are sepia-toned or come in shades of black, white and gray. For me they’re tinged with the yellow fade peculiar to photos from the late 60s to mid-70s. The era of unenviable hairstyles, long lines at the gas station, The Brady Bunch and the game of Life…

To read the rest of the story and get the recipe for these soft, spicy and delicious Molasses Crinkles, please visit my guest post at Keepin’ It Kind. Kristy – a talented and creative vegan cook and one of the gentlest souls out there – is hosting a virtual cookie exchange with lots of great bloggers and the recipes so far have been print-worthy to say the least. The fun started November 27 and continues through December. Thank you, Kristy, for inviting me to the party!

One year ago today: Whole Wheat & Almond Meal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tagged allspice, Christmas, cinnamon, clove, coconut flour, coconut oil, cookie exchange, cookies, family, ginger, guest post, holiday, Keepin It Kind, Kristy, maple sugar, memories, molasses, molasses crinkles, whole wheat pastry flour

Dec 07 2012

24 Comments

Beans, Chocolate, Cookies and Bars, Main Dishes, Other People's Food, Soups and Stews

Other People’s Food 7: The Comfort Food Edition

If you had to pick the ultimate comfort food, what would it be? Pot pie? A spicy curry? Macaroni and cheese? Or maybe hot cocoa (hot cocoa sounds more comforting than hot chocolate) or a warm brownie topped with ice cream? Winter is just around the corner – though some days it feels as if it’s already here – so my cooking changes from quick and cool to hearty, warm and comforting.

Chili, in almost any form but the ones including meat, is one of my favorite comfort foods. You can put it together quickly and let it simmer gently for hours – and it tastes better the next day. I recently made the version from In Vegetables We Trust (Slow-Cooker Chili) which includes a hint of unsweetened cocoa to mellow and deepen the beany, peppery flavors.

What’s comfort without cozy chocolate? If you didn’t see this recipe on Somer’s blog, Vedged Out, then you must be hibernating. And I wouldn’t blame you one bit if you were. I mixed up a batch of her Double Chocolate Coconut Pecan Cookies and my belly and I felt contented, satisfied and downright happy despite the flurries blowing outside. In fact, I laughed at them between bites.

For me, rice is one of the most comforting foods around. This may be because when I was a kid my mom made the most delicious rice on the planet – buttery and creamy and heavy on the ground black pepper. When I was a young lass living on my own there were evenings when it was me, the TV and a big bowl of steaming, hot rice. This is why I included AstigVegan’s delicious Kalamansi Coconut Risotto recipe in my comfort food hall of fame. It’s got all the things I love: creamy rice, coconut milk, lemon zing and mushrooms. (Sorry, Richa, I couldn’t get kalamansi here in Utah so I made due with lemon juice and some orange zest!)

If there’s anything more comforting than chocolate, it’s…more chocolate. I made these babies one Sunday afternoon when I needed a heavy dose of comfort. Big fat flakes of snow were flying outside. The foothills of the Wasatch were barely visible in the fog of white. Ike had wisely tucked himself back into his doggy bed and Paul Westerberg provided background music with one of his most plaintive tunes, Here Comes A Regular. The enticing smell of melted chocolate takes the cold edge off of any winter day. I got the original recipe from Things My Belly Likes (Maple Coconut Chocolates), and I hit the print button before you could say Give me a Mounds bar! I messed around (i.e., made it more complicated than it needed to be) with the recipe and have included it below.

One year ago today: Pesto Pasta e Fagioli
One year and one day ago: Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Cherry-Apricot Compote

Maple Coconut Coffee Chocolates with Add-ins
Makes ~30 (using small muffin cups)

1 cup coconut oil
1 cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 heaping tbsp. Dandy Blend (herbal coffee substitute), optional
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2-4 tbsp. pure maple syrup
1/8 cup sweet cacao nibs (with a little extra for sprinkling on top of the chocolate)
1/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped (with a little extra for sprinkling on top of the chocolate)
1/3 cup unsweetened flaked coconut (with a little extra for sprinkling on top of the chocolate)

I lined up my paper and silicon mini muffin cups on baking sheets and got all of the ingredients ready to go before I melted the chocolate and coconut oil. Mise en place. It’s a good thing. Sprinkle the pecans into the bottoms of 1/3 of the muffins cups; sprinkle the cacao nibs into the bottoms of 1/3 of the muffin cups. You’ll be stirring the flaked coconut into the remaining 1/3 of the melted chocolate/coconut oil mixture – so hold off on sprinkling that into the bottom of the cups.

In a small saucepan, melt the coconut oil and chocolate over low heat Whisk occasionally. Remove from the heat and stir in the maple syrup and vanilla extract. They’ll sizzle so watch your eyes. For really smooth chocolate, put the cocoa powder and Dandy Blend through a sieve and add to the melted chocolate. Whisk until smooth and melted.

Carefully pour the chocolate into the pecan- and cacao nib-fille cups. Now, stir in the 1/3 cup flaked coconut into the rest of the chocolate and pour into the remaining muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops of the chocolate cups w/ the corresponding add-in so that later you know which chocolate you are popping into your mouth.

Chill the cups until firm.

Tagged AstigVegan, beans, cacao nibs, chili, chocolate, coconut oil, cookies, Dandy Blend, easy, flaked coconut, In Vegetables We Trust, kalamansi, lemon, maple syrup, mushrooms, Other People's Food, pecans, rice, risotto, slow cooker, Things My Belly Likes, Vedged Out

Nov 26 2012

38 Comments

Cookies and Bars, Desserts

Hazelnut Shortbread

Shortbread is not bread
and shortbread is not short.
It is medium in length
and a biscuit, of sorts.

It was brought in the long boats;
the boats, which were long,
that belonged to the Vikings;
kings of Vi, who were strong.

And it commonly comes
in a tartan type tin
that is just long enough
to keep shortbread in.

- by Well-Wisher, as posted on ABC.Tales

I hope Well-Wisher doesn’t mind that I used his/her poem here. It’s so cute and well, I couldn’t think of a thing to say about shortbread – at least not that I hadn’t said before (here and here) – and went looking for help. You will see this shortbread again soon, but as team-player rather than the solo star. I did a taste run to see if it would work as the crust for my pumpkin cheesecake and realized it was delicious on its own. Though I admit it’s very 80s kind of dessert – this recipe would also work well as a crust for fruit pizza.

PS There’s still time to enter to win a $25 gift certificate from Compassion Couture. Please visit the Virtual Vegan Blog to get your name added.

One year ago today: Tasteless and Slow-Roasted Tomato Sauce

Hazelnut Shortbread
Makes 8 wedges

1/2 cup hazelnut meal, toasted until a deep brown & cooled

1/4 maple sugar

2 tbsp. sunflower oil

2 tbsp. natural almond butter

1 tbsp. flaxseed meal + 3 tbsp. water

1 tbsp. almond milk

1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. powdered stevia (or use a 1/2 cup sugar rather than the 1/4 cup sugar)

dash salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly spray a 9″ springform pan w/ oil. Whisk together the hazelnut meal, flower, baking powder, stevia and salt and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the maple sugar, sunflower oil and almond butter until creamy. Stir in the flaxseed meal mixture and almond milk.

Stir the dry ingredients into the wet – it’ll be a very thick dough. Press the dough – I used wet fingers – evenly into the pan. Bake for about 15 minutes or until baked through. Let cool and then cut into wedges.

Tagged almond butter, cookies, easy, hazelnut meal, maple sugar, quick, shortbread, stevia

Oct 19 2012

33 Comments

Cookies and Bars, VeganMoFo

VeganMoFo: Peanut Sandies

Mom, I’m sorry. I never told you this before, but I never did like Pecan Sandies. In an era now sweetly veiled in nostalgia, when corduroys and cowl neck sweaters ruled the junior high fashion world, and when shiny braces glittered on my buck teeth, I’d pull my partially-mashed lunch bag out of my locker and head to the grim, overly bright lunchroom (teeming with tweens and smelling of sour milk and spaghetti sauce). With hope and trepidation I’d unroll my brown paper lunch bag and peer inside. When I spied those plastic-wrapped sandies sitting at the bottom, my heart sank. I was ever hopeful of seeing my favorites, Mystic Mints (R.I.P.), or at least their unadorned cousins, Oreos, looking back at me. It’s not your fault, mom. It’s mine. I never told you how I really felt.

Turns out, mom was on to something (but then, that shouldn’t have surprised me). She was just 30-some-years too early. Sandies were just too sophisticated for my sugared-out Jolly Rancher and Ho-Hos palate. Buttery, crumbly, not-to-sweet and perfect snuggled alongside a steaming hot cup of tea. I made my version using peanut meal and whole wheat pastry flour. Mom, you’re a genius.

Peanut Sandies
Makes ~36

2 cups peanut meal
2 cups whole wheat flour pastry flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup peanut milk
4 oz. applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup maple sugar
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
~1/2 cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips, optional

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 375F.

In a large bowl, whisk together the peanut meal, whole wheat pastry flour and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients until well combined. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Mix in chocolate chips, if using.

Form cookie dough into walnut-sized balls and gently press with the flat bottom of a drinking glass that’s been dipped in water.

Bake for ~15 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Remove and let cookies cool on the pans for a few minutes before carefully placing them on wire racks to cool completely.

Tagged chocolate chips, cookies, dandies, peanut meal, peanut milk, peanut sandies, peanuts, pecan sandies, Vegan Month of Food 2012, VeganMoFo, whole wheat pastry flour

Jul 23 2012

40 Comments

Cookies and Bars, Desserts

Apple Butter Cookies

This easy recipe for very old-fashioned-sounding cookies comes from the lone vegan cookbook on the shelves at the otherwise exhaustively stocked kitchen store, Gygi, in Salt Lake City. A typical trip there goes something like this: go to pick up only a package of parchment paper sheets and – - leave, pushing a shopping cart with aforementioned parchment (in two sizes) several small pieces of china that were “on sale,” plastic lids for half-sheet baking pans, an elf-sized spatula perfect for prying recalcitrant brownies out of pans, colorful paper muffin cups and yet another set of measuring spoons. Will it be long before I enter Gygi and a la Norm at Cheers I am greeted with a hearty shout of “Annie!!”?

Oh right, the cookbook. It’s called The 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes, by Kris Holechek. A very nice collection of recipes; we’ll be spending a lot of time together. Per my usual method, I used predominantly whole wheat flour, halved the sugar, halved the fat and added nuts.

One last very important thing: thank you again to all of you who have reached out to offer support, condolences, love and wisdom over the past weeks. Your heartfelt words have warmed and comforted me.

Apple Butter Cookies
Makes ~ 2 dozen

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. powdered stevia
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup vegan butter, softened
1/2 very ripe banana, mashed
1/4 cup maple sugar
3/4 cup apple butter (I used R.W. Knudsen’s organic which has no added sugar)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped and toasted nuts

In a small bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, stevia, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and maple sugar. Add in the banana, apple butter and vanilla, using a whisk to create a smooth mixture (it will look a little curdled). Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two batches and mix until well-combined – then stir in the chopped nuts.

Either put the batter into the refrigerator for a few hours to firm up (at which point you can roll the dough into balls and flatten to make nice, round cookies) or – preheat the oven to 350F, line 2 baking sheets with parchment and simply drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto the cookie sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until firm and lightly browned on the bottoms.

Tagged apple, apple butter, cookies, easy, Gygi, Kris Holechek, Salt Lake City, The 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes, Utah, whole wheat pastry flour

Jun 14 2012

28 Comments

Chocolate, Cookies and Bars, Desserts

Pop’s Chocolate Chip Cookies with Grapefruit & Anise

Father’s Day. It’s coming. Except in my case, I call it Pop’s Day, cuz that’s what I call my dad. I can’t really send him flowers or a little piece of jewelry like I can my mother on her special day. He no longer needs ties and has more tools, shirts and logo baseball hats than he can ever use. So what do I send my old man to let him know how special he is? Bake him a batch of (healthy) cookies that host his favorite flavors.

Pop’s Chocolate Chip Cookies with Grapefruit & Anise
Makes ~16

2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. powdered stevia
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. anise seeds, crushed with a mortar & pestle or processed in a spice grinder
3 tbsp. vegan butter
2 tbsp. prune puree
1/4 cup maple sugar
1 tbsp. flaxseed meal + 3 tbsp. water (whisk together and let sit for a minute or two)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. grapefruit zest
1/2 cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat oven to 375F.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, stevia, salt and anise seeds. In a large bowl, cream the butter, prune puree and maple sugar until smooth. Add the flaxseed meal mixture, vanilla extract and zest and mix well.

Mix the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients and stir in the chocolate chips. Drop dough by the tablespoonful onto the prepared baking sheets. I wet the bottom of a glass to gently flatten the cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Let cool for a few minutes on the baking pans before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Tagged anise, chocolate chip cookies, cookies, dad, easy, grapefruit, oats, pops, postaday, quick, whole wheat pastry flour, zest

May 18 2012

28 Comments

Cookies and Bars, Desserts

Tahini-Orange-Date Crumble Cookies

I was immediately intrigued by a recipe for Orange Blossom Tahini Cookies at Savory Simple. Beautiful little cookies – but what was hooked me was the use of tahini. I’d only ever used it for savory dishes. I tucked the recipe away and well, kind of forgot about it until I made my date crumble mistake. A tahini-based cookie sounded like the perfect way to use some of that sweet, crunchy (sesame-seeded) mixture. I veganized the cookie recipe, swapped white flour for whole wheat, added almond flour and reduced the amount of sugar and fat – and I added a good handful of date crumble. These cookies have the most tender crumb and they bake up beautifully. The aroma when they bake – out of sight.

Many thanks to Everyday Vegan Girl for passing along the Versatile Blogger Award and to VegHotPot and Nina at Tabkhet el Yom (What’s for lunch?) for bestowing the One Lovely Blog award to this here blog. I enjoy and admire all of these blogs, so it’s a huge honor. Thank you, ladies! Oh and hey – check out the Creative Kitchen Challenge at Things My Belly Likes. I’m probably going to play along with this one.

Tahini-Orange-Date Crumble Cookies
Makes 16

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup almond meal (a good way to use the almond pulp from making almond milk; just make sure it’s dry and finely ground)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. powdered stevia
1/4 cup vegan butter
1/4 cup maple sugar (or omit stevia and use 1/2 cup sugar)
1/2 tbsp. maple syrup
4 oz. prune puree
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. orange extract
1 1/4 cups Date, Cherry, Walnut & Ginger Crumble
Demerara sugar for sprinkling

In a small bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, salt and stevia.

By hand or in a stand mixer, cream the butter and maple sugar. Add the maple syrup, prune puree and extracts. Process until well-mixed. Carefully add the flour mixture and just as the dough is coming together, pour in the crumble. Process just enough so that the crumble is thoroughly incorporated. The mixture should be covered and chilled for several hours.

Preheat oven to 350F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop up generous tablespoon-sized balls of dough and roll them quickly. When all of the balls have been formed, wet the bottom of a glass and gently press down the cookies. Sprinkle with Demerara sugar.

Bake for about 15 minutes, switching pans halfway through. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the pans, then transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Tagged almond meal, cookies, dates, easy, orange extract, postaday, prune puree, tahini, whole wheat pastry flour

May 07 2012

58 Comments

Cookies and Bars, Desserts, Virtual Vegan Potluck

Peanut Butter & Jelly Shortbread

Six days until the Potluck! I’ve heard from some of you who have gotten your blog posts drafted and ready to go. I like that! Anyone have any questions, concerns or problems? Email me or check the Virtual Vegan Potluck Page! Okay. I’ve got a question for all of you Potluck participants. I received an email last night from one of my favorite bloggers, Watch Me Lose 150 Pounds. Jason just heard about the Potluck and would love to join. I told him I’d throw it out to you all – so let me know what you think. Are you up for adding one more blogger to the Potluck? Jason is a really funny guy and he has an amazing story – but most importantly, he promises me that he will share a really awesome appetizer. So: leave a comment and let me know how you feel about adding another blog to the Potluck list!

On a similar note: if for some reason you cannot participate, please let me know ASAP so that I can alert the other bloggers. We’ve got a lot of folks in the list and I’d hate to disappoint anyone! It’s really important that there is no break in the “chain.”

Now onto shortbread. It’s not as if I lie awake at night thinking of ways to combine peanut butter and jelly. It just seems that way. I really do like the combination, obviously. (For instance, yesterday’s breakfast was peanut butter and jelly waffles from the indispensable book, The Complete Guide to Vegan Substitutions, by Celine Steen and Joni Marie Newman. If you don’t have it, I highly recommend it not only for the substitutions – meat, dairy, sugar, fat, eggs – but for the creative recipes.) Being in shortbread mode did nothing to stop me from cogitating the classic duo.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Shortbread
Makes 36+, depending on size of cookie

8 tbsp. vegan butter
8-12 tbsp. natural peanut butter (I used PB2 to cut down on the fat content)
1/4 cup maple sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. powdered stevia
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup quinoa flour
1/4 cup dried tart cherries, chopped

In a small bowl, whisk together the stevia, salt, whole wheat pastry flour and quinoa flour.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter, peanut butter, maple sugar and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and with the mixer on low, carefully add the flour mixture until it comes together like pie dough. Add the dried cherries and process a bit more. If it seems too crumbly, add a 1/4 cup or so of water.

Pat the dough into a thick rectangle, cover in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until firm.

Preheat the oven to 325F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out (I divided the dough in two to make it easier) to a little over 1/4″ thick. Cut or slice into desired shapes and place on cookie sheets. Bake for 20-25 minutes – rotating pans halfway through – or until crisp and browned lightly. Let sit on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Tagged cookies, dried cherries, maple sugar, PB2, peanut butter, postaday, powdered stevia, quinoa flour, shortbread, virtual vegan potluck, watch me lose 150 pounds, whole wheat pastry flour

anunrefinedvegan

unbleached, unprocessed, unrefined…and cruelty-free

Tag Archives: cookies

Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil Giveaway

Enter for a chance to win a gigantic quart-sized jar via Rafflecopter! Important: in order to be eligible you MUST subscribe to the Tropical Traditions newsletter – so be sure to make this one of your entries!

Creamsicle-Coconut Cookies

Other People’s Food 7: The Comfort Food Edition

Hazelnut Shortbread

VeganMoFo: Peanut Sandies

Apple Butter Cookies

Pop’s Chocolate Chip Cookies with Grapefruit & Anise

Tahini-Orange-Date Crumble Cookies

Peanut Butter & Jelly Shortbread

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