Cookies, cookies, and more cookies!

My mom told me a story, which she may have regretted later, about a pie party where friends were invited to eat pie. Lots and lots of pie. I was inspired, not to make pies, but rather cookies. Lots and lots of cookies. (Mom always said I was a cookie monster!)

I wanted to have a cookie party. Not a cookie baking party; not a cookie exchange party; but a cookie eating party. So my mom and I set to work. In two-and-a-half days we baked 12 different types of cookies totalling around 60 dozen cookies! (I can't count the number of times Mom said, "Are we done yet?")

By the end of the second day of baking, my boyfriend starting calling it a cookie eating competition.

Finally we spent a wintry, December afternoon with friends and family, enjoying cookies, milk (almond and regular), and hot apple cider (spiked or not). It was perfect!

What I've learned is that you can make just about any cookie recipe dairy-free by using a non-dairy butter substitute. For example:
- There are many vegan, non-hydrogenated buttery spreads, however I recommend reading the label to see if it is recommended for baking. Some hold up to high temperatures better than others.
- Whole Foods makes a 360 brand vegetable shortening that is good for baking.
- Coconut oil, despite the name, is solid at room temperature and works quite well.
- If you miss the butter flavor, Crisco makes a butter-flavored vegetable shortening. I called the 800-number to ask if the product contained dairy, and the recording about food allergies promised that they list all ingredients on the package, including specifically dairy, tree nuts, etc. Since there is no mention of dairy on the packaging, one assumes that it would be dairy-free. I didn't have a reaction to this product, but my "allergy" may not be as sensitive as others.

Below are a few of the recipes we baked. (I'm not going to re-post the recipes for ginger cookies or macaroons. See April 2009 and June 2009, respectively.) Basically the recipe instructions are the same for all: cream butter, sugar, eggs and flavoring; then add dry ingredients. Once mixed, spoon teaspoon-size cookies onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake. For prettier cookies, take a teaspoon of dough and roll it in your hands to make balls and then bake.

Peanut Butter Cookies
½ cup peanut butter
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup butter
1 egg
1 ¼ cups flour
¾ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder

Optional: chocolate chips (my dad wouldn't have it any other way!)

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Makes approx. 3 dozen.


Lavender Cookies
½ cup shortening
½ cup butter (the recipe calls for both, but you can just use 1 cup of shortening)
1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp almond extract
2 ¼ cups flour
4 tsp lavender flowers
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt

Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes. Sprinkle with colored sugar when they come out of the oven. Makes at least 3 dozen, but I forgot to count.


Oatmeal Cookies
1 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
3 cups uncooked oats

Optional: 1 cup raisins, or 1 cup chocolate chips

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Makes approx. 6 dozen.


Pfeffernusse
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
¼ cup dark molasses or Sorghum syrup
1 egg
3 ½ cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cloves
½ tsp cardamom
¼ tsp black pepper

Roll the dough balls in powdered sugar before and after baking. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. These cookies will NOT expand. Makes approx. 6 dozen.


White Chocolate Chip (white chocolate is not really chocolate, but I digress...)
1 cup butter
¾ cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups flour
white chocolate chips- add to taste, but I err on the side of too many – is there such a thing as too many chips?

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Makes approx. 3 dozen.


Everything Cookie
1 cup butter
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 ¼ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
“everything but the kitchen sink” - for example: chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, oatmeal, shredded coconut, toffee bits, raisins, dried cranberries, caramel pieces, chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts, macadamia nuts, candied ginger, etc.

I used all of the ingredients that were left over from the other cookies. Seriously, I threw in everything listed above, excluding the raisins, nuts and candied ginger. Then I added green sprinkles when they came out of the oven. At least two people said that this was their favorite cookie!

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

I made this chocolate cake for Christmas dinner and it was delicious! I found this recipe on Epicurious and adapted it to be dairy-free, as well as gluten-free. It turns out super moist and rich, so a small piece goes a long way.

Cake
10 ounces of dark (dairy-free) chocolate
1 1/4 cups dairy-free margarine or coconut oil
10 egg yolks
1/2 cup plus 6 Tbs granulated sugar
2 tsp Mexican vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
10 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. The recipe recommends using a 10-inch springform pan, but I don't have one. Instead I used a deep baking dish that was well oiled and lined the bottom with parchment paper.

Melt the chocolate and the margarine in a double boiler until melted smooth. Then set aside to cool to lukewarm.

Beat the egg yolks and the 1/2 cup sugar until thick and pale yellow. (About 5 minutes.) Then beat in vanilla and salt. Gently fold the cooled chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Note: if the chocolate is too warm, you will cook the eggs and end up with a chocolate omelette. Set aside.

In a clean bowl with clean beaters, beat egg whites and remaining 6 Tbs of sugar, adding the sugar 1 Tbs at a time. Beat until soft peaks form.

Then gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture until well mixed, but still light and fluffy. Pour batter into pan.

Bake for 45 minutes and then begin checking with a cake tester. Cake will rise significantly like a souffle. Cake is done when tester comes out with moist crumbs attached. It took about an hour and ten minutes to bake tonight.

Let cake cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the pan to loosen and then invert cake onto a plate or serving dish. The cake WILL FALL to less than half it's original height. Don't worry, this is what makes it so moist and rich!

The recipe says to let the cake cool completely and top with a chocolate ganache, but we weren't crazy about the ganache the first time. Also, the recipe calls for brandied cherries to serve on the side, but we had fresh raspberries the first time, and fresh pomegranates this time. Here is my quick recipe for the sauce.

Sauce
1 cup of fresh berries or fruit - we used raspberries or pomegranates (I like a tart fruit sauce with the sweet chocolate cake)
1 cup dark rum
1/2 cup brown sugar

Heat rum and sugar in a pan until boiling. Let boil down for a few minutes, then add fruit. Boil for just a couple minutes until fruit is soft, but not soggy. Drizzle sauce on top of a piece of cake and enjoy!