2 Tbsp. Almond Butter
1 Tbsp. Chia Seed Gel (or applesauce)
Slightly crispy, a little crunchy on the exterior; pillowy in the very center. I love the texture.
But you have to let it sit on the baking sheet for about 5-7 minutes after they are baked to fully set. Resist the temptation to bake them any longer than 11 minutes; they won't look done but let them cool and set up, and VOILA.
I think you will like these. (Click for the full recipe!)
Some notes I took:
Could add more sugar. I used granulated white sugar...naughty, naughty me. Maybe increase sugar from 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup? The texture was perfect but it seemed to need a little more sweetness.
[10/4/2012 UPDATE:] I recently made these cookies, oil free version, for a dinner and game night party we hosted at our home. In my rush to have them ready, I forgot to add the granulated sugar. All six children present, plus the 4 adults, ate all the cookies within an hour. We didn't miss the sugar at all. And I had doubled the batch!
I also used spelt flour -- increase 1 cup measurement of all purpose flour to 1 and 1/4 cups of flour for spelt.
After scooping the cookies onto the cookie sheet, you probably want to press them down flatter as these cookies will poof up, but not spread out when baked.
I am wondering if applesauce would do the same thing as the chia seed gel. Cuz' chia seed gel might be a lot of hassle to make if only needing 1 Tbsp. (However, I have successfully used chia seed gel as an oil replacement in ONE of my vinaigrette dressings -- Dreena Burton's Cumin Cinnamon Vinaigrette from Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan. And if you doubled the recipe for cookies, it would be 2 Tbsp of chia seed gel, maybe a little more worth it?...just thinkin' out loud, here).
I measured everything very carefully. No deviations.
Chia Seed Gel:
10 parts water to every 1 part chia seed gel.
I use 2 and 1/2 cups water and 1/4 cup Chia seeds. Let seeds soak in water for 10-15 minutes and then blend in the blender until very smooth in consistency.
(Thank you, Janae!)
Questions?
I pretty much ate like 5 of these already. And it's only 6:30 in the morning. I had to taste test them for you...five times.
Don't worry, I also ate a banana and am currently baking a Potato & Tempeh Breakfast Casserole. Yum. I will let you know how that goes...
**HUGS TO YOU ALL!**
Here's to a beautiful morning!
P.S. The inspiration for this convo started here, in the comments section.
Ah, the adventures of oil-free baking. More like the great science experiment of oil-free cookie baking.
ReplyDeleteNever a bad day when you start it out with cookies like these!
Science experiment is a great way to put it. It's totally worth it for me, though, because it has entirely changed my skin. Yay!
ReplyDeleteI went back and made sure to give credit for the original source of chia seed gel -- thank you, Janae.
Ash! I just had this idea! I think you should go and get an outfit that is really formal, sparkly or just super pretty... or actually-- a series of outfits! (you probably already have some really pretty outfits, just if it were me it would be fun to buy a new outfit or two ;) Then... have pictures of you taken professionally! You need a professional photo shoot :). I swear you should do that and then use the photos as part of your blog branding! It would be an investment but I think you will look back when you are old and be very glad that you celebreated yourself in photos. :) Think about it.. that is what Grandma did!
ReplyDeleteYes, I was just looking at my self-taken "workout" photos...sad. I don't know how to get pictures into my blog branding very well -- something you seem to be very good at. How? I love your idea...now to get myself to actually do it. Grandma was pretty good at celebrating herself, ha ha! I miss that lady.
ReplyDeleteI like your workout pictures very much. People need to see other real people :-) Your photos are wonderful! I just thought it would be fun for YOU to have a professional photo shoot as a celebration :) Just an idea...
DeleteAimee, I LOVE your idea. I have been thinking about it all day (how to pull it off, when to go shopping, where to get pictures taken, etc). I think I'm gonna do it!
DeleteI am glad you like my cheapy little photos...seeing as how this is a one-woman volunteer organization...
Some of the greatest women in history started out their ventures as a volonteer or free... :)
DeleteAdmit it, you are just baking these cookies to eat 'em! No need for excuses!
ReplyDeleteI tease! Good to know...I'm not very big into crispy cookies, but I will give this version a try and see how it goes. So I have only made one thing out of Let Them Eat Vegan. I have to admit that the recipes are a little bit intimidating to me. Are most of them good, or is it hit and miss? A cookbook I have been loving is The Every Day Vegan by Lindsay Nixon. Good stuff!!
I promise they aren't too crispy! Just try them Katie! You will like them! (this sounds like Sam, I Am, and Green Eggs and Ham. These taste better than green eggs and ham...)
ReplyDeleteI have the Lindsay Nixon books, I will have to look them over again and try them out. Any particular recipes you think I should try?
On LTEV, try the coconut banana muffins! (Replace oil with 2 tbsp. of soy vanilla yogurt.) SOOOO good! And if you like a good curry, try the Thai Chickpea Almond Curry over some steamed Jasmine Brown Rice. The curry has some fancy ingredients, but it comes together pretty quickly, and we love it. I had to add a little more spice (more curry paste the second time I made the recipe, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes) because I love food with a good kick. Anyway, the chia pancakes are super-good, too, but I haven't found a good replacement for the oil in it yet. Aimee and I are pretty much obsessive about her Pecan Date Nibblers. Angels sing when we eat those...JK. Her food is a little more "gourmet-ish" but I think it is so good.
This is to you (ashlee) and to Katie...You know what I have been doing lately? Just steaming vegetables in a double-boiler like steamer. I have learned that I have to AVOID my intense need for complex gourmet recipes. I just buy bags of pre-washed fresh veggies (like brocolli and green beans from costco!) and steam it at 6:00 AM before work, and then take it to work and eat a big portion with every meal. Simple is good. I have found that Costco and a good farmers market together is great. I think the greatest lesson I have learned so far is just to eat for fuel most of the time. Plain broccolii, plain wild rice, potatoes, quinoa etc. It is so strange how much I just love knowing that most of my meals don't have to be extravagent or complex. This is a lesson my food diaries taught me from when I was 17 and lost 60 pounds. Don't be affraid to eat for fuel. Don't let the cook-book world overwhelm you.
DeleteI need to buy more veggies! Broccoli sounds so good right now. And on toast? What a brilliant idea! I think I lost the most weight when I went for simple foods too -- beans in the crock pot, rice, quinoa, mashed potatoes, steamed veggies, etc. It is simple. If I add a really good sauce then my kids will eat it. A sauce makes a meal, for kids especially. Essie LOVES quinoa the way that Mom taught me to make it. I am definitely thinking that simple is better! Whenever I get overwhelmed by cookbooks I do have to stand back and say... wait a minute! I know how to slow cook some awesome beans. My kids love well-seasoned quinoa. Paul and I love a big salad with just spring mix and cucumbers with a good dressing. Very good point, Aimee, one which I don't want to forget.
DeleteGood reminder. I have been making a lot of "complex" recipes lately, and can't even remember the last time I made some quinoa and beans. What are some awesome sauces I should try? I am not in the habit of using sauces, but am up for giving one or two a try with the fam.
DeleteLTEV has some really good, simple sauces. We like Tahini sauce, and we just tried the Aioli. Both yummy on top of grains or potatoes. Dreena Burton's kinda' the sauce queen.
DeleteI love sauces too! I am a perfectionist and I want all my food to be elaborite and divine in taste and texture. My point is eating healthy should be less stressful than we make it. We want tasty food, I get that. But if other people are anything like me, they give it all up because they can't perfect gourmet home cooking! So while you figure it out, always remember the basics are there for you, happy and simple :) I will have to try Dreena's sauces. I like the recipes from LTEV that I have tried so far. And I LOVE the vegan cheese sauce that Ashlee made for thanksgiving (we used it to make vegan nachos!). Ash, you should blog about vegan nachos! (or maybe I will?, muah!).
DeleteYes, that cheese sauce is FAB! It comes from Seven Secrets Cookbook by Neva Brackett. Every single sauce that I have tried from Neva is a HIT! If you don't have that book, Katie, I recommend it. I know Aimee has it! (It's the basic cheese sauce, Aims.
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