Saturday, October 23, 2010

Chocolate Spiderweb Cookies

These fun cookies are the perfect treat to make in the days leading up to Halloween!

Lightly spoon 1 cup all-purpose flour into a measuring cup, and level with a knife.  Combine the flour with 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, and 1/8 tsp. salt; set aside.

Place 1/3 cup vegetable shortening (such as Earth Balance) in a stand mixer and beat until the shortening is fluffy.  I probably should have let it soften a bit ahead of time, since mine never quite reached the fluffy stage, so I recommend removing the shortening from the fridge a little before you plan to make the cookies.

Add 2/3 cup vegan sugar about 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat after each addition.  Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and the equivalent of 1 egg white made with egg replacer (such as Ener-G); beat until combined.  Add the flour mixture and stir to combine.  I found it helpful to use my hands as well as a wooden spoon, kneading the batter together into a dough more than I was actually stirring it.

Turn the dough out onto a piece of wax paper and shape into a 6-inch log, then wrap in the wax paper and freeze for 2 hours - you want it to be very firm.

Slice the log into 24 (1/4-inch thick) cookies.  Place the cookies on baking sheets coated with cooking spray, and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  Remove from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack.

Once cool, make the frosting: combine 2 cups organic powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons plain soy milk (such as Silk) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth.  Transfer to a zip-top plastic bag and seal, then snip a tiny hole in one corner of the bag.  On each cookie, pipe 3 concentric circles.  Starting at the center circle, pull a toothpick through the other circles at regular intervals so you have a "web."

Each cookie is 110 calories.  Happy early Halloween!

Cost:
vegetable shortening $3.49

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The Vegan Pantry

  • Vegan yogurt - Whole Soy http://www.wholesoyco.com/
  • Vegan milk - Silk http://www.silksoymilk.com/
  • Vegan Feta - Sunergia http://www.sunergiasoyfoods.com/
  • Vegan Cheese - Galaxy Foods http://www.galaxyfoods.com/
  • Vegan Eggs - Ener-G http://www.ener-g.com/
  • Vegan Butter - Earth Balance http://www.earthbalance.net/product.html