Authors: Terry Hope Isa Chandra;Romero Moskowitz
Tags: #Best cookbooks
Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar: 100 Dairy-Free Recipes for Everyone's Favorite Treats (7 page)
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Make cookies consistently sized.
Check out our tools section for information about cookie dishers (page 23); you don’t have to break out the food scale and be perfect about it, but aim for the same amount of dough in each cookie so that they bake at the same rate.
SUBSTITUTING
Some Tough Love for Trying Cookie Times
THE BEST DAY
of school was always when your Spanish teacher was out sick and in came the sub. You would throw school equipment out the window, lock other students in the janitor’s closet, and deal Quaaludes right from your desk, right? Then one day a different kind of substitute arrived. Just as you were going to clean erasers on a classmate’s head, she used some sort of wizardry to hurl you back into your seat. Before you knew it, you were writing a 5,000-word essay extolling the virtues of the Chilean coastline.
of school was always when your Spanish teacher was out sick and in came the sub. You would throw school equipment out the window, lock other students in the janitor’s closet, and deal Quaaludes right from your desk, right? Then one day a different kind of substitute arrived. Just as you were going to clean erasers on a classmate’s head, she used some sort of wizardry to hurl you back into your seat. Before you knew it, you were writing a 5,000-word essay extolling the virtues of the Chilean coastline.
The point is, not all substitutes are created equal. Every so often (when we’re Googling ourselves twenty-five times a day) we’ll find someone complaining that their cookies came out wrong. All they did was replace the oil with jelly and the chocolate chips with bubblegum, or something like that. Now, we’re no strangers to invention. We’ve opened the pantry and gotten the bad news, too:
out of brown sugar.
Sometimes subbing is necessary and any home baker would do well to know how to make those changes successfully. Whether it’s because you want gluten-free goodies for your nephew or you just came into a sandbag of almond flour, we’ve got you covered.
out of brown sugar.
Sometimes subbing is necessary and any home baker would do well to know how to make those changes successfully. Whether it’s because you want gluten-free goodies for your nephew or you just came into a sandbag of almond flour, we’ve got you covered.
Flours are probably the most common substitutes made. It’s okay to do, but just know what you’re getting into.
ALL-PURPOSE FLOURSwap with:
whole wheat pastry flour, white whole wheat flour,
or ISA & TERRY’S GLUTEN FRIDA MIX (see page 8) The taste and texture will be more grainy and slightly more dry. Try swapping out only half the flour called for to up the nutrition without messing with the taste and texture too much.
MARGARINEwhole wheat pastry flour, white whole wheat flour,
or ISA & TERRY’S GLUTEN FRIDA MIX (see page 8) The taste and texture will be more grainy and slightly more dry. Try swapping out only half the flour called for to up the nutrition without messing with the taste and texture too much.
Swap with:
vegetable oil.
It’s a sad day when you go for that tub o’ Earth Balance and the container is light as a feather with nothing but a spoonful of the buttery stuff. That simply won’t do. You can sub vegetable oil, like canola, for the margarine in many recipes. We don’t suggest it for shortbread-type recipes, where you’re really depending on a buttery flavor and melt-in-your-mouth texture, but for drop cookies, sure, why not? The texture will be a bit more cakey and the cookie will spread a bit less. Always use a little less oil than margarine. If the recipe calls for ½ cup of margarine, use around
cup of oil.
FAT IN GENERALvegetable oil.
It’s a sad day when you go for that tub o’ Earth Balance and the container is light as a feather with nothing but a spoonful of the buttery stuff. That simply won’t do. You can sub vegetable oil, like canola, for the margarine in many recipes. We don’t suggest it for shortbread-type recipes, where you’re really depending on a buttery flavor and melt-in-your-mouth texture, but for drop cookies, sure, why not? The texture will be a bit more cakey and the cookie will spread a bit less. Always use a little less oil than margarine. If the recipe calls for ½ cup of margarine, use around
cup of oil.Swap with:
applesauce.
If you’re looking to make your cookie lower in fat in general, applesauce is your friend. For ½ cup of oil or margarine, use
cup of applesauce plus a tablespoon of oil. The cookie will be much softer and, uh, not as good. But at least it will be super-low in fat!
SUGARapplesauce.
If you’re looking to make your cookie lower in fat in general, applesauce is your friend. For ½ cup of oil or margarine, use
cup of applesauce plus a tablespoon of oil. The cookie will be much softer and, uh, not as good. But at least it will be super-low in fat!Swap with:
Sucanat or liquid sweeteners
(like agave or maple syrup) if you must. Often, people want to replace plain old sugar in a recipe with something a little healthier. We hear you. Now if only we could watch you! This sub can be difficult to make. You can do a 1:1 sub with Sucanat without too much trouble.
Sucanat or liquid sweeteners
(like agave or maple syrup) if you must. Often, people want to replace plain old sugar in a recipe with something a little healthier. We hear you. Now if only we could watch you! This sub can be difficult to make. You can do a 1:1 sub with Sucanat without too much trouble.
But what if you want to use agave to make your cookies diabetic-friendly, or maple syrup because you love Vermont? The dry-to-liquid substitution is super-tricky and not all that consistent. We make it sometimes, but we’re seasoned professionals living that close to danger at all times. Instead, we suggest you use an already agave-sweetened recipe (like the ORANGE AGAVE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES recipe, page 98) and modify the flavors of that recipe as needed. However, you might still want to sub stuff as much as we warn against it, so at least we can provide you with the info you need to help you on your way.
Basically what you want to do is lower the rest of the liquid ingredients and increase the dry without upsetting the balance too much. If the recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, use only ¾ of maple or agave. Leave any milk out of the recipe. Now just add tablespoons of flour until it seems to be a good cookie consistency. We know. Not at all a science. Try not to do it.
BROWN SUGARSwap with:
sugar plus molasses.
For each ½ cup of brown sugar, remove 2 tablespoons sugar and add 2 teaspoons molasses. No big whoop.
PEANUT BUTTERsugar plus molasses.
For each ½ cup of brown sugar, remove 2 tablespoons sugar and add 2 teaspoons molasses. No big whoop.
Swap with:
other nut butters.
If you have a peanut allergy and a penchant for almonds, then use these nut butters interchangeably. You can also sub any other nut butter, if you’re a millionaire. Cashew butter and macadamia butter and the like tend to be super-expensive. Soy nut butter is cheap enough, so that could be worth investigating.
FLAX SEEDSother nut butters.
If you have a peanut allergy and a penchant for almonds, then use these nut butters interchangeably. You can also sub any other nut butter, if you’re a millionaire. Cashew butter and macadamia butter and the like tend to be super-expensive. Soy nut butter is cheap enough, so that could be worth investigating.
Swap with:
starch.
Usually flax seeds are there for texture and structure, so look at it the same way you would look at replacing eggs. Add a bit of starch, about half the amount of flax seed called for.
STARCHstarch.
Usually flax seeds are there for texture and structure, so look at it the same way you would look at replacing eggs. Add a bit of starch, about half the amount of flax seed called for.
Swap with:
tapioca, cornstarch, arrowroot.
Different starches act in different ways. Tapioca tends to make goods a bit chewier, and cornstarch and arrowroot provide more crispness. But they all do the job of holding the whole party together, so we use them interchangeably.
tapioca, cornstarch, arrowroot.
Different starches act in different ways. Tapioca tends to make goods a bit chewier, and cornstarch and arrowroot provide more crispness. But they all do the job of holding the whole party together, so we use them interchangeably.
TROUBLESHOOTING
Something Wicked Comes to the Cookie Sheet
BAKING COOKIES
should be as simple as eating raw cookie dough. Usually it is, but sometimes a little extra know-how can be the difference between bottom-burnt hockey pucks and the kind of treats that get asked for again and again. It’s important to note that the mood swings of flour are often the culprit here. Through no fault of our own, flour can be affected by humidity and elevation, in addition to which it simply varies from brand to brand. Here are some of the most common cookie disasters—and how to prevent them.
EXHIBIT A:should be as simple as eating raw cookie dough. Usually it is, but sometimes a little extra know-how can be the difference between bottom-burnt hockey pucks and the kind of treats that get asked for again and again. It’s important to note that the mood swings of flour are often the culprit here. Through no fault of our own, flour can be affected by humidity and elevation, in addition to which it simply varies from brand to brand. Here are some of the most common cookie disasters—and how to prevent them.
Dough is crumbly and dry
Suspect:
Too much flour. Did you accidentally sneak an extra cup of flour into the recipe while we weren’t looking? Of course not, but we’re going to have to use our flour extraction lasers to remove some of that flour. Or ...
Too much flour. Did you accidentally sneak an extra cup of flour into the recipe while we weren’t looking? Of course not, but we’re going to have to use our flour extraction lasers to remove some of that flour. Or ...
Solution:
You can add a few tablespoons of nondairy milk until the mixture resembles cookie dough and not a sandy beach. Careful about mixing the liquid in, especially if the dough’s got starch in it, as you don’t want the cookies to become gummy. Use your hands to mix it in. Be firm but gentle!
EXHIBIT B:You can add a few tablespoons of nondairy milk until the mixture resembles cookie dough and not a sandy beach. Careful about mixing the liquid in, especially if the dough’s got starch in it, as you don’t want the cookies to become gummy. Use your hands to mix it in. Be firm but gentle!
They spread too much
Suspect:
Too much liquid. Instead of nice individual cookies, do you have one uniform mass of Frankencookie? The dough is too wet. Even though we have meticulously tested all of the recipes, flour can be a temperamental mistress. Experience will let you know when a cookie dough is just too darn wet, but unless the recipe says otherwise, cookie dough should not spread out like a pancake on your sheet.
Too much liquid. Instead of nice individual cookies, do you have one uniform mass of Frankencookie? The dough is too wet. Even though we have meticulously tested all of the recipes, flour can be a temperamental mistress. Experience will let you know when a cookie dough is just too darn wet, but unless the recipe says otherwise, cookie dough should not spread out like a pancake on your sheet.
Solution:
Add a few extra tablespoons of flour to correct the situation.
EXHIBIT CAdd a few extra tablespoons of flour to correct the situation.
:
They don’t spread enough
Suspect:
Too much flour
Too much flour
Solution:
Again, this is a job for extra un-milk. Get to adding.
EXHIBIT DAgain, this is a job for extra un-milk. Get to adding.
:
Burnt bottoms
Suspect #1:
Your oven. It could be hot spots (not the kind you’d want to be seen at). Are your cookies turning up pale on one of the sheet but overly browned on the other? You then have a case of the “uneven oven”: heat that is not evenly distributed can lead to spotty baking.
Your oven. It could be hot spots (not the kind you’d want to be seen at). Are your cookies turning up pale on one of the sheet but overly browned on the other? You then have a case of the “uneven oven”: heat that is not evenly distributed can lead to spotty baking.
Solution:
Rotate the cookie sheet. Besides throwing out your oven, the next best thing to do to avoid hot spots is to rotate cookie sheets during baking. Turn cookie sheet around halfway through baking time to ensure even browning, especially for thin, roll-out, light-colored cookies. But do it quickly! Have your oven mitts on and act fast so that the oven doesn’t cool down. Close that oven door as soon as you can, what were you, brought up in a barn?
Rotate the cookie sheet. Besides throwing out your oven, the next best thing to do to avoid hot spots is to rotate cookie sheets during baking. Turn cookie sheet around halfway through baking time to ensure even browning, especially for thin, roll-out, light-colored cookies. But do it quickly! Have your oven mitts on and act fast so that the oven doesn’t cool down. Close that oven door as soon as you can, what were you, brought up in a barn?
Suspect #2:
Dark baking sheet. Dark metal traps the heat while light metal reflects it. Don’t blame us, blame science.
Dark baking sheet. Dark metal traps the heat while light metal reflects it. Don’t blame us, blame science.
Solution:
You might also want to switch over to light metal cookie sheets if you’re using dark ones.
EXHIBIT E:You might also want to switch over to light metal cookie sheets if you’re using dark ones.
They’re floppy and doughy
Suspect:
Your oven. Could be your cookies are underbaked. Do they appear pale and anemic? Do they have absolutely no browning on the bottom?
Your oven. Could be your cookies are underbaked. Do they appear pale and anemic? Do they have absolutely no browning on the bottom?
Solution:
There’s no saving this batch (unless you’ve just pulled them out of the oven, in which case stop reading this and get them back in!) but just bake the next batch a little longer. And, hey, have we mentioned that you need an oven thermometer (see page 25)? Because maybe you’re baking at the wrong temp.
EXHIBIT F:There’s no saving this batch (unless you’ve just pulled them out of the oven, in which case stop reading this and get them back in!) but just bake the next batch a little longer. And, hey, have we mentioned that you need an oven thermometer (see page 25)? Because maybe you’re baking at the wrong temp.
Rock-hard pucks
Suspect:
We’re pretty sure by this point you have an oven thermometer, so it’s not that your oven temperature is off kilter, is it?
We’re pretty sure by this point you have an oven thermometer, so it’s not that your oven temperature is off kilter, is it?
Solution:
Rock-hard texture usually means the cookies are overbaked. Check out “The Science of Cookies” (page 25) to make sure that this travesty never happens again.
EXHIBIT G:Rock-hard texture usually means the cookies are overbaked. Check out “The Science of Cookies” (page 25) to make sure that this travesty never happens again.
Greasy grossness
Suspect:
Too much oil (obviously). So the cookie looks fine but seems to be leaving a trail of grease in its wake.
Too much oil (obviously). So the cookie looks fine but seems to be leaving a trail of grease in its wake.
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