cookies!!!!1

confections aren't really my thing, but combine a lazy sunday afternoon with a sudden sweet tooth and i soon found myself on a hunt for a proper VEGAN cookie recipe. i've had a jar of carob molasses on hand for a while - i usually drizzle it over cottage cheese - i figured this would be a great way to get some culinary millage out of this peculiar product. i suspect you could use any type of molasses in this recipe, but i find that the carob adds a level of sophistication.

i trolled the interwebs for a bit until i found a suitable recipe, then i man-handled it to better suit my needs. the resulting recipe follows. it works and it makes mouths happy.

Chewy Carob Molasses Cookies
yield 1 dozen

1 cup plus 2 TBS AP flour, sifted
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
6 TBS vegetable oil
2 TBS carob molasses
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated and drained
2 TBS unsweetened apple sauce, drained THEN measured *

1/4 cup raisins
raw sugar, for garnish

-- preheat the oven to 325.

* to drain the ginger and apple sauce, rig a tall glass with two sheets of paper towel, secured by a hair tie. add about 4 TBS of apple sauce and the ginger. let stand for an hour in the fridge. like so:



1. in a mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, cinnamon, clove, and salt.



2. in another mixing bowl, combine the "wet" ingredients: brown sugar, vegetable oil, molasses, vanilla, ginger and apple sauce.



3. add the dry ingredients to the wet, mix well to combine. add raisins, mix to combine.



4. use a tablespoon to portion the cookie dough on an ungreased cookie sheet or silpat. space the mounds about 2 1/2 inches apart and sprinkle with raw sugar.



5. bake for 16-18 minutes. remove from the oven and allow to rest until the cookies firm up enough to handle; about 5 mins. remove to a cooling rack and allow to cool the rest of the way.



the cookies will be way soft at first, but they will turn out fine -- i promise.

© 2009 c. c. villani @ "mission: insatiable" - http://missioninsatiable.com/