Alex is in the kitchen this month:
My one hurdle in going more plant-based was the idea of vegan baking. Nothing made my brain short-circuit faster than the idea of adapting and restricting myself in terms of ingredients in baking — a hobby that is defined by comfort and indulgence.
It took me a long time to get into the kitchen and bake without dairy products. I love dairy, and the thought of leaving it out can still sometimes catch me as unnecessary (especially living in the Monadnock region, where I have the privilege of buying eggs and milk from local farms).
But then I think of egg replacement. I shied away from egg replacement for months. “I don’t know how to use it,” I claimed to my aunt. The instructions were on the bag (Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer). Somehow, after years of baking, cracking open an egg seemed easier than mixing 1 tablespoon of egg replacement with two tablespoons of water (you’re welcome, world, that’s the recipe). It’s also more sanitary, I don’t have to immediately wash my hands after using egg replacement, and I don’t have to live in fear that salmonella will finally get me as I sneak a taste of the cookie batter (chef’s prerogative).
Now that I’ve used egg replacement in my recipes, my mental block to ever try it seems
unbearably silly. But we all have those moments of blockage. To think of egg replacement
another way, think of the price of eggs. Exorbitant. But egg replacement? I’ve lived in my
aunt and uncle’s house for almost a year, and we’re not even close to running out. Price per
use? Stunning. I’ll never demand that people rid themselves of all eggs forever — because I’m not in charge of your diet, only my own — but if you’re looking for ways to be good to the planet, yourself, and your wallet, get that egg replacement and use it for cookies.
Okay, this officially ends my egg replacement ad (seriously, any royalties coming my way?). This cookie recipe is one I’ve been playing with all winter. For those of you who, like me, treated yourself all the way through the holiday season, I hear you. Coming down from the collective sugar high: candy canes and Christmas cookie swaps, did make sugar plum fairies dance in my head. This recipe is for helping decrease sugar without decreasing joy. If you’ve given up sugar for Lent, or made a Lunar New Year’s resolution, or maybe need something yummy but quick one Ramadan eve, give this recipe a whirl.
This recipe used humble ingredients that all together pack a punch, or rather a warm hug, on a cold winter’s night. Oats, pecans, banana; you probably have everything in your pantry already (especially if you got that egg replacement — last plug, promise). If so, on your marks … get set … bake!
For the hardcore vegans, they will scoff at my use of sweetener: the banana. It’s overused in
plant-based baking, but sue me, vegans, because I just admitted above that I only just started plant-based baking. Since, in adapting the recipe, I replaced the granulated sugar with honey, the banana pulls double duty in sweetening the mix and adding volume so that you have a cookie to bake. And I have to say, for a late addition, it feels like it was always meant to be there.
Full disclosure, I did not bake this. This recipe is my brainchild, and I’ve tested many iterations before, but this last batch was made with the loving hands of my co-columnist, Lisa (while I hovered in a chair, barking orders). I’ve been mostly bedridden in recovery since my dog bites, and Lisa has made me many meals, fueled by the idea that what goes into our bodies helps us heal. It’s true, and in the case of this recipe, cookies pull double duty to heal your body and lift the spirits. Nothing got me out of bed faster to do my walking exercises than the smell of cookies in the oven; hopefully, they motivate you, too.
Toasted pecan and oatmeal cookies
Makes about 16 cookies
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups pecans, roughly chopped; keep fairly large
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 8 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 banana
- 1 tablespoon egg replacer plus 2 tablespoons water, mixed well
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- Dash of salt — up to 1 teaspoon as you like
Directions
- In a small saucepan, toast the pecans and oats on medium heat for about 6 to 8 minutes, until you can smell them. Stir often.
- In the meantime, cream the butter in a mixer until smooth and whip-like. Add honey, and whip until smooth, using a spatula to make sure the sides of the mixture are incorporated.
- Add the banana and mix on high until fully mixed, 10 to 15 seconds.
- Add the egg replacer mixture and 1 tablespoon maple syrup.
- Add flour, baking soda, and salt; mix. Then add the toasted pecans and oats. This mixture should come together and be a bit like wet sand.
- Use an ice cream scoop to portion out the cookies onto a plate. Pop in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Start preheating the oven to 325 degrees.
- After 30 minutes, place the dough balls onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. I like a flatter cookie, so I press down on the cookie with my fingers. You do you.
- Bake cookies for 15 to 17 minutes, until golden on the edges.
This recipe can and should be played with. You could add cinnamon or another warming winter spice, jazz it up with some raisins, or swap out the pecans for pistachios and add cardamom. The world is yours.
For more information on how your food choices affect the planet and your health, go to:
harriscenter.org/rhp.