Vegan Cookies and a new year's resolution

The holidays are terribly busy for musicians and as such I have been a TERRIBLE blogger! Since Thanksgiving I have:

• sung with an orchestra
• organized, rehearsed and produced my student's concert
• taken an audition
• taken students to sing at a senior center
• Sang in a TON of church services ( I am employed as a church musician), including a Christmas Eve Service

All of this was in addition to the normal holiday madness that happens every year...... the shopping, baking, wrapping, decorating, cooking and traveling.....

All I can offer are my humblest apologies and a resolution to be a better blogger. So, if you were a devoted follower of my blog and feel ignored, deserted, or disappointed... I deeply apologize.

As part of that resolution, I am also slightly changing the format of this blog. In the past few months I have tried to put new, homemade creative recipes in each entry. This is terribly time consuming and a difficult, if not impossible goal at certain times.

As a vegan, the question I am most commonly asked is "What DO you eat?". So my new focus is going to be on what I actually eat, even if that is only a tofurky sandwich or simple salad. My hope is that this change will make the blog all the more helpful to new (and possibly lifelong) vegans by highlighting recipes, products, cookbooks and other kitchen conundrums.


Now onto some delicious food!

Every year since 1998 I have made cookies for my family. By cookies I mean tons of cookies! I mail my family usually between 5-6 different varieties of cookies each year. Last year I compromised and made a mix of vegan and non vegan cookies for my family. This year I made a commitment to myself to make only vegan cookies for my family. The recipes were a combination of converted recipes and recipes from vegan cookbooks. This year I made:

Nestle Toll house Chocolate Chip Cookies- This recipe was converted by replacing the eggs with egg replacer and the butter with earth balance. I used Ghiardelli dark chocolate chips which are still vegan and chopped walnuts. VERDICT: People loved this one and no one questioned whether it was vegan or not.

Raspberry Bars- This recipe was another conversion. I used Ghiardelli dark chocolate chips and earth balance again. VERDICT: This was the hands down favorite of everyone! The were very easy since they were bar cookies and their pretty looks made the tray gorgeous!

Brownies- As an early Christmas Gift, my husband bought me the cookbook, Vegan cookies invade your cookie jar. This brownie recipe was straight from the book with the addition of 2 ounces of melted bitter dark chocolate (I lake my brownies really fudgy and dark). VERDICT: No one thought these were any different than last year's brownies. In fact they wolfed them down!

Peanut Butter Cookies- This recipe was a conversion from a betty crocker cookbook. I replaced the eggs with egg replacer and the butter with earth balance. It is key to be sure that your shortening is also vegan (some of the cheaper ones are part lard). VERDICT: Peanut butter cookies are my personal favorite. So I almost don't care if other people like them... but they did.

Oatmeal Cookies- This recipe I found using the internet. VERDICT: People liked them BUT they were way to dry and crumbly for mailing... They completely fell apart!

Pizelles- Pizelles are a crispy italian cookie that require a special "Pizelle Iron" which is similar to a waffle iron. They are flat and crispy. To veganize follow the recipe with your machine replacing the butter with oil and the eggs with egg replacer. VERDICT: These were the first to go at my Italian inlaws!

Lemon Sugar Cookies- Another internet find, perhaps not as sweet as a traditional sugar cookie but still pretty good. VERDICT: My mother in law particularly liked these.

Well there you have it... a vegan cookie stash.. and no one noticed they were vegan either!