Surprise Sugar Cookies

I know what you're all thinking, and the answer is NO, I do not eat desserts only.  It just seems that way.  But things aren't always as they appear...  I may have eaten some chocolate for breakfast.  That's not my point.  The weather quickly went from warm and sunny October to freezing cold "arctic tundra" November.  So of course we're all craving baked goods.  Here's a delightfully delicious recipe for the classic winter cookie, The Sugar Cookie.  I call them "Surprise Sugar Cookies" because of the unexpected ingredient, coconut oil.  This is available at HyVee.  I get my coconut oil from Whole Foods.  You could also get it on Amazon.  I use the Nutriva brand, but Spectrum Organics is very dependable.

Surprise Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 Tbsp corn starch
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup Earth Balance (a vegan margarine), at room temperature
• 1/2 cup coconut oil (you may have to warm it up a bit in the microwave if it is cold outside)
• 1 cup sugar, preferably evaporated cane juice
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/4 cup plain nondairy milk

Directions:

1. Sift together flours, cornstarch, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl.  Set aside.
2. In a seperate bowl or mixer, cream together margarine and coconut oil with the sugar.
3. Beat in the extracts and milk.
4. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, about a cup at a time.
5. Take a few feet of wax paper and empty dough onto it.  Roll into a log with paper and hands.  Wrap in paper.
6. Refrigerate for at least two hours.
7. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 F.
8. Slice cookies from your dough log, place on cookie sheet.
9. Bake for 10-13 minutes, depending on softness level desired.  Cool.  DEVOUR.

Cheesecake, mmm

B.V. (before veganism), I was a huge fan of cheesecake, a.k.a. saturated fat + sugar + more sugar + more fat + dairy + eggs = slow death.  Hahahha.  My favorite was chocolate chip peanut butter cookie dough cheesecake from, yes, The Cheesecake Factory.  Where else would they create such a ridiculous combo??

With my history in cheesecake, I was very leery of vegan "cheesecake".  Why bother if it contains practically none of the same ingredients??  So I never truly considered making one.  Enter Hy-Vee's sale on raspberries, combined with my husband's adoration for raspberry cheesecake.  Hmm.

Since I have Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet, I decided to have a go at the Mixed Berry Cheesecake on page 192.  The two main ingredients are silken tofu and nondairy cream cheese.  Bonus, it's only sweetened by 1/4 cup of pure maple syrup.  I added the fresh raspberries to the top, and we were all shocked to discover how delicious and cheesecakey this tastes!  It could even be considered better than "real cheesecake"-- it's much lower in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sugar.  No heavy feeling afterward.  No sugar highs.  Just satisfaction.

Anyone else tried vegan cheesecake?  What's your favorite recipe?