The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur contains 140 recipes that range from simple everyday cookies to fancy special occasion cookies. The book is broken up into 13 Chapters (How to Be a Cookie Connoisseur, Cookies Inspired by Drinks, Totally Nuts and Seeds!, Blissfully Chocolate Cookies, No Bakes, DIY Versions of Mass Produced Cookies, Fruity Cookies, Bar Cookies, A Take on Tradition, Healthier Cookies and Baking for Specific Needs, Nostalgia: Everyones Favorite Cookies, Cookies You Would Find at a Tea Party, and, Decorating: Ideas and Recipes for Homemade Cookie Fixin’s). The book also includes an index and a conversion chart.
I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I received this book. I was hoping for new and exciting recipes, but expecting to be disappointed with unimaginative recipes. I didn’t know anything about the author. All I knew was that I’ve seen a lot of vegan dessert books lately and while they all contain some tasty looking recipes, they aren’t anything that hooks me and I don’t feel like I need them for my collection. The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur, however, was a pleasant and exciting surprise. Though I received this book for review, there is no doubt in my mind that I would have purchased it had I seen it on the shelves of my local book store.
The photographs are inviting and while some ground is retread, there are a lot of new recipes that I was very excited to try. It seemed like every other page made me want to crack out my mixing bowls and measuring cups in order to get baking. Among the must-try recipes are: Spicy Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies, Root Beer Float Cookies, Vanilla Wafer Cookies (the Nabisco Vanilla Wafers were my favorite cookies as a kid!), Graham Crackers, English Toffee Squares, Peanut Butter Cups & more!
The first cookies I tried out of the book were the Giant Bakery-Style Double Chocolate Cookies, which weren’t quite as chocolaty as I’d hoped, but they were still good and the Jam Kolaches (another childhood favorite – see recipe below). I could eat Miss Peloza’s Jam Kolaches everyday. I made them with three different types of jam: strawberry, black cherry, and apricot. I even made some for my friend, Ralph as a birthday gift and shared the extras with the guests at his party and they were a hit!
I was impressed when I found out that Miss Peloza is merely a college student studying art in Milwaukee, WI. Being a published author at 19 is quite the accomplishment!
Aside from containing a bevy of tempting recipes, The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur, also contains helpful tips and inforation, like ways in which variations can be made to recipes, how to bake for people with allergies, tips on baking with a toaster oven and more. Miss Peloza’s instructions are clear, the recipes are easy to make and so far every recipe I’ve made hasn’t contained any ingredients which are hard to find, which is always a plus in my book. So if you’re a cookie lover (and really, who isn’t?) make sure to pick up The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur this winter.
Kelly Peloza is also the author of the Vegan Cookzine Vegan Candyland and writes the blogs: Vegan Cookies and Seitan Beats Your Meat.
Jam Kolaches – from The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur (p. 180-181)
1/2 cup margarine
3 ounces (a heaping 1/3 cup) vegan cream cheese
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup jam, any flavor
About 1/4 powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 375 F
Beat together the margarine and cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Sift in the flour and stir until incorporated. Don’t mix too much or the dough might be a bit gummy.
Roll the dough 1/8-inch thick on a floured counter (if you’re having trouble with the dough being sticky, pop it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.)
Cut 2-inch circles out of the dough with a glass, cup or cookie cutter with a 2-inch diameter. If you can’t find anything, a knife works fine, too, but it’s a little more time-consuming.
Plop a heaping 1/4 teaspoon jam in the center of each circle. It’s tempting to add more, but it will melt all over the cookie and onto the tray when baked (personal experice!).
Fold two opposite sides of each cookie to the middle so that the edges touch. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until firm, then remove from the oven and sprinkle with the powdered sugar, preferably using a sifter to make them look pretty.
Transfer to cooling rack and eat!
The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur
By Kelly Peloza
Skyhorse Publishing
November 2010
ISBN: 9781616081218
Price: $17.95
[...] Comments « The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur [...]
Sweet Utopia is packed with mouthwateringly delicious desserts that are free of eggs and dairy products. Vegans and non-vegans alike will enjoy both making and eating these yummy treats. These desserts are easy to make so beginner bakers won’t feel overwhelmed, but because the recipes are so creative, seasoned bakers will enjoy them as well. The book is full of gorgeous full color photographs of each dessert, which makes it even more irresistible!
I recently made both the Fudgy Chip Cookies and the Mocha-Almond Chippers for my coworkers, and they raved about both. I even caught two people arguing over which was better!