My husband's grandmother used to make the most incredible caramel cookie sandwiches. We liked to freeze them and eat them straight out of the freezer. They were better than any Girl Scout Cookie, another freezer favorite. These, however, are not them. I am pretty sure it would be disrespectful to bastardize her cookies in any way, shape, or form, much less removing such Norwegian favorites as butter and plenty of sugar. Instead, I have taken the idea of her cookies and created a gluten-free, vegan cookie sandwich that is best enjoyed frozen. But, the sandwich part, the frozen part, and the part where her grandson stands by the counter with puppy dog eyes begging for a bit of dough, are the only similarities to the original inspiration for this cookie.
I made a batch of these and brought them to a playdate. They were a big hit. The 8 kids there, ranging in age from five to nine, loved them. The adults loved them. My biggest culinary critic, Little Av, who has been known to pick the chocolate chips out of her chocolate chip cookies (true story) and who once poo-pooed boxed mac-n-cheese because her mother had -- GASP! -- made them with a different brand of butter, gave them a thumbs up (full disclosure: Little Av's version of a thumbs-up was to lick the frosting out of the middle, eat one bite of the cookie, and give the rest to her mom).
Mocha Sandwich Cookies
3/4 c. almond meal
1/2 c. teff flour or other flour of choice (Teff adds more protein, as well as calcium, thiamin and iron)
1/2 c. brown rice flour
4 T. flax meal, preferably golden (if you don't have this, just use 4 T. more flour)
5 T. Earth Balance
1/2 c. agave
1/4 c. very finely ground decaf coffee OR 2T. decaf coffee and 2T. cocoa powder)
Filling
1/3 c. plus 1-2 T. cocoa powder (to taste)
scant 1/3 c. agave
1/3 c. Vegan spread (I use Soy-free Earth Balance)
Make frosting first. Refrigerate. You could even freeze it, which makes it easier to sandwich between the cookies.
Put all cookie ingredients in a food processor and blend very well. The dough will start to stick together. Refrigerate for about 10-20 minutes to allow the vegan spread to firm up and the flax to absorb some liquid. The dough will feel like slightly moist play-doh fresh from the container at first. Roll out onto a floured surface (white rice flour works best) with a floured rolling pin. Cut into small circles with a floured cookie cutter (or the floured rim of a shot glass). As you work with it, it will begin to feel like play-doh without the moisture. After cutting your first round of cookies, you will need to gather the scraps, knead them into a ball in your hands again, and roll out once more. These will not rise or expand very much at all so don’t worry about placing them close together on the cookie sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes at 350 degrees. They will not be completely hard when warm from the over, but slightly soft with a little give. They will harden as they cool.
Cool completely (about 10 minutes) and freeze for about 10-15 minutes.
Make sandwiches with a little less than a teaspoon of frosting and 2 cookies. Freeze. These taste best frozen and are also cleaner frozen as the vegan spread doesn't give the frosting a lot of heft.
I made a batch of these and brought them to a playdate. They were a big hit. The 8 kids there, ranging in age from five to nine, loved them. The adults loved them. My biggest culinary critic, Little Av, who has been known to pick the chocolate chips out of her chocolate chip cookies (true story) and who once poo-pooed boxed mac-n-cheese because her mother had -- GASP! -- made them with a different brand of butter, gave them a thumbs up (full disclosure: Little Av's version of a thumbs-up was to lick the frosting out of the middle, eat one bite of the cookie, and give the rest to her mom).
Mocha Sandwich Cookies
3/4 c. almond meal
1/2 c. teff flour or other flour of choice (Teff adds more protein, as well as calcium, thiamin and iron)
1/2 c. brown rice flour
4 T. flax meal, preferably golden (if you don't have this, just use 4 T. more flour)
5 T. Earth Balance
1/2 c. agave
1/4 c. very finely ground decaf coffee OR 2T. decaf coffee and 2T. cocoa powder)
Filling
1/3 c. plus 1-2 T. cocoa powder (to taste)
scant 1/3 c. agave
1/3 c. Vegan spread (I use Soy-free Earth Balance)
Make frosting first. Refrigerate. You could even freeze it, which makes it easier to sandwich between the cookies.
Put all cookie ingredients in a food processor and blend very well. The dough will start to stick together. Refrigerate for about 10-20 minutes to allow the vegan spread to firm up and the flax to absorb some liquid. The dough will feel like slightly moist play-doh fresh from the container at first. Roll out onto a floured surface (white rice flour works best) with a floured rolling pin. Cut into small circles with a floured cookie cutter (or the floured rim of a shot glass). As you work with it, it will begin to feel like play-doh without the moisture. After cutting your first round of cookies, you will need to gather the scraps, knead them into a ball in your hands again, and roll out once more. These will not rise or expand very much at all so don’t worry about placing them close together on the cookie sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes at 350 degrees. They will not be completely hard when warm from the over, but slightly soft with a little give. They will harden as they cool.
Cool completely (about 10 minutes) and freeze for about 10-15 minutes.
Make sandwiches with a little less than a teaspoon of frosting and 2 cookies. Freeze. These taste best frozen and are also cleaner frozen as the vegan spread doesn't give the frosting a lot of heft.
 |
| Girl Scouts, eat your heart out! |
No comments:
Post a Comment