I have a slight obsession of late. Soft, chewy sugar cookies.
Background of this obsession: we have a regional cookie store franchise in our area. Eileen's... and Eileen makes the above mentioned obsessive thought making cookies. Two batches were delivered to my office in honor of Easter. I'm not too proud to mention that, back in the day, almost every girl's shopping trip involved a trip to Eileen's.
Those cookies still call my name every once in awhile. The colors are off-putting so I can avoid them... most of the time. After all, electric pink, rubber boot blue, garish green, muppet yellow and neon orange scream chemicals and additives.
I've been playing around with a few ingredients to healthify and veganize this cookie. The frosting is still under construction, but I had some leftover in the fridge that needed to be used up, and the combo of frosting/cookie was almost there...almost...and we all agreed the cookie has that certain it factor.
Not-Eileen's Sugar Cookies
20-24 Cookies
Preheat oven to 350
3 TBSP ground flax
3/4 Cup of apple sauce OR 1/2 a banana and 1/4 Cup of non-dairy milk. (the browner the banana the sweeter and more bananay it will taste. The one I used was yellow with a few small brown spots and was still firm. A mild banana taste was there, a riper one might be too bananay unless you love bananas.)
2 TBSP coconut oil
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 Cup sugar
2 tsp almond extract
2/3 Cup garbanzo bean flour
1 and 1/3 Cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour.
Mix the flax and banana/milk or applesauce together in a bowl and let sit a few minutes so it gels a bit.
Add the coconut oil and sugar. Cream or mix well. Add the soda, cream of tartar and salt, mix. Add garbanzo bean flour, stir. Add almond extract and stir. Mix in flour and stir until blended.
Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Roll dough into 1 inch or so balls. (If too sticky dip hands in sugar) Flatten balls slightly. You can sprinkle them with sugar if you aren't going to frost them. Bake at 350 for approx 12 minutes. Let rest for a few minutes, then slide onto a cooling rack. Frost when cool. You can keep them in the fridge. All four of us are thinking these are pretty close to Eileen's. Now. On to conquer the frosting.
