Thursday, February 11, 2010

Valentines Day Cookie Recipe


Valentine's Day is coming up this week. Yes, it's a completely made up holiday to promote consumerism. However, it's still one of my favorite holidays. I love the chocolates, the flowers, and the idea of spending a special evening with the person you love. Unfortunately, due to circumstances out of my control, I will not have a valentine this year. But, just because I'm going to die alone doesn't mean I shouldn't post a delicious cookie recipe.

This recipe is a veganized version of my mother's potato cookies. She makes them at Christmas every year, and I absolutely love them. Her version is exactly like mine, except I use earth balance instead of butter and sweet potatoes instead of white. Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamins A and C, so it could be argued that these cookies are good for you.

I think that there's something to be said for giving baked goods instead of a bunch of store-bought chocolate hearts. It's quirky and interesting and more special because of the effort that goes into it. I once had the brilliant stroke of genius to bring a few of these very cookies on a first date. It was a little ballsy, but it was one of those rare first dates (for me anyway) where he actually called when he said he would. If these cookies can get Ms. Unlucky in Love a phone call, they will probably bring the man (or woman) of your dreams to their knees.



Vegan Potato Cookies with Raspberry Jam
2 c. organic and unbleached white flour
1/4 c. organic powdered sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 c. sieved mashed sweet potatoes
1/2 c. earth balance
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. organic raspberry jam, jelly, or preserves

1. Boil about 3 medium sweet potatoes until tender, drain them, mash them, and press them through a sieve. I used a very fine mesh pasta strainer. You're just pressing them through to get out any residual chunks, so if you don't have a sieve, you need to make sure that you mash them really, really well.
2. Let potatoes cool and then mix in a bowl with the earth balance and vanilla, until the mixture is creamy and light in color.
3. Add the powdered sugar, half at a time.
4. Gradually mix in the flour until the mixture forms a ball in the center of the bowl. I usually take this opportunity to let the dough chill for about 20 minutes, because it's easier to work with.
5. Turn half of the dough out onto a floured surface. With a rolling pin, roll it out to about 1/4" thickness. These cookies don't rise or fall when they bake, so whatever thickness you make the dough will be the thickness of your finished product.
6. Cut with a cookie or biscuit cutter and place on a nonstick cookie sheet.
7. Spoon a teaspoon of jam in the center of each cookie.
8. Roll out the other half of the dough and repeat steps 5 and 6. But, use a straw to poke a tiny hole in the middle of each cookie. These are going to be your tops, so stick them on.
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until the dough is just starting to brown.
10. Let cool and serve with powdered sugar sprinkled on top.
Yields: 3 dozen cookies will be 69 calories each














disclaimer: the cookies pictured above are not my cookies, but once you put a shit ton of powdered sugar on them, they all look alike ;)












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