Zizi's Adventures - Real Food, Real Stories

Vegan Spicy Ginger Cookies

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I’ve been baking cookies for a few days. This means Christmas for me when I move into the kitchen and bake cookies for the whole family and close friends. Last Christmas I did the same but I baked always late in the evening and never had the chance to take photos of the results.

Now I try to make up for this and share these tasty cookie recipes (+ new varieties) here on the blog. All of them will be vegan. Whether you want to give cookies as a gift or leave them out for Santa :), you shouldn’t miss some of the best recipes.

Molasses was a new ingredient for me, I’ve never used it before although I baked these ginger cookies last Christmas too but without it. Molasses is a viscous by-product of the refining of sugarcane. It contains trace amounts of vitamins and significant amounts of several minerals. Blackstrap molasses is a source of calcium, magnesium, potassium, and iron; one tablespoon provides up to 20% of the daily value of each of those nutrients.

Vegan Spicy Ginger Cookies
(Recipe inspiration: Daily Garnish)

Ingredients (makes 40-50 cookies)

– 2 cups whole spelt flour
– 2 cups white spelt flour
– 4 teaspoons ground ginger
– 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
– 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
– 2 teaspoons baking soda
– 1 teaspoon salt
– 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
– 6 tablespoons water
– 1 cup coconut oil
– 1/2 cup cane sugar + extra for coating
– 2 tablespoons molasses
– 12 tablespoons oat/rice/soy or almond milk
– 1/2 cup crystallized ginger, chopped

Method

In a small bowl mix together ground flax seeds with water and let it sit for at least 8-10 minutes. This will form a “flax seed egg” that works as a binder for vegan baking. Although flax seed contains all sorts of healthy components, it owes its healthy reputation primarily to three ingredients: omega-3 essential fatty acids, lignans and fiber.

In a separate mixing bowl, add all dry ingredients: whole spelt flour, white spelt flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda and salt. In another bowl mix together coconut oil, almond milk, molasses, cane sugar and flax seed egg. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones + the chopped crystallized ginger until the mixture forms a dough.

Preheat the oven to 180C (356F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using a cookie or ice-cream scoop, portion out small balls of dough, then flatten the balls slightly with your hands, then lightly set each cookie on a plate of extra sugar for coating. Flip to coat each side! Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. These cookies are crunchy on the outside and chewy inside. Yum!

Homemade Chocolate Hazelnut Spread aka The Legend of Homemade Nutella

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Homemade edible Christmas gifts are so popular and fashionable nowadays. Cookies, biscuits, jams, chutneys, granolas, savory treats make special presents for any occasion, especially at Christmas. A homemade edible gift has so much love in it. Download cute food labels, wrap the presents nicely and the success will be guaranteed.

This homemade Nutella is not only mouthwatering on the photo but it is very addictive. Make sure to do a double batch because you will want your own Christmas gift too. 🙂 Look for good quality milk- and bittersweet chocolate for this recipe to avoid unnecesarry additives and sugar. For more sophisticated friends  and relatives make this Nutella from 350 g milk and 150 g bittersweet (70% cocoa content) chocolate. Vegans should use chocolate made with rice milk.

There is a similar recipe on my friend, Emiko’s blog (she also shot a video too).

Homemade Nutella

Ingredients (makes 500 ml, about 2 cups)

– 250 g hazelnut
– 400 g milk chocolate
– 100 g bittersweet chocolate
– 3 tablespoons hazelnut or coconut oil
– 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
– 1/2 teaspoon salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 170C (338F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, place the hazelnuts on it and toast them for about 8-10 minutes until the nuts have darkened and the skins have blistered. Wrap the nuts in a kitchen towel and rub to remove as much of the skin as possible. Let cool completely.

In a food processor grind the hazelnuts until they form a paste (about 10-12 minutes). Add hazelnut oil, cocoa powder and salt. Continue to process the mixture until it is very smooth.

Add a little boiling water to a saucepan and heat until simmering. Break the chocolates into small pieces and add to a heatproof bowl. Suspend the bowl over the simmering water, but do not allow the base of the bowl to touch the water. Heat the chocolate, stirring regularly, until melted, then remove from the heat.

Add the melted chocolate to the hazelnut mixture and continue to blend until smooth. Transfer to a jar and let it cool (the texture will be a bit runny, but it will thicken as it cools).

Enjoy!

Superfood Breakfast: Spicy Pumpkin Granola

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Last Friday evening I was listening to this song (a few times) to get in the Christmas mood. Of course the cinnamon, almond, walnut and chocolate aroma in the flat also helped me. So hello December! You’re more than welcome!

I brought you a breakfast recipe that is excellent choice for cold, misty winter mornings. It also can be a Christmas gift idea – I bet success will be guaranteed if you give this as a present. In the last couple of years I always gave homemade gifts for my family and friends. All the time they were amazed how much time, love and energy I put to make everything. I think homemade gifts in a jar are always perfect idea for gift giving. Add a ribbon, a nice tag, wrap it in a rustic paper and whoever gets it, he/she will be impressed.

Granola is a breakfast or snack food, consisting of rolled oats, nuts, honey / maple, rice or agave syrup, and sometimes puffed rice, that is usually baked until crisp.  Dried fruits, chocolate, coconut flakes are also can be added. See another sugar-free granola recipe on my blog.

Spicy Pumpkin Granola
(Recipe: Sara Forte – The Sprouted Kitchen)

Ingredients

– 2 cups rolled oats
– 1/3 cup pumpkin purée (home baked is the best)
– 1/2 cup walnut
– 1/4 cup maple syrup (rice and agave syrup can be used too)
– 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
– 2 and 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil
– 1 teaspoon cinnamon
– 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
– 1/8 teaspoon ground clove
– 1/2 teaspoon salt
– 1/4 cup dried cranberries

Method

Preheat the oven to 160C (320F). Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

In a bowl mix together rolled oats, walnuts, sesame seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and salt. In another bowl mix together pumpkin purée, coconut oil and maple syrup. Mix all the ingredients together and spread the mixture evenly on to the baking tray. Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown (half time turn everything around with a wooden spoon).

Add dried cranberries, let it cool before serving it with almond/oat/rice milk or store in an air-tight jar in the fridge for 7 days.

Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies And A Virtual Baby Shower For Emiko

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Surprise! Surprise! Emiko! This is for you! An international baby shower party – honoring you – with friends around the world!

Emiko is going to get a wonderful Christmas present this year… she is about to have a baby girl, her first child. I bet she and her husband, Marco are going to have an exciting Christmas! 🙂

From left to right: Giulia, me and Emiko last year in London at the Food Blogger Connect

I met Emiko last August in London at the Food Blogger Connect conference. Giulia, our mutual friend from Tuscany, introduced us and since then we’ve become friends… long distance friends because we live very far from each other (she in Melbourne, me in Budapest). Luckily we’re very good at organizing so this year we made it happen to meet again, this time in Tuscany, Italy with other wonderful friends: Giulia, Karin and Regula. I love how blogging + social media bring people together!Emiko is a down-to-earth, comely, charming person who writes one of my favourite food blogs. Her writing skills are over the top, I love reading her stories and recipes. I also admire her clean, simple style in photography. All in all, I’m happy to call Emiko my friend.

A month ago we decided to throw a surprise party for Emiko. There have been so many emails going on back and forth, finding out who and what bakes for this baby shower. I’m so happy to be part of this event.

In October Emiko discovered that she has gestational diabetes that’s why I was trying to bake something very low in organic raw cane sugar but nutritious, healthy and yummie. These cookies are vegan, contain rolled oats, whole spelt flour and buckwheat flour that has a slightly nutty flavor. From the home baked pumpkin purée, the walnut and the chocolate chips (70% cocoa content) these cookies are rich and wholesome.

Emiko, I wish you all the best on your new journey that called motherhood. I have no doubts that you will be  a miraculous mommy of your little daughter! “Motherhood is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind.” (Howard W. Hunter)

Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

– 1 and 1/4 cups rolled oats
– 1 cup whole wheat spelt flour
– 1/4 cup buckwheat flour
– 1/2 cup cane sugar
– 1 teaspoon salt
– 1 teaspoon cinnamon
– 1 tablespoon baking powder
– 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
– 6 tablespoons water
– 1 cup pumpkin purée (home baked is the best)
– 3 tablespoons coconut oil
– 1 teaspoon apple vinegar
– 1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
– 1/2 cup walnut
– 3/4 cup chocolate chips (70% cocoa content)

Method

In a small bowl mix together ground flax seed with water and let it sit for at least 10 minutes. This will form a “flax seed egg” that works as a binder for vegan baking. Although flax seed contains all sorts of healthy components, it owes its healthy reputation primarily to three ingredients: omega-3 essential fatty acids, lignans and fiber.

In a separate mixing bowl, add all dry ingredients: rolled oats, spelt flour, buckwheat flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder and stir to combine. In another bowl mix together pumpkin purée with coconut oil, apple vinegar, cane sugar and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones. Next add flax seed egg, walnut and chocolate until the mixture forms a dough.

Preheat the oven to 180C (356F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using a cookie or ice-cream scoop, portion out small balls of dough, then flatten the balls slightly with your hands. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. These cookies are crunchy on the outside and chewy inside. Yummie!

Dip the cookies into vegan spicy hot cocoa…

For  more top-notch, yum cake recipes and baby shower wishes for Emiko, visit my magnificent friends’ blogs:
* Regula – Miss Foodwise: Cobnut brandy
* Valeria – Life Love Food: Gingerbread banana muffins
* Karin – Yum and More: Flourless chocolate cake with pears
* Jasmine – Labna: Frollini di riso
* Giulia – Jul’s Kitchen: Sponge cake with custard and chocolate
* Sarka – Cook Your Dream: Savory mini tartlets
* Rosella – Vaniglia Storie Di Cucina: Soft cheesecake

Raw Brownie

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I love brownies… ie I would love if I shouldn’t add so much sugar to the dough to make the brownies moist and gooey. That’s why I don’t bake it very often.

But this is history… now I can make gooey brownie that sweet enough although there is no sugar in it! It doesn’t contain egg, dairy and flour either. You don’t even have to bake it, you only need a strong food processor to make it.

This is a healthy brownie. That’s all.

Recipe adapted from Sarah!

Raw Brownie

Ingredients (for a 22*22 cm / 8,6*8,6 inch cake pan)

– 2 and 1/2 cups dates, pitted
– 1 cup raw cocoa
– 2 cups walnut
– 1/2 cup almond, chopped roughly
– 1/4 teaspoon salt

Method

Place walnut into the food processor and blend until the nuts are finely ground. Add cocoa, salt and blend again for 1-2 minutes. Slowly add dates while the processor is running. Work until the “dough” or mixture easily sticks together (if it doesn’t add 1-2 dates).Press the “dough” into the lined cake pan, sprinkle the top with almond (press almond pieces into the “dough”). Place in the freezer for 20-30 minutes or in the fridge for 2-3 hours.

Enjoy without remorse! 🙂