Make That *Multi*-Award-Winning Cookies

Do these look familiar?

They should: they’re my Half-Moon Spectaculars, the gluten-free sandwich creme cookies I’ve been raving about since the fall. They’ve always been my most popular sweet treat among my friends, and now I’m happy to say that their awesomeness has been doubly affirmed by two recent cookie competitions!

First, there was Lindsay’s 5th Annual Cookie Party in December, where my Half-Moons took the People’s Choice Award in what I was told was a landslide victory. Admittedly, this was just a small and informal gathering of friends, but still, the people voted and their voices were heard!

And then there was this weekend’s 4th Totally Fabulous Vegan Bake-Off, where the Spectaculars won the Glorious Gluten-Free Treats (non-chocolate) category, where they were up against four other delectable gluten-free desserts. For those that don’t know, the Vegan Bake-Off is a wonderful event put on every year by the lovely Toronto Vegetarian Association and attended by hundreds of hungry vegans, who apparently loved my cookies, too.

So hopefully you don’t need any more convincing: These cookies are good, and a sure-fire hit at your next cookie party. I’ve reposted the recipe below if you want to try them yourself, and you can always easily find it by clicking the link on my sidebar. Enjoy!

“Half-Moon Spectaculars”
Vegan Gluten-Free Sandwich Creme Cookies
(makes 8 to 10 cookie sandwiches, or 16 to 20 sandwich crescents)

The Cookies (based on this recipe from Oh She Glows)

Ingredients

• 1 cup gluten-free oats, lightly processed or as is (you want them still very coarse)
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 7 tbsp Earth Balance + 1 tbsp olive oil (or: 1/3 cup canola oil)
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup organic cane/white sugar
• 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax mixed with 3 tbsp water)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Prepare your flax egg and set aside.
3. If you wish, lightly process your oats: pulse just once or twice in a food processor—you want your oats to still be very coarse.
4. In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: the oats, almond flour, baking soda, kosher salt, and cinnamon.
5. If using Earth Balance: With an electric mixer or stand mixer, or simply in a blender (that’s what I do), beat the Earth Balance and oil until fluffy. Next, add the sugars and beat for 1-2 minutes until creamy. Finally, beat in the flax egg and vanilla extract.
6. If using canola oil: In a medium bowl, mix together canola oil, sugars, flax egg, and vanilla, until well mixed.
7. Add the wet mixture to the dry, and lightly stir together until a well-mixed batter forms.
8. With a tablespoon, scoop out small spheres of batter and place on baking sheets. No need to flatten the spheres; however, the cookies will drop and spread out a lot while baking, so be sure to leave a lot of space in between each one.
9. Bake for about 10-11 minutes, until they look done and slightly golden along edges. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack for another 10 minutes.

The Creme (found in Dreena Burton’s Eat, Drink & Be Vegan)

Because this recipe is from a book, I feel wrong posting it here, but since it’s so simple, I will tell you that this icing is just a mix of silken tofu, macadamia nut butter, maple butter, and a splash of vanilla: simply whirl all these together in a blender/food processor and adjust amounts to taste. If you don’t have maple butter, maple syrup will also work; and if you can’t find macadamia nut butter, you can sub in some other variety—I’d particularly recommend cashew butter. Additionally, if all this seems too vague of a recipe for you to attempt on your own, you can simply find and make some other vegan gluten-free icing (the internet can help you with that). However, I especially enjoy this icing because it’s not sugary sweet and full of healthy fat and protein. So maybe you should just buy Dreena’s book.

Until we eat again,

Willie