Mama Mayhem's Perfectly Easy No Bake Cookies

 

I like to make tiny bite sized baked goods. 

These cookies were the first recipe I ever made from Vegan A Go-Go. I even have it archived on the page: "Notes: Enjoyed these cookies with Cam, V and Becca

First Recipe ever (from this book)!" I also wrote that unsweetened peanut-butter works best and that using less sugar and more cocoa would be good. After that it says Crasins? Molasses? Toasted Oats? 

The third time around I think I found my ideal altered recipe. I nearly doubled the cocoa, lessened the sugar and added some oat flakes. I had some friends over and the whole batch was gobbled up quite quickly.

Cook Books!

Cookbooks make veganism fun. I got a whole bunch out from the library and have been bookmarking all the tasty looking recipes.

 I've been making good use of some of them.  Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar has a huge variety of types of cookies so recommend it to anyone who likes baking. So far I've made the Mocha Mamas, the AppleSauce Softies (try them!) and the Peanut Butter Chocolate Pillows.  This book has some rather interesting sounding cookies...I've been eyeing the Peanut Apple Pretzel Drops and the "Sell Your Soul Pumpkin Cookies".

As for Vegan Freak: Being Vegan in a Non-Vegan World...I can't say I'm enjoying it. I've only flipped through so far, but if this was somehow my only exposure to veganism then it would have turned me off of it! I found it very demeaning to anyone who isn't fully "vegan" and gave some advice that seemed to pretty weak reasoning behind it. I'll give a little rant later once I've read more. 

But on a happier note I'm eager to veganism some of the recipes from the Barefoot Contessa books; French Apple Tart here I come!

Lastly, this book, Kansha: Celebrating Japan's Vegan and Vegetarian Traditions is very interesting if you are into exploring cultural relations to food. It outlines the traditional "Kansha" style of Japanese cooking which involves the art of appreciating and "enourage[s] us to prepare nutritionally sound aesthetically satisfying that also avoid waste, conserve energy, and sustain our natural resources." Each recipe is very informative, and many have beautiful photos to accompany them.  I haven't made any of the recipes yet but they look very appealing and the book is very educating as well.

Mocha Mamas à la Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar

Pretty simple to make, and pretty pretty too. Mine weren't very mocha-ey (I had to substitute coffee extract for regular coffee) but they were choclately. Icing is fun. I'd give them an 8.

My Cookie Rating Scale

1= don't want another bite

5= want another cookie

10= best cookies I've ever had 

 ps if you're looking at this recipe, looking back at the middle cookie in the top photo (with the non icing stuffs on it) and re-reading the ingredients list to no avail, let it be known: I added oatmeal to some. My dad likes it.