Thursday, February 21, 2013

Vegan ginger-vanilla melting moments, for the tricky days

Some days are not good days. Or at least, they start out as good days, but go downhill so suddenly and dramatically that you don't quite know how you got from the start to the middle to the end.

I'm sure you know what I mean. Such is the nature of life, and sometimes the nature of my job, and I am not alone in that. On those days, sometimes the best thing to do is to put one foot in front of the other until you get to the other side.

I am posting these biscuits today because they are the cooking equivalent of climbing into bed, pulling the covers over your head, and shutting out the world around you.


I didn't make them for that purpose, mind you. I actually made them for Valentine's Day, which is a rather more upbeat affair. However, I am sure biscuits can have multiple roles. These are perfect for expressing love, or for metaphorically retreating under the covers, and if you are having a difficult romantic moment they may even be perfect for both.


I adapted these from a Taste.com.au recipe for ginger and vanilla cream hearts. The recipe barely needed veganising, with the only substitution being to use Nuttelex (non-dairy spread) instead of butter. I also used slightly more flour than the original recipe called for, because I found the mix too moist to begin with. Lastly, I made some heart-shaped melting moments and some regular-shaped ones.


These aren't really my sort of biscuits, but that is fitting given I made them for Mr Bite. I did like the use of custard powder in the mix, just because it is a new way of baking for me, and I liked that they were egg free. Mr B indicated that the biscuits were good enough to stand alone with no filling, and also enjoyed them filled, so I am calling that an endorsement from him.

Ginger and vanilla melting moments
Vegan.
Makes 1 batch, with the precise number of biscuits depending on how large you make yours.
Lightly adapted from the Taste.com.au recipe that can be found here.


Ingredients
Biscuits
180g non-dairy spread (I used Nuttelex)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 2/3 cups plain flour
1/3 cup custard powder
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp baking powder

Ginger-vanilla filling
100g non-dairy spread (I used Nuttelex)
1 cup icing sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp finely chopped crystallised ginger


Method
Biscuits
Beat the 180g non-dairy spread, vanilla and 1/2 cup icing sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the flour, custard powder, ground ginger and baking powder. Beat on low speed to combine.

Roll the dough into a ball and cover in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 180'C and line 2 oven trays with baking paper. When the dough has chilled, roll it out between two sheets of baking paper to approximately 0.5cm thick. Cut out shapes using a heart cutter, or form small balls using your hands. Place on to prepared trays.

If making hearts, prick the outside edges with a fork to form a dotted pattern. If making small balls, use the back of a fork to press the top of each ball.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool on the tray for a further 5 - 10 minutes; biscuits will set further on cooling. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Filling
When the biscuits are cool, beat all filling ingredients together and then spread between two biscuits. Allow to chill in the fridge for approximately 1 hour before serving. I had filling leftover.



What do you like to make / cook / do when your days are sub-optimal?

27 comments:

  1. My not-so-grand days usually end in waffles so then they instantly feel better!
    And yes biscuits can fall into any 'need' category that you want I think - its an unwritten biscuit rule ;-) PS yours look yummy as!
    I hope you have a better day 2morrow. xxx

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    1. Thanks Sandy, and you're right - biscuits are a very versatile, fix all food! Waffles too, I suspect ;)

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  2. I am totally going to make cookies if I am having a down day. :) These look great Kari! :)

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  3. I just love melting moments, Kari but I've never had them with ginger. Isn't Taste a great website! I love how you made them heart-shaped. Great that Mr Bite loved the flavours xx

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    1. I love Taste :) It is by far my favourite recipe collection site (aside from individual blogs, of course!).

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  4. Oh Poor honey!
    I hate those sort of days... but a yummy melting moment would fix things up for me. I actually love custard powder in cookies, it makes the end result so soft and crumbly... I will be trying these the next time my day goes pear shaped. :)

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    1. I hope they do the trick for you :-) Custard powder in biscuits is a new discovery but I agree - it does something clever to the texture.

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  5. Hugs, darling. At least we know the sunshine always comes back to our hearts, right? xo

    P.S. And ha! Just as you were surprised to see cookies at all on my blog, I was surprised to see something so high in Nuttelex on yours, but then the reason became clear :P

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    1. Right :)

      And yes, it would seem that you know my biscuit/cookie taste just as well as I know yours! I think this is more Nuttelex than I've used since, oh, maybe last Valentine's Day? ;)

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  6. I love melting moments. These biscuits would be sure to make me feel better - hope you feel better soon as well.

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  7. I need chocolate not vanilla on such days (hmmm too much chocolate lately) Hope your weekend gives you back some joy and calm that the week seems to have stolen from you. I am not a big melting moment fan except that they are comfort food because my mum makes. I always find the flavour a bit bland but quite like the idea of ginger in them. And the heart shapes are pretty too.

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    1. From an edible perspective, I definitely agree - chocolate is unbeatable for tricky days. The making of these is more soothing than the opening of a block though ;) I hope your weekend is a bit more peaceful than your recent weeks too, if chocolate has been much in demand. Joy and calm sounds like a good mix to aim for!

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    2. not a quiet weekend - joy but not calm - but hopefully some quieter times ahead :-)

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    3. I suppose one of the two is a step forward at least!

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  8. Oh my this looks like a fantastic recipe! They look so soft and full of flavour, I love love love ginger and vanilla together :)

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    1. They are a pretty great mix - I had never thought of putting them in biscuit filling, but it seems to work!

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  9. Awww Kari, I hope you are feeling better! These cookies seem like the perfect treat for those down days!

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  10. I've definitely had a few of those days and these cookies would certainly have done the trick in brightening my day!! i love all things ginger!!

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    1. I didn't like ginger so much as a child, but it has definitely grown on me - now I like it in a great many forms!

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  11. Much like my public rant on my blog last week ? :P Love looking back at how dramatic I am. 'Nothing is as bad as it seems and nothing is as good as it seems'. Sorry to bring the mood down but it's true. Just ask - will this matter in 5 years? For what it's worth, I love your cookies :)

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  12. Kari, I know what you mean. Days can turn toxic without warning or reason. These cookies are do cute, and have great flavours. I am sure they'd help me survive the toxicity.

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    1. I hope they can come to the rescue if needed in the future! It would be nice if we could wipe out such toxicity but in the meantime...food does go a long way sometimes.

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  13. They look really good. If I omit all the ginger, will it taste somewhat like the common melting moment? I have no idea where to get the custard powder from as well.

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