You didn’t think I would write a review without getting some inspiration, did you? With ‘Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar’, you may find it difficult to think of a cookie that Isa and Terry haven’t already covered, but they do leave room for you to add your own flare and I certainly got plenty of inspiration to fuel my ever-eager culinary creativity.
Bit of a tongue twister there!
It’s not so much a recipe but more an alternative way of constructing, pairing and serving Isa’s already flawless cookies.
If you move away from the “American cookie” and lean more towards the classic English and European “biccies”, well, I think there’s still plenty of fun to be had!
The ‘bite-size’ reference also comes with a bit of a moral, which is never “assume” when buying items on the web! I had the idea for a bourbon-like biscuit after reading through VCIYCJ and wasted no time in logging on to the web to find a set of rectangular cutters. My first port of call was eBay, given that they generally list anything and everything. Within minutes I had found exactly what I was looking for. I was presented with several options, all varying in price and decided to look at the ones on the cheaper end of the scale.
Upon inspecting the listing, everything looked OK, except that a size hadn’t been specified, just the word ‘mini’. Despite writing to the seller, I never got a reply and in the end I decided to just go for it – it was only a couple of pounds after all!
Landing on my doormat a week later, I realised mini was an understatement – they were tiny! Fuelled with annoyance, I threw them to one side and gave up on my plans. For two or three weeks, they lay on the side, untouched!
“How could I use those?”
To call them cookie cutters was a bit of a joke, with the smallest measuring 1 x 2 cm! However, in the end, I thought, why not embrace these ‘doll-sized’ cutters and make some sweet bite-sized bourbons? So that’s exactly what I did and I don’t think they turned out too badly…
Bite-size Bourbon Brownies
½ batch of ‘Chocolate Cut-Out Cookies’
(page 225)
½ batch of ‘Deluxe Cocoa Brownies’
(page 132)
40g dark chocolate, melted
Tools
2 rectangular cookie cutters
(slightly different sizes)
—
Follow the recipes as written in the book.
*Tips*
When making the brownies, if, like me you aren’t planning on using your silken tofu any time soon, it seems a little ridiculous to open a new pack for the little amount you’ll need. Tofutti Cream Cheese Original works just as well and can be substituted weight for weight.
Just because you are halving the recipe, it doesn’t mean you need to use a smaller pan. An 8 x 8-inch brownie pan, as Isa suggests for the full amount, should be fine. You will need a thinner brownie for this recipe anyway.
When making the cookies, I realised I didn’t have any all-purpose (plain) flour so I substituted white spelt which worked very well.
When it comes to cutting your cookies, use the larger rectangular cutter. If you’re using tiny cutters (like me), you should get roughly 48 rectangles, but it obviously depends on the size. Aim to get an even number of cookies.
Once your brownies have cooled, slice the top and sides off to remove the ‘crust’. You want half the number of brownies as there are cookies. Use the smaller cutter and cut out the brownie pieces. This can be a little fiddly.
Spread some of the melted chocolate on the undersides of two of the cookies and sandwich one of the brownie pieces inbetween. Firmly press and hold for about 10 seconds before putting to one side to set completely.
Repeat with the remaining cookies/brownies!(whilst eating the remains)
And voila!
