C is for...(bean) cookies
entering winter cooking mode calls for chocolate chips & soaking beans
I have a predicament.
We’ve officially entered the era of “the green vegetables are disappearing!”
No matter how truly & madly & deeply we savored local bounty all (short) summer long, no matter how well stocked I thought we were, no matter how many oddly-smushed-ly-shaped bags of frozen veg are hiding in the back of the freezer, our return up north hit with a wham! bam! winter!
(and sudden foot of snow)
Oh, we have supplies. We’re quite okay! We’re potentially better than ever up here.
There are months of dry goods & jars & cans & creativity & cookbooks (mhm, galore) & our first-ever fireplace ! The windows are double-paned and our new humidifer is rockin’. We’re certifiably cozy.
It’s more of a mental shift. You have the physical reality of shopping for weeks, and just-in-case, a few more – and just as importantly, the household conversion to longer-haul veg and the seriously hearty, warming meals that satisfy deep down, no matter how far below zero the temperature dips and dives. And soars and plummets.
I mourn the memories of summer abundance, and move to cook for both sanity and sustenance. Swing to pots of soups, stews, sourdough & more from the oven, which really, brings me to the cookies I’ve found myself making more than any other this past year plus, which have a title and ingredient that really calls for an over-the-top wink: behold, “bean juice chocolate chip” !
The backstory: I had leftover (non-whipped) aquafaba, I wanted cookies, and this recipe looked easy. It doesn’t make a ton, which I like + has a weird ingredient that is both magical AND thrifty, which I respect + makes truly chewy cookies - which is perpetually a win + and does not actually contain mushed beans, which I am so not into. I’ve been vegan long enough. Been there, done that. Pass.
The ‘original’ recipe has since been tweaked a bit, and made it into my rotation. Recipe card below.
Dude, I cracked myself UP with this cooling rack out in the snow, sending photogenic texts to my siblings with puns about discovering the epitome of a cooling rack. Whatever the funniest thing you can think of - well, that’s what I sent.
Big dorky sister thousands of miles away here, if you catch my (snowy) drift.
SOME PERTINENT NOTES:
I’ve played with the flour and sugars from the original recipe, opting for a little more brown sugar for extra chew and flavor. However, do go for more “white sugar” if you prefer them to spread more. It’s flexible.
The original directions are re-sequenced in order to mix the liquid first, a la Isa & Terry’s advice for making chocolate chip cookies in Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar, “…[mix] until the mixture resembles smooth caramel. There is a chemical reaction when sugar and oil collide, so it’s important you don’t get lazy about that step”. It’s true, and I’ve had a way better turn out when switching this up in the recipe above. Psst, fun fact - I was a “long ago” recipe tester for that now classic book. : ) Those were the days!
This recipe makes 6-10 depending on the size of your ballz.
The first batch of these particular cookies in the photos baked for 15 minutes in a preheated oven, and the second for 13.
I like to let these sit warm on the cookie sheet for a minute or after removing from the oven, and then calmly move ‘em to a cooling rack where they’ll settle…until someone (my spouse or cat) grabs one.
Q. Can you taste the bean juice? You tell me!
A. Maybe. They moreso taste of sugar and vanilla to me. FYI, I’ve used both chickpea and white bean ‘juice,’ from the can and instantpot.
Jules: I can taste it.
🍪 🍪 🍪
Other things I like do with aquafaba (aka bean juice):
Brush the tops of bagels, pretzels and burger buns (or whatever!) before adding toppings.
Dip something into before breading in flour or breadcrumbs, such as chickin’ seitan, mushrooms, eggplant, tofu, zucchini, etc. I gotta thank my bro for this idea - it really makes a difference.
Whip until frothing with an immersion blender to top the occasional cocktail. Tip: add a little citrus zest or vanilla extract or spruce syrup or jam before blending.
Ditto for the immersion blender action to make this vegan mayo (sometimes with the TINIEST bit of xanthum gum & a few extra beans to thicken it up).
Fold into baked good or bread recipes where one egg is called for, and yup, not whipping. If nothing else, it adds a little more moisture and structure.
Purée into tofu & chickpea & mung bean-based omelette & frittata mixes for what we both swear is an extra airy-ness (in a good way).
Okay, I do very rarely whip the stuff with cream of tarter & sugar for vegan meringue like the cool kids were doing a few years back. I’d probably do so more if my Kitchen Aid wasn’t thousands of miles away in storage…
In short, all this talk of aquafaba + the fluffy snow outside + recently watching the newest season of Bake-Off does make me want to attempt an ”authentic” Baked Alaska, one day !
cue dreamy vegan meringue-topped gingerbread forest
Do you have any favorite aquafaba recipes or tips?
Here’s to keeping sane through long dark winters and those short days of white skies, with big advance thanks to fermenting doughs, simmering stews, rotating favorite mugs of tea and even more cooking projects.
In other words, let’s always keep emergency cans of beans and the ingredients for warm chocolate chip cookies on hand.
Wishing y’all well in your neck of the woods ~
References + Relevant Links:
Aquafaba Everything group on FB (look, I am very much not on fb, but even I know this is quite the place)
Fab Aquafaba Chocolate Chip Cookies, Lisa’s Project Vegan (recipe source, modified above)
Food Empowerment Project’s recommended chocolate list as of October 29, 2022
I love that you call it bean juice, we call it bean juice in our household!
Lovely bean cookie recipe