Vegan

SLOW COOKER BLACK BEAN SOUP

January 8, 2021 by Sarah Baade Leave a Comment

Bowl of black bean soup garnished with sour cream, two slices of avocado and green onions.

There is a restaurant here in San Antonio that has amazing, smoky refried black beans. These are my absolute favorite beans. Ever. I love these beans so much that I could never try to actually replicate them. Instead, I’ve used those beans as inspiration. Have you ever used liquid smoke before? A little goes a long way but when you find the right balance, it can give a beautiful enhancement to the flavors of your dish. After creating this black bean soup, I am interested to see how else I can start using liquid smoke.

My family and I have found a new weekend routine where we schedule time to play outside. This might be riding our bikes through the neighborhood, running around on a playground, or hiking a nearby trail. By scheduling these activities, we are all committed to spend this time together, “no screens attached.” It has provided such an escape from all the stressors of the world. For those couple of hours, our only priority is having fun together. Pure joy. I’ve found that these activities can build up quite an appetite. With the cooler weather we’ve had lately, I love starting a slow cooker recipe in the morning and having it ready for when we get back home. So here, I have for you, my new slow cooker black bean soup recipe. Start it in the morning, go spend some time playing outside, and then enjoy a warm bowl when you get home.

Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup

Sarah Baade

This soup is easy to make and has a warm, gentle smoky flavor to it. Delicious.

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Course Dinner, Soup

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Equipment

Slow Cooker

Ingredients

1 lb dry black beans, rinsed
15oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups vegetable broth
3 cups water
2 teaspoons liquid smoke
Optional Garnishes: sour cream, avocado, green onions, crumbled tortilla chips

Instructions

Place all ingredients in slow cooker.
Cook on high for 6 hours or until beans are tender.
Serve with garnishes as desired.

Keyword Black Bean Soup, Black Beans, Slow Cooker, Slow Cooker Soup

Looking for more soup recipes?

Barley Soup

One Pot Vegetarian Chili

GREEN MAGIC SMOOTHIE

March 14, 2020 by Sarah Baade 2 Comments

I go through fazes when it comes to sweets. At times, I can resist easily and am not at all bothered by watching others indulge in front of me. Then there are times when I am completely addicted. I go on big baking kicks and have “sharing” sized bags of candy hidden in my desk drawer at work. A month ago, I was on a huge sweets kick – HUGE. I was eating skittles by the handful, a few times per day. Not good, friends. This was not good. So, I made a commitment to give up sweets for Lent this year. Not only that, I added in daily exercise – a minimum of 10 minutes but striving for 30 each day. I’m nearly half way through my 40 days without sweets and am happily back to the point where I’m not excessively tempted. My body is also happy with the changes I’ve made. I’m feeling a bit more energetic and definitely feeling more capable of keeping up with my energetic toddler. I’m always a work in progress (aren’t we all?) but I’m thankful for the changes I’ve seen so far.

One of the perks of giving up sugary treats is that naturally sweet foods, such as fruit, taste more vibrant. Smoothies are a great example of this! You can keep on track with healthy eating habits while satisfying any lingering temptations for something sweet. I’ve been a big fan of green smoothies for a long time and finally decided to create my own. A blend of both fruits and vegetables with a lightly sweet flavor. We are loving this new smoothie recipe in our house. It is also a great way of getting extra servings of fresh produce into my daughter’s diet.

Green Magic Smoothie

A blend of both fruits and vegetables with a lightly sweet flavor.

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Course Drinks

Servings 2 Smoothies

Ingredients

4 cups fresh spinach
2 kiwi, peeled
1 frozen banana
1 cup frozen broccoli
1 cup frozen pineapple
1 cup frozen peaches
1 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon agave (optional for added sweetness)
2 teaspoons ground flax seed (optional)

Instructions

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until smooth.

Notes

You can portion out the fruit and veggies ahead of time and place them in a bag in the freezer. When you’re ready to make your smoothie, empty the contents of the bag into your blender and add the almond milk

Keyword Green Magic Smoothie, Green Smoothie, Smoothie, Smoothie Recipe

Love this recipe? You might also enjoy this Pomegranate Blueberry Smoothie.

SHEET PAN VEGGIE TACOS

March 10, 2020 by Sarah Baade 1 Comment

My first year of graduate school, I was blessed with a roommate who also loved spending time in the kitchen. We often weren’t home at the same time which left little room for cooking together. Instead, I might come home from class and find his homemade bread sitting on the counter. Or, he would come home to a slice of homemade cheesecake. Baking was truly the passion of the household. However, we also had a routine of taco night once a week. This was our favorite meal to share with friends and we had an entire speech that we would serve up with the food. The ingredients were routine but ample – ground beef, shredded cheese, avocado, tomatoes, sour cream, etc… The speech we gave encouraged our friends to make their taco experience their own. Add what you want, skip the toppings that aren’t your favorite. Taco night never disappointed.

Fast forward a few years and taco night has become a national trend. Hello, #tacotuesday! Over the years, I have also expanded on my taco repertoire. In particular, I love changing up the fillings. Lately, I’ve been making lots of veggie tacos. This is basically a sheet pan dinner – who doesn’t love an easy sheet pan dinner?! You’ll get your veggies plus protein from chickpeas all flavored in what you’ll recognize as classic taco seasoning.

Sheet Pan Veggie Tacos

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Course Dinner, Main Course

Servings 12 Tacos

Ingredients

3 cups butternut squash, cut into 1/2" cubes
2 cups red cabbage, chopped into 1" pieces
1/2 lb Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed, then cut in half length wise
15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 medium jalapeno, stemmed, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cumin
12 flour or corn tortillas
Optional toppings: avocado, salsa, hot sauce

Instructions

Preheat oven to 420°F.
Place squash, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, chickpeas, and jalapeno in a large bowl. Stir in olive oil and all spices until vegetables are evenly coated.
Spread vegetable mixture out on a sheet pan and bake for 20minutes, stirring halfway through.
While vegetables are cooking, wrap tortillas in foil then place in oven for the last 10 minutes of vegetable cook time.
Fill tortillas with vegetable mixture and toppings as desired.

Notes

Alternative methods for warming tortillas:

Heat tortillas, one at a time, in a skillet over medium heat for about 30 seconds then flip and heat for another 30 seconds. Repeat this for each tortilla.
If you have a gas stovetop, you can heat tortillas, one at a time, directly over the flame, flip with tongs after 15 seconds. You might need to flip them a few times in order to get them slightly toasted. ***Keep flame low and watch the tortillas closely so you don’t catch them on fire.***

Keyword Sheet Pan Dinner, Veggie Taco Recipe, Veggie Tacos

ONE POT VEGETARIAN CHILI

January 23, 2020 by Sarah Baade 3 Comments

People spend years perfecting their chili recipe. Years. My dad included. Getting to that point of self-proclaimed perfection requires passion. Trial and error on spices. A commitment to eating LOTS of chili. Do you make it all meat and no beans? (hi there, Texas, I’m looking at you.) Do you pour it over pasta? (Cincinnati, I’ve never tried it but I’m sure it’s delicious.) If you’re going vegetarian, do you use beans exclusively or add in a variety of other veggies? I kind of consider Chili to be a personal journey – find a style you like and then perfect it to your own flavors from there.

Every year for the Super Bowl, we head over to a friend’s house for a big get together. The game is on for those who are interested but they also hold a chili competition. I’ve used other people’s recipes for this in the past but this year I look forward to bringing my own. Here, I’ve created a vegetarian chili that is bean and tomato based – no other veggies added in. I feel like it gives more of a classic, hearty feel to it while still giving you a meatless recipe. On that note, if you are cooking for a meat eating crowd, you can absolutely brown up a pound of ground beef and add it in here.

One Pot Vegetarian Chili

This hearty chili will warm you up and fill your belly – no meat required.

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Course Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine American

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 15oz cans kidney beans
1 15oz can pinto beans
1 15oz can black beans
1 7oz can diced green chiles (mild)
2 28oz cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 14oz can fire roasted crushed tomatoes
3 Tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

Optional toppings:

sour cream, plain greek yogurt, avocado, shredded cheddar cheese, corn chips

Instructions

In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Stir in beans, chiles and diced tomatoes. Stir in spices and Worcestershire sauce. Pour in crushed tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, and vegetable
broth and stir together. Increase heat to bring pot to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer 30 minutes.
Top with desired toppings and serve with corn bread or a loaf of rustic bread.

Keyword Chili, Easy Chili Recipe, Healthy Chili, One Pot Chili Recipe, One Pot Vegetarian Chili, Vegan Chili, Vegetarian Chili

BARLEY SOUP

October 29, 2019 by Sarah Baade 2 Comments

This has felt like the longest summer I’ve ever experienced. As of a few days ago, we were still hitting temperatures near the 90’s. Did Mother Nature forget to check the calendar? It is already late October?! Truthfully, I love living in a warmer climate. I’ve done my time with cold and snow and I learned it wasn’t for me. That being said, I can’t help but crave a few cooler (not cold) days so I can indulge in winter comfort foods. We are finally cooling off here in Texas and I’m going full out on my comfort food recipes.

I’ve been craving soup lately but my brain has also been wandering back to my recipe for Baby Bella Shepherd’s Pie. The solution? Turn the base of that shepherd’s pie into a soup! The result? Pure satisfaction! This soup is hearty and rich in flavor. Anyone who eats this is going to think you slaved away in the kitchen all day when, in fact, it is simple to make. Bonus? This is one of those recipes that tastes even better as leftovers.

Barley Soup

This hearty soup is rich in flavor yet easy to make – a perfect way to warm up on a cold day.

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Course Dinner, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 large carrots, cut into 1/4" slices
2 large parsnips, cut into 1/4" slices
2 lb white mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup dry red wine
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
2/3 cup pearl barley

Instructions

In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add carrots and parsnips, cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Add mushrooms, garlic, thyme, salt & pepper. Cook until mushrooms start to sweat. Sprinkle flour over vegetable mixture and stir until evenly coated. Pour in diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, vegetable broth and wine. Stir in tomato paste and barley. Increase heat to bring pot to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer 45 minutes or until barely is cooked through.

Notes

Having a hard time pulling those thyme leaves off of the stem? Grab a few sprigs and tie them together with kitchen twine. Toss the whole bundle into the soup and simply remove the bundle when soup is fully cooked.
This is a thick, hearty soup. If you prefer a thinner soup, you can add water after simmering until you reach the consistency you desire.

Keyword Barley, Barley Soup, Dinner, Easy Recipe, Homemade Soup, Soup, Vegan Recipe, Vegetarian Recipe

PUMPKIN SPICE GRANOLA

October 9, 2019 by Sarah Baade 2 Comments

I’m going to tell you a secret. This is something I’ve been holding back from you for fear of judgement. Are you ready for it? I don’t like pumpkin spice lattes. I know, it seems almost un-American but I’m hoping you won’t judge me. Seriously though, what I’ve learned over the years is that I very much enjoy it in all sorts of other foods. Pumpkin bread? Sign me up! (In fact, I’m working on my own recipe for a loaf right now.) Scones? Score! Cheesecake? Yes! Just please keep it out of my coffee.

My foodie brain has been stuck on pumpkin spice for weeks. That being said, I’ve also been trying not to overindulge in baked goods. I mean, we haven’t even hit Halloween yet, let alone the major baking holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas. So, I’m easing into this pumpkin spice craving with granola. Eat it as cereal or add it to yogurt for a parfait. For next level breakfast, mix in some dark chocolate chunks and sprinkle it over some toast with peanut butter or even over French toast. Get creative and let me know how you use this delicious pumpkin spice granola!

Tips

You can substitute the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice for 1 tablespoon of pumpkin spice blend.
Store granola in the freezer to keep it fresh and crunchy longer.

Pumpkin Spice Granola

Warm flavors make this the perfect granola for Fall.

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Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine American

Ingredients

2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup raw, unsalted pecan halves
1/2 cup pepitas
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup maple syrup
Optional: 1/4 cup dark chocolate chunks

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300°F.
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together. Spread mixture out on a parchment lined sheet pan. Bake 1 hour.
Let cool before serving. If adding in dark chocolate, stir in after granola has cooled.

Keyword Granola, Pumpkin Spice, Pumpkin Spice Granola

THREE BEAN PITA SANDWICH

August 25, 2019 by Sarah Baade Leave a Comment

The great thing about food blogging is that inspiration comes three times per day, at a minimum. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Any time we go out to eat or have a meal at a friend’s house, I am surrounded by inspiration. My husband recently requested a bean based sandwich. My brain instantly went to the three bean salad available at the Jason’s Deli salad bar. Why not make something similar and pop it into a pita?

I love a dish that can be served more than one way. This is that kind of dish. You can easily serve this up as a pita sandwich (as described in the recipe) but you could just as easily eat it as a salad. Alternatively, I think it could also make a great topping on a baked sweet potato. Main dish or side dish. Either way, I call it delicious. I always keep chickpeas and black beans in my pantry. This recipe is a perfect example of why they are staples.

Tips

You can eat this right away if you want to. However, you will get better flavor if you let the bean mixture marinate in the dressing for 30 minutes before eating it.
If you are packing this for lunch, I recommend packing the bean mixture and the pita bread separately so the bread doesn’t get soggy.

Three Bean Pita Sandwich

This three bean pita sandwich turns pantry staples into a delicious meal.

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Course Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Servings 4

Ingredients

15 oz canned black beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
15 oz canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 small cucumber, diced
1/2 small red onion, chopped
1/2 cup radishes, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh oregano
4 6" whole wheat pita breads, cut in half

For the dressing

2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons tamari sauce or low sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

In a large bowl, mix together all of the beans, vegetables and fresh herbs. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. Pour dressing over bean mixture and stir until evenly coated.
When ready to eat, use a slotted spoon to scoop bean salad into pita halves.

Keyword Beans, Pita, Sandwich, Three Bean, Three Bean Pita Sandwich

If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also be interested in my curried chickpea salad sandwich or my veggie wrap with homemade jalapeno hummus.

ROASTED VEGETABLE BISQUE

December 9, 2018 by Sarah Baade 2 Comments

Lately I’ve been realizing just how busy my weekdays are. A typical day means I’m up at 5:45am to get ready and help our daughter get ready for the day. After working a full day at the office, I pick our daughter up from school then head home. We have just a little time to play before needing to get dinner going. Soon after dinner, we put our daughter to bed and then I rush out the door to get a workout in. Around 8:00pm I am finally able to relax and catch up with my husband on how our day was. I know my schedule isn’t all that unusual, lots of families have a similar (or crazier) routine. To be honest, I also have TONS of help from my husband, he is my ultimate teammate in life! However, reflecting on my schedule has emphasized the importance of easy meals in our household. I do prefer to cook homemade meals but I definitely have days when those chicken nuggets in the freezer are all I can muster. On the days when I am cooking, I try to fix healthy meals and expose my daughter to a variety of foods and flavors (with an emphasis on vegetables).

My daughter has been really eager to help in the kitchen lately which provides an opportunity to share a wider variety of foods with her. She might not end up eating what we fix (she is only two years old, after all, and I’m realistic) but the exposure is still there. If she sees us prepping and eating healthy foods, those options won’t be strange to her as she gets older. This bisque recipe is actually a perfect one for her to help with. I chop vegetables and then let her put them into a bowl, season them and pour them out onto a sheet pan for roasting. We have also been finding ways to incorporate other lessons into our cooking routines. “How many eggs did we put in the bowl?” “What colors do you see on the pan?” Not to mention she is learning how to follow directions. All of this learning is happening while helping to get dinner on the table. This is what we call a Win-Win situation, my friends!

Tips:

You can absolutely roast these vegetables the night before you plan to serve the bisque and then blend everything together when you’re ready to eat it. Store those veggies in a sealed container in the fridge. However, since the vegetables will be cold rather than hot from the oven, you might need to pour the blended bisque into a pot and warm it over the stovetop or in a crockpot before serving it.
If you’re making this for a bigger crowd, double the ingredients. You can still roast all the vegetables at the same time but it won’t all fit in the blender at once. Blend what you can then pour it into a large pot and repeat this until everything is in the pot. Stir it all together with a large spoon or whisk until fully incorporated.

ROASTED VEGETABLE BISQUE

The perfect dish to warm you up on a cold evening.

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Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

1 cup Raw cashews
1 large head Cauliflower, cut into florets
4 cloves Garlic, unpeeled
2 Medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
1 Medium yellow onion, sliced
2 Large red bell peppers, seeded and cut into large pieces
Olive oil for drizzling
Salt & pepper to taste
3 Tablespoons Red miso paste
1/2 teaspoon Ground cumin
1 Tablespoon Sriracha
2 cups Vegetable broth (more if you want to thin the bisque out a bit)
Croutons & chopped parsley for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F. Place cashews in a bowl of water and let soak. While cashews are soaking, put cauliflower, garlic and carrots in a large bowl. Drizzle bowl of vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix until evenly coated then spread evenly on a sheet pan. Place onion and peppers in the bowl used for vegetables then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix until evenly coated then spread evenly on a second sheet pan. Place both sheet pans in the oven and roast vegetables 20-30 minutes or until they are tender and edges start to brown. Note that the onion and peppers are likely to be done earlier than the other vegetables.
Drain and rinse cashews then place them in a high-powered blender. Peel roasted garlic cloves add them to the blender along with all of the vegetables. Add miso, cumin, sriracha and vegetable broth to blender. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Garnish with croutons and parsley.

POMEGRANATE BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE

November 24, 2018 by Sarah Baade 1 Comment

I went, I ate, and I ate some more. I swear I tried to take small portions so as to have room to try every side dish. I didn’t succeed. The problem (truly the ONLY problem) with spending Thanksgiving with friends who love to cook is that you can’t possibly eat as much as you would like to. Every single dish was delicious. I walked away with a happy heart, a full belly, and arms full of leftovers to take home. Now that our leftovers are dwindling, I need a break from the comfort food. Did I really just say that?!? I love those traditional holiday dishes but moderation is a must.

In order to give my body a day or two of recovery, I’m trying to keep things lighter and healthier. I’m also embracing pomegranate season for this delicious smoothie. Pomegranate has become one of my favorite smoothie ingredients. Part of the allure could be that fresh pomegranates are hard to come by through most of the year – you want what you can’t have. But I actually really do love the flavor and find that they add a natural sweetness without the tartness that some other fruits can bring to a smoothie.

Tips:

You can portion out the fruit and spinach ahead of time, place them in a bag in the freezer. When you’re ready to make your smoothie, empty the contents of the bag into your blender and add the almond milk, flax seed and chia seeds.
See video below for my method of removing seeds from pomegranate.

POMEGRANATE BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE

Satisfy your sweet tooth with a healthy option.

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Servings 2 smoothies

Ingredients

seeds from 1 large pomegranate
1 frozen banana
2 cups frozen blueberries
2 cups spinach (loosely packed)
1 cup almond milk
1 Tablespoon ground flax seed (optional)
1 Tablespoon chia seeds (optional)

Instructions

Place all ingredients in a high-power blender and blend on high until smooth.

VEGAN SHORTBREAD COOKIES WITH DARK CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE

September 20, 2018 by Sarah Baade 13 Comments

Deep down, I’m a competitive person. Candy Land as a little kid, cheer competitions in high school, Scrabble in grad school. It doesn’t really matter the age or the activity, I don’t like to lose. As an adult though, I’ve learned how to internalize the competitive nature and focus on challenging myself rather than competing against others. The benefit of this is that the sky is the limit and I am always working to improve myself in some way or another.

Last month I was inspired by one of my favorite food bloggers and his recipe for a vegan lemon meringue pie. I have several friends who follow a vegan diet and making a delicious dessert that they can enjoy with everyone else is such a gift. Then came the opportunity to create my own vegan dessert recipe along with several other bloggers. Yes! Count me in! After contemplating several ideas, I decided to go with a classic shortbread cookie. Such an easy to make and easy to share treat that is made with easy to find ingredients.

Tips:

I used vegan butter for this recipe in order to give it a more traditional buttery flavor. However, you can sub out for an equal amount of coconut oil if you prefer.
As I developed this recipe, I noticed that the amount of flour needed varied slightly based on the amount of moisture in the air – a rainy day meant I needed more flour to reach that slightly crumbly state you want. If you don’t reach that crumbly state, the cookies will still taste delicious but the cookie consistency will be more like a soft sugar cookie.

VEGAN SHORTBREAD COOKIES WITH DARK CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE

For the cookies:

½ cup cold vegan butter, cut into 1” pieces

½ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup aquafaba (juice from canned chickpeas)

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon almond extract

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (add more as needed, see tip above)

Cookie Directions:

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until it starts to become fluffy. If mixture starts sticks to sides of bowl, scrape down with a spatula. Add aquafaba, salt and almond extract, mix until ingredients start to blend.

With mixer speed set to low and add flour a ½ cup at a time, beat until fully incorporated. Dough may be slightly crumbly.

Place dough on a large piece of plastic wrap and form dough into a log shape. Fold plastic wrap over dough then roll log on the counter to help smooth it out. Log should be approximately 2” in diameter. Place dough log in freezer for 30 minutes to slightly firm it up.

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Remove dough log from freezer and peel off plastic wrap. Using a sharp knife, slice log into ¼” thick rounds. Place rounds on a parchment covered baking sheet, ½”-1” apart. (Cookies won’t spread much so you can fit more onto a sheet than you could with other cookies.) Bake cookies 10-12 minutes or until bottom edges just begin to turn golden brown. Let cookies cool completely before adding chocolate drizzle.

For the chocolate drizzle:

3oz vegan dark chocolate bar, broken into 1” pieces

½ teaspoon coconut oil

Chocolate Drizzle Directions:

Place chocolate and coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds at a time, stirring at each interval, until chocolate is completely melted and is smooth and shiny. Using a spoon or a small zip-lock bag with the tip of one corner cut off, drizzle chocolate over the cooled cookies.

VEGAN SHORTBREAD COOKIES WITH DARK CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE

Save Print

Easy to make vegan cookies that anyone will enjoy.

: Slice Of Honey

Cuisine: Dessert

Serves: 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

For the cookies:
½ cup cold vegan butter, cut into 1” pieces
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup aquafaba (juice from canned chickpeas)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon almond extract
1¾ cups all-purpose flour (add more as needed, see tip above)
For the chocolate drizzle:
3oz vegan dark chocolate bar, broken into 1” pieces
½ teaspoon coconut oil

Instructions

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until it starts to become fluffy. If mixture starts sticks to sides of bowl, scrape down with a spatula. Add aquafaba, salt and almond extract, mix until ingredients start to blend.
With mixer speed set to low and add flour a ½ cup at a time, beat until fully incorporated. Dough may be slightly crumbly.
Place dough on a large piece of plastic wrap and form dough into a log shape. Fold plastic wrap over dough then roll log on the counter to help smooth it out. Log should be approximately 2” in diameter. Place dough log in freezer for 30 minutes to slightly firm it up.
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Remove dough log from freezer and peel off plastic wrap. Using a sharp knife, slice log into ¼” thick rounds. Place rounds on a parchment covered baking sheet, ½”-1” apart. (Cookies won’t spread much so you can fit more onto a sheet than you could with other cookies.) Bake cookies 10-12 minutes or until bottom edges just begin to turn golden brown. Let cookies cool completely before adding chocolate drizzle.
Place chocolate and coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds at a time, stirring at each interval, until chocolate is completely melted and is smooth and shiny. Using a spoon or a small zip-lock bag with the tip of one corner cut off, drizzle chocolate over the cooled cookies.

Notes

I used vegan butter for this recipe in order to give it a more traditional buttery flavor. However, you can sub out for an equal amount of coconut oil if you prefer.

As I developed this recipe, I noticed that the amount of flour needed varied slightly based on the amount of moisture in the air – a rainy day meant I needed more flour to reach that slightly crumbly state you want. If you don’t reach that crumbly state, the cookies will still taste delicious but the cookie consistency will be more like a soft sugar cookie.

As I mentioned above, this post was part of a collaboration with eleven other bloggers. Each of us created a unique vegan dessert. Please check them all out – there is quite a variety!

Coconut-Lime Vegan Tart