Vegan with a Vengeance

adding it to everything. These are buttery, chewy, and rich. It’s a perfect way to celebrate National Vermont Day, if there were one.
    Â½ cup canola oil
    Â¼ cup pure maple syrup
    2 tablespoons molasses
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    2 teaspoons maple extract
    Â¾ cup sugar
    Â¼ cup rice or soy milk
    2 tablespoons tapioca starch or arrowroot or cornstarch
    1½ cups all-purpose flour
    Â¾ teaspoon salt
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1½ cups chopped walnuts
    3 dozen walnut halves
    Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease three cookie sheets or line them with parchment paper.
    Combine the oil, maple syrup, molasses, vanilla and maple extracts, and sugar in a mixing bowl and stir until well combined. The oil will separate a little but that’s okay. Add the soy milk and tapioca starch and mix until the tapioca is dissolved and the mixture resembles caramel.
    Add the flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix with a wooden spoon until well combined. Fold in the chopped walnuts.
    Drop by tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Press a walnut half into the center of each cookie. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, let sit for 2 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
    Veganize it!
    Get Rid of the Eggs
    Replacing eggs is the most challenging aspect of vegan baking. Those suckers bind, they leaven, and they give structure to our baked goods. However, like a bad boyfriend, they can be replaced, and with pleasing results. Here’s some info on replacements I have tried.
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    FLAXSEEDS
    How to use:
    1 tablespoon flaxseeds plus 3 tablespoons water replaces one egg. Finely grind 1 tablespoon whole flaxseeds in a blender or coffee grinder, or use 2 tablespoons pre-ground flaxseeds. Transfer to a bowl and beat in 3 tablespoons of water using a whisk or fork. It will become very gooey and gelatinous, much like an egg white. In some recipes, you can leave the ground flaxseeds in the blender and add the other wet ingredients to it, thus saving you the extra step of the bowl.
    When it works best:
    Flaxseeds have a distinct earthy granola-y taste. It tastes best and works very well in things like pancakes, and such whole-grain items such as bran or corn muffins. It is perfect for oatmeal cookies, and the texture works for cookies in general, although the taste may be too pronounced for some. Chocolate cake-y recipes have mixed results, I would recommend only using one egg’s worth of flaxseed replacement in those, because the taste can be overpowering.
    Tips:
    Always store ground flaxseeds in the freezer because they are highly perishable. This mixture is not only an excellent replacement for eggs, it also contributes vital omega-3 fatty acids.
    Where to get flaxseeds:
    Health food stores
    SILKEN TOFU
    How to use it:
    Â¼ cup blended silken tofu = 1 egg. Whiz in a blender until completely smooth and creamy, leaving no graininess or chunks. You will want to add other wet ingredients
to this mixture to get it to blend properly. I recommend vacuum-packed extra-firm silken tofu, such as Mori-Nu.
    When it works best:
    Silken tofu works best in dense cakes and brownies, and in smaller quantities for lighter cakes and fluffy things (if the recipe calls for 3 eggs, use only 2 “tofu” eggs”). Whizzed tofu leaves virtually no taste, so it is an excellent replacer in delicate cake recipes where flaxseeds would overpower the flavor. In cookie recipes, it may make the cookie more cake-y and fluffy than anticipated, so add 1 teaspoon of starch (such as arrowroot or cornstarch) to the recipe to combat that. Silken tofu may make pancakes a little heavy, so it is not recommended for those, although it could work well with a little experimentation.
    Where to get it:
    Health food stores, and in some supermarkets (look in produce section).
    ENER-G EGG REPLACER
    How to use it:
    1½ tablespoons Ener-G + 2 tablespoons water mixed well = 1 egg
    Many people swear by this egg replacer. I think it is good to use in a pinch, in all baking that requires a few eggs. However, I can definitely taste it in cakes and cookies (tastes chalky), and I’m not crazy about the dense texture it turns out.
    When it works best:
    It seems to work best in cookies, or things that are supposed to be a little crispy.
    Where to get it:
    Health food stores, some supermarkets (look in baking or ethnic food section)
    BANANA
    How to use it:
    Â½ banana blended until smooth or mashed well = 1 egg.
    Bananas work wonders