A cookie to swear by...

This is my first fall season in my own little studio apartment. Weather here in San Diego has been such a roller coaster lately. For the last few weeks we've had cold spells (well cold for us) and my hardwood floors and concrete walls just beg for the warmth of baking. 

I was aching for some cookies last week. I've wanted to try vegan baking but I find many recipes that require all kinds of expensive chemical doodads just to create something remotely edible. Fortunately I came across this recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance but I didn't have nearly half the stuff I needed so I kitchen sinked it :) 

I'm a no muss no fuss kind gal. I grew up cooking with and for my family teaching myself to make "fancy" foods out of minimal. If we had one cookie sheet, a wood spoon and an arm for mixing that's what we used. I still don't have a lot of fancy cooking things but I don't believe that good food requires anything special other than the thought and love you put behind it. I am a little nervous to share these recipes with you guys mainly because they're things I just have thrown together and have never tried to write down. I promise I'll do my best but always play around with your food!

xo

Vegan Pumpkin Kitchen Sink Cookies

Makes me about 2 doz cookies, but I like 'em big :)

2 C. All purpose flour (I've been meaning to try w/spelt)

1 1/3 C. Rolled oats

1 2/3 C. Sugar

1tsp. Baking soda

1/4 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1/2 tsp. Nutmeg

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

2/3 C. Olive oil

2 tsp. Dark honey

1/2 a can of puréed pumpkin

1 tbs. flaxseeds

3 finely chopped dates

1/2 C. "Chopped" Almonds (I just pound the heck out of them with a hammer)

1/3 C. Dried orange cranberries (optional, can sub for raisins)

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Grease cookie sheet lightly with some Olive oil. 

Mix together the oats, spices, salt, flaxseeds and soda In a separate bowl mix the sugar with the oil, pumpkin, honey, and extract. Add the dry ingredients carefully to the wet (I do this by hand). The mixture turns into kind of a brick at some point. Don't get freaked out, it's normal. Then add the almonds, cranberries & dates. Spoon tablespoonfuls of batter onto your sheet and press down lightly with a fork. Bake @ 350 for 15-25 minutes. Let the cookies rest on the sheet for a few minutes before you transfer them to a plate, a cookie rack, your mouth, or they may tear. 

I can't leave these out on my counter because I can't restrain myself from making these a meal!

Yum yum