Bonus Recipe: The Vegan Fudge Cookie

One of the people in our new RPG group (that's role-playing game, to the uninitiated) is a vegan. Most of the goodies we usually bring to game nights, like muffins and cookies, tend to have eggs in them, so Brian has been experimenting with recipes to make them more vegan-friendly. Last night, on the spur of the moment, he threw together a hodge-podge of available ingredients to make a sort of oatmeal raisin fudge cookie. It sounds weird, but it turned out to be a big hit with the members of the group, vegan and non-vegan alike. So for those who are interested in experimenting with vegan baking, here's the recipe. (By the by, it's also fairly light on the flour, so it could probably be made into a gluten-free cookie with the substitution of any gluten-free flour, such as rice or tapioca, without changing the texture too much.)

BRIAN'S VEGAN FUDGE COOKIES
1. Combine 1 Tbsp. water and 1 Tbsp. soy flour in a bowl, and mix well. (This is the substitute for the egg.)
2. Add in no particular order:

• 1/2 c. canola oil
• 6 Tbsp. water
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. cocoa powder
• 1/2 c. flour (any type)
• 1/2 c. oats
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. salt.
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 c. raisins

3. Mix well. Drop largish spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 12 to 13 minutes.

Note that I am not billing these as "healthy" cookies. The recipe's got gobs of sugar and oil in it, and while it's probably possible to reduce them both (e.g., by substituting in applesauce or pumpkin puree), the cookies almost certainly won't taste as good without them. But it is a cookie that both vegans and nonvegans will happily eat, and that's a rare enough thing in this world.