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Valentine’s Day Overboard Cookies Craziness

I grew up as that weird kid who disliked frosting and cake in general. But if it meant I could get one of those massive Valentine’s Day cookies in the window at Mrs. Fields, I was willing to endure any amount of frosting, icing, or similar childhood misery. You can use any cookie recipe in this book to make this fantastical creation, obviously, but I went ahead and developed a third chocolate chip version (in addition to the bakery standard in the first book and the Chips Ahoy! in this one) to mimic what is found in Mrs. Fields’s venerable kitchens. It’s big and it’s bold and it’s buttery. It’s practically a Toll House cookie, if that helps you imagine.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes 1 massive cookies

Ingredients

1 cup melted refined coconut oil or canola oil, plus more for brushing the pan
6 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups vegan sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour
1/4 cup flax meal
1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup vegan gluten-free chocolate chips
Vanilla Icing (page 127), chilled in the refrigerator for 4 hours

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a 9-inch heart-shaped pan with parchment paper, brush the bottom and sides of the pan with coconut oil, and set aside.

    Step 2

    In a medium bowl, mix together the 1 cup coconut oil, the applesauce, vanilla, sugar, and salt with a rubber spatula. In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, flax meal, xanthan gum, and bakhocolate chips until they are evenly distributed.

    Step 3

    Using the rubber spatula, transfer the dough to the pan and mash it into the mold until it is one-third of the way up the sides of the pan. Bake for 22 minutes, or until the center is cooked through. Let cool for 30 minutes.

    Step 4

    Run a knife along the edges of the pan to loosen the sides. Carefully invert the cookie onto a cutting board. Before decorating, make sure the cookie is completely cool or the icing will melt. Fill the piping bag halfway with the icing. Using the piping tip of your choice, pipe along the edges to create a decorative look. Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Cover of the cookbook featuring gluten free vegan donuts with coconut.
Reprinted December 9, 2011, with permission from Babycakes Covers the Classics by Erin McKenna, © 2011 Clarkson Potter. Buy the full book at Penguin Random House, Amazon, or Bookshop.
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