IMBB #19: Strawberry and Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

The latest Is My Blog Burning challenge is to trick someone into eating something vegan.

I admit it. The word 'vegan' is usefully enough inducement to emit a Mr Burns-like shudder of envisioned displeasure. Don't get me wrong. I love my vegetables. But when the word vegan is placed in front of something on the menu/blackboard/chocolate bar, it's usually a big fat warning sign to my terrified tastebuds.

But I'm always up for a challenge and this recipe sounded interesting; mashed banana and apple sauce to take the place of butter. I also amended the original recipe to incorporate strawberries and a handful of dried apples as well.


Strawberry and Raisin Oatmeal Cookies
Based on a recipe from recipe*zaar

1 1/2 mashed bananas
1/2 cup apple sauce*
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup dried strawberries, diced
1/4 cup dried apples, diced
3/4 cup rolled oats

Combine bananas, apple sauce, vanilla and brown sugar.
Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
Drop spoonfuls of mixture onto a greased baking tray and bake at 180C / 350F for 20-30 minutes.

*I used a can of apple puree baby food. I always have these handy as they're the perfect size for a couple of roast pork sandwiches, you don't have to worry about leftovers growing mould, and you know they're free of excess sugar.


~~~
An integral part of this challenge was to trick someone into actually, ahem, enjoying them--which only goes to show the negative stereotastes vegan cuisine must constantly endure.

So I handed these out oh-so-casually to guage reactions. A few people cottoned on immediately that there was a unique binding agent involved. The problem with these cookies is the banana sheen looks like caramel when a first bite will indicate this is more akin to a chewy fruit cluster.

I was infinitely pleased then, when a notoriously picky eater declared them "beaut". And when I mischievously revealed that these were in fact vegan, there was a shrug of the shoulders as they leant in to grab another one.

Mission accomplished! And not an animal harmed, maimed or milked in the making of this production.

Check out the wrap-up by Sam coming soon to Becks&Posh. Or get with the program and utilise the marvels of Technorati tagging as below.

Technorati tagged with: IMBB #19 + Vegan