My attempt to take holiday gingerbread cookies to the next level involves some ooey gooey Cocomels making a surprise debut at the center of each soft cookie. Although it's pretty much impossible to reinvent gingerbread, which reportedly originated as far back as 2400 B.C., it's certainly fun to play with new ways of enjoying its nostalgic comforting magic.
Ingredients
1 bag Cocomels Coconut Milk Caramels, unwrapped
3/4 cup vegan butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla or maple extract
1 flax egg (1 tablespoon flax meal + 3 tablespoons water)
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (more for less soft cookies)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 bag Cocomels Coconut Milk Caramels, unwrapped
3/4 cup vegan butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla or maple extract
1 flax egg (1 tablespoon flax meal + 3 tablespoons water)
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (more for less soft cookies)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix together the wet ingredients (butter, sugars, molasses, vanilla extract, flax egg) using a hand mixer or standing mixer until well combined.
In a separate bowl mix together the dry ingredients (flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda, salt). Gradually add the dry mix into the wet, until a delightful dough forms before your eyes. I recommend chilling the dough for 30-60 minutes in the refrigerator before baking to help it hold its shape better in the oven.
Roll dough into evenly sized balls of dough (slightly bigger than the Cocomels). Now we will essentially be making Cocomels sandwiches, Lunchbox style, with the balls of dough being the bread, and the Cocomels being the "meat". I suggest squishing the Cocomels from their prism-shape into more of a cube-shape for even distribution throughout the cookies. With a Cocomel in between two balls of dough, press the dough together around the sides surrounding the Cocomel. Then gently roll into a seamless ball, making sure the Cocomel is completely covered to ensure they don't escape during the baking process. You could also totally do this technique with two large cutout gingerbread people, with the Cocomels giving them cute round bellies, kind of like gingerbread-caramel poptarts.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the magical filled balls of dough spaced a couple inches apart.
Finally, bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, and allow them to cool before removing from the cookie sheet.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix together the wet ingredients (butter, sugars, molasses, vanilla extract, flax egg) using a hand mixer or standing mixer until well combined.
In a separate bowl mix together the dry ingredients (flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda, salt). Gradually add the dry mix into the wet, until a delightful dough forms before your eyes. I recommend chilling the dough for 30-60 minutes in the refrigerator before baking to help it hold its shape better in the oven.
Roll dough into evenly sized balls of dough (slightly bigger than the Cocomels). Now we will essentially be making Cocomels sandwiches, Lunchbox style, with the balls of dough being the bread, and the Cocomels being the "meat". I suggest squishing the Cocomels from their prism-shape into more of a cube-shape for even distribution throughout the cookies. With a Cocomel in between two balls of dough, press the dough together around the sides surrounding the Cocomel. Then gently roll into a seamless ball, making sure the Cocomel is completely covered to ensure they don't escape during the baking process. You could also totally do this technique with two large cutout gingerbread people, with the Cocomels giving them cute round bellies, kind of like gingerbread-caramel poptarts.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the magical filled balls of dough spaced a couple inches apart.
Finally, bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, and allow them to cool before removing from the cookie sheet.