VeganMoFo: Presidential Bakin' and Debatin'

No need to watch the presidential debate tonight and get frustrated about the candidates avoiding questions or answering with a bunch of political mumbo jumbo. Instead, you can bake and eat your way to deciding who you will cast your vote for come November 4.

Before we get to the judging, I'll share the recipes which are both available online (from Family Circle magazine). My modifications to veganize the recipes are in blue. To be fair, I veganized them using the same methods.


Obama's Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Earth Balance buttery sticks
1 1/2 cups plus 2 T (reserved) vegan sugar
2 flax eggs (1 T flax meal + 2 T water = 1 egg)
2 T Amaretto (almond liqueur)
1 tsp each orange and lemon zest
3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 T soy milk
Chopped nuts, dried fruit, or poppy seeds (optional)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 325. In a large bowl, cream together EB and 1 1/2 c. of the sugar.
2. Whip flax eggs in food processor. Add to Eb & sugar and beat well until smooth. Beat in Amaretto and zest.
3. Stir in flour and salt until combined.
4. I baked these as cookies by flattening out the dough and using round cookies cutters. You could also bake all together in a 17x12x1 inch baking pan.
5. Brush tops of dough with soy milk. Sprinkle on topping if desired (I used pistachios, dried cranberries, and poppyseeds), and sprinkle on remaining 2 T of sugar.
6. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes or until brown. Mine took a little less time than this since they were individual cookies.


McCain's Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies

Ingredients:
3/4 cup Earth Balance buttery sticks
3/4 cup vegan sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 flax eggs (1 T flax meal + 2 T water = 1 egg)
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups rolled oats
1 2/3 cups vegan butterscotch chips

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375.
2. In a large bowl, cream the Earth Balance, sugar, and brown sugar. Add the flax egg (use same method to make flax egg as in the previous recipe) and vanilla and beat well.
3. In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture and stir until blended. Add oats and butterscotch chips. Drop by tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart on greased (or silpated) cookie sheet.
4. Bake for 10 minutes until the edges begin to brown (mine were done in 9). Transfer to wire rack to cool.

And here is a head-to-head analysis of how the presidential cookies stacked up. Each check mark is worth one point.

Veganizability - each recipe needed 3 ingredient substitutions

Access to vegan ingredients - vegan butterscotch chip are available only in the northeast (thanks to Bazu for mine!)

Ability to shape cookie into first letter of candidate's name - I tried an M but it came out a big ole mess

Inclusion of chocolate - I must say I was disappointed that neither included chocolate anything

Inclusion of booze - Boozy baking is always better

Office appeal - I set out a plate of cookies in the workroom kitchen at 8am, by 10am there were 2 McCain cookies left and 3 Obama cookies (I grabbed an Obama cookie so now it's even)

After tallying up my votes, it looks like a 4-2 win for...

But no matter if you make your decision based on cookies or credentials, make your voice heard.... get out and vote on November 4th!