Babycakes Covers the Classics: Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes From Donuts to Snickerdoodles (14 page)

Combine the blackberries, agave nectar, lemon juice, arrowroot, and poppy
seeds in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Let simmer,
uncovered, for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool. Pour the jam
into an airtight container.

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment
paper and set aside.

Roll the dough out onto a clean work surface to ¼-inch thickness. Using
a 2-inch biscuit cutter, cut the dough into rounds. Drop a teaspoonful of the jam
filling into the center of each circle. Identify three separate, equidistant points
on the edge of the rounds to create a perfect triangle. Grab the dough at these
three points and bring them up one at a time around the filling to form a tent and
pinch the points and seams together, leaving a bit of the filling exposed (as
pictured).

Transfer to the prepared baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes, rotate, then
continue baking for 7 minutes more, or until the edges are browned. Remove from the
oven and let stand on the baking sheets for 10 minutes.

Makes 30

Rugalach

This is another Jewish recipe that became an instant favorite at the bakery. I don’t know about you, but I’m a complete sucker for any and all rolled pastry. Pulling apart the layers and investigating and indulging in the different textures inside are activities I would do all day if asked. Normally, rugalach recipes call for nuts but I made them optional in honor of the allergy-plagued among us.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment
paper and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup of the sugar with the cinnamon;
set aside. In a separate small bowl, combine the agave nectar and coconut oil and
stir until thoroughly incorporated. Set aside.

Dust a clean work surface and a rolling pin with the rice flour. Place about
one quarter of the dough on the work surface and roll it out to form a
¼-inch-thick rectangle. Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment and place
it in the refrigerator to chill while you roll out the remaining dough in the same
fashion. Place the second rectangle of dough in the refrigerator to chill.

Place 1 portion of chilled dough on the work surface with a long side facing you. Spread ¼ cup of the preserves or jam onto the dough. Sprinkle ¼ cup of the raisins over it, followed by ¼ cup of the walnuts, if using, and 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Roll the dough into a tight log. Transfer it to a baking sheet, then pinch the ends closed. Repeat with the remaining dough, arranging the logs 1 inch apart on one of the prepared baking sheets. Brush the logs with the agave mixture and sprinkle each with the remaining cinnamon sugar. Using a sharp knife, make ¾-inch-deep cuts crosswise in the dough at 1-inch intervals, making sure not to cut through to the bottom. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Bake for 15 minutes, rotate, and continue to bake for another 10 minutes, or
until the logs are golden brown. Let stand on the baking sheets for 20 minutes, then
transfer the logs to a cutting board and slice the cookies all the way
through.

Makes 40

Irish Soda Bread

My brothers and sisters cringed when I told them I was including
Irish soda bread in this cookbook. I can’t really blame them. Grandma McKenna used to force it on us when we’d pop by her house after church, as if it were punishment for interrupting her Sunday afternoon cleaning spree. My brother Bill pointed out that Grandma would ask him if he wanted some candy and when he said yes she’d sit him down with a thick slice of Irish soda bread. My brother Frank noted that her solution to gripes was, “Put some butter on it!” Instead, I decided I’d simply update this old-world snack so that it stands a fighting chance against the evolution of tender tastebuds.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment
paper and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the rice milk and vinegar. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, raisins, currants, caraway seeds,
baking powder, xanthan gum, salt, and baking soda. Add the coconut oil, agave
nectar, and rice-milk mixture and continue mixing with a rubber spatula until a
sticky dough forms.

Sprinkle half the reserved flour onto the baking sheet. Form the dough into a
ball and sprinkle the top with the remaining reserved flour. Using a sharp knife,
make a ¼-inch-deep incision across the top of the loaf.

Bake for 20 minutes, rotate, and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center
comes out clean, about 20 minutes more. Tap the bottom of the loaf; if it sounds
hollow, it’s done. Set on a rack to cool.

Makes one 5-inch round loaf

Chocolate Egg Cream

This soda, made famous in Brooklyn candy stores back in the 1930s, contains neither eggs nor cream. People back then had a thing for grossing their customers out unnecessarily! For those not familiar, an egg cream is a chocolatey seltzer drink that people like my father, a native New Yorker, go batty over. My one recommendation is that you drink or serve this immediately; it is not a beverage that can sit around.

Combine the chocolate syrup and rice milk in a 12-ounce glass and stir until
thoroughly combined. Slowly add the seltzer, stirring vigorously to create a foamy
head. Serve immediately.

Makes one 10-ounce drink