Sunday, May 11, 2008

Mamba Picante!

I made cookies today, too, and used a couple of the food items I brought back from Haiti -- delicious, potent vanilla extract, and "Mamba Picante," or, spicy Hatian peanut butter. (It sounds weird . . . but it's SOOOO good! Really spices up a regular PBJ, for lack of a better way to say it.) I made vegan kitchen sink cookies, and they ROCK.

example

Beat together:
3/4 cup peanut butter (Mamba Picante if available!)
1/2 cup Earth Balance, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup milk of your choice
1 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacer
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine, then beat into wet ingredients:
1 cup spelt flour
3/4 cup quick oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Fold in:
1/2 cup fair trade dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup unsweetened flake coconut

Drop by rounded teaspoonfulls onto parchment lined cookie sheets and squish flat with the tines of a fork twice, like regular peanut butter cookies. Bake at 375 degrees Farenheight for 7 to 8 minutes. (If you have a crappy apartment oven like me, don't forget to rotate that cookie sheet halfway through, to prevent the ones in the back from getting overdone.) Cool on a wire rack, and enjoy!

I'm thinking you could achieve the same spicy peanut butter effect by stirring 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne in with the dry ingredients, if you haven't been to Haiti recently. :)

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Those cookies look ooey gooey and delicious! I am loving spelt flour lately. I just tried it for the first time in ED&BV crepes and I love the taste. I'll definitely be bookmarking this recipes, thanks!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Hatian peanut-butter? How intriguing!! Sounds like some delicious cookies, for sure.

J said...

I'm intrigued by the Mamba Picante. Spicy peanut butter? I'd be happy to try that out!

Those cookies! I wish I could reach into my computer screen and pull one out! :-(

Anonymous said...

Are you liking baking with the spelt flour? Isn't it good?!

Your cookies look yummy...you were a busy gal yesterday!

Courtney

Catherine Weber said...

Julie, they are delicious! I took a bunch to work today, and people gobbled them down. As one of my coworkers said, "every bite's a little different!" And nobody noticed the spelt flour :)

veggiegirl, thanks! The Hatian peanut butter is AWESOME. I will be very, very sad when it is all gone.

Jennifer, the peanut butter is incredible! I bet one could stir a bit of cayenne into normal peanut butter and achieve the same taste, more or less. I never would have thought to do that before visiting Haiti!

Courtney, the spelt flour is pretty good! I find I like it better in cookies than in muffins -- the muffins I made with it had a weird texture. But it's great in cookies! (And I was busy yesterday -- sheesh!)

Anonymous said...

I know-I plan on trying them soon! Momma's Day and the potluck have gotten in the way. Oh, and your goodies will go out in Wednesday's mail :]

Hungry Hungry Dancer said...

my god those look so good! too bad im allergic to peanuts!!!

Ha yes those allergys suck but I seem to be getting by without them! I EAT LOTS OF BEANS!

I swear to god you cant even taste the black beans in the brownies.. but they def dont taste like brownies.. and dont have the same texture.. thast why i called them fudge...but they are actually quite delicious! I CANT STOP EATING THEM! try them out i swear you wont be sad!!!

(ps love your blog!)

Angie said...

My first comment here. I happened upon your blog while looking for local food blogs (I'm a St. Paul girl). I really enjoy your writing and interest in local foods.

Anyway, the peanutbutter cookies sound amazingly good. I love spicey-sweet combinations.

But...I have to ask about the egg replacer and margarine. I'm a former vegetarian and I promise that I empathize with many of the principles behind veganism. However, I don't get why replacing whole foods like eggs and butter with processed foods like "Ener-G" and "Smart Balance" is a good thing.

Is it just out of principle (these cookies must be vegan)? Or is it thought that those products are healthier than their natural inspirations? Or is the idea that they take less energy to produce? Or what?

Why not just get some local organic Schultz eggs and some Pastureland or Hope Creamery butter and go to town?

(I'd also be interested in whether your thoughts on all of this have changed at all after reading some of Michael Pollan's work).

-Angie

Jen said...

Spicy peanut butter? OMG, that sounds amazing! When my Indonesian/Dutch grandmother was still alive, she used to give us these spicy peanuts for snacks--they were awesome. I think I'd love spicy peanut butter, too!

Catherine Weber said...

Everybody, thanks for your comments!

Angie, I'm glad you found my blog and commented! You've caught me in my great butter debate -- when I first thought about my "five or less" plan, whether to go back to butter was a big question. I LOVE butter -- I think the flavor is incomparable -- and I love to be able to support local creameries, like Hope. I have low blood pressure and low cholesterol . . . but my boyfriend does not. While we do not live together, we share several meals per week together, and for his heath, we'll use Earth Balance for now. (Maybe if he can get the blood pressure and cholesterol down, I'll make the switch -- until then, I don't want to contribute to a heart attack!) I do buy and eat Schultz eggs! Sometimes I bake with eggs, sometimes I try to use up the egg replacer I have in my pantry. I like the challenge of adapting old favorite baking recipes to use vegan ingredients, and if I'm taking baked goods to work, (which I did with these cookies,) I like to bake vegan because my assistant teacher keeps kosher, so then she is always free to enjoy whatever I've brought, regardless of the last time she's eaten meat or dairy.

A long-winded answer to a pretty simple question . . . hope that makes sense!!

Monika K said...

Man, these cookies sound awesome! The fact that you traveled all the way to Haiti to make them truly authentic is even more impressive. Love the blog - adding you to the roll.... (-:

Cheers!

Anonymous said...

Cool blog! Those mamba picante cookies, apple cin. streusel muffins look so sweet! I would love to eat them right now. :-)

That's a lot of asparagus! They taste so good and are so good for you, so I can understand why you ate so much. haha.

Ricki said...

Sounds fabulous! I often add a bit of cinnamon to PB cookies for spice--is this anything like that? Or more like chile powder?

Thanks so much for your comment on my blog--much appreciated! And glad it led me here. Many of your recipes are right up my alley--I see lots of bookmarks in my future! :)

Catherine Weber said...

Julie, I can't wait for my package!! Wee!

syn, thanks! Are you allergic to tree nuts, too?

Jen, spicy peanuts sound addictively delicious. Kinda like the spicy peanut butter!! YUM.

Leng, thanks! Both recipes turned out very well. I've been impressing myself with my baking abilities lately!

Ricki, the Mamba Picante is like peanut butter with a touch of ground chiles -- just a hint in the back of your throat. Subtle, but delicious!

Catherine Weber said...

Monika -- didn't mean to skip your comment. Sorry!

I travelled to Haiti on a mission trip with my church. It was rather exciting . . . if you click on "Haiti" in my label cloud, you can read and see all about it!

I made up the cookies when I got home to feature the peanut butter. :)

Carrie™ said...

Haitian PB sounds very interesting. I bet it really made those delicious cookies just that much better.