Pin It Well, looks like I haven't posted much for the month of December. My excuses include the fact that I didn't have internet for much of the month, and that Baby V was teething and had a cold and has decided he can go whole days without a nap at not even 1 year old.

But to recap...baking fever came over me this month! From what I hear, this condition is normal around the holidays. The only cure: sugary, fatty delicacies. The cool thing is, instead of dialing up the internet to see what the ol' gal has to offer, I found recipes on backs of boxes and in newspapers and magazines... and veganized them to death! Being limited to less than infinity was fun and strangely liberating!

So here is one particularly successful one - Chocolate Biscotti from Parade Magazine, which was inserted into The Oregonian. Here is my suggestion though -- for Biscotti you have to bake the dough twice. However, I of course did not have the willpower to resist tasting after the first baking and it was SOOO delicious at that point. So, while it was great and crunchy as biscotti, I would suggest just baking the dough as cookies. I don't even usually like chocolate cookies and I was in heaven.

My final note before the New Year is that I spent an obscene amount of money at the grocery store the past two times I went, due to holidays and gift cards and just loading up the cart. I'd like to try this challenge and see how it goes. I've done something similar before, and it's actually pretty fun -- you have to get creative! My loving husband got me Organics To You for my birthday this week, so I will have fresh veggies, but I vow to do little to no shopping besides that! I think I might be needing some more olive oil and earth balance, though. But no shopping besides that! Probably.

Chocolate Biscotti (Or better yet...Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies)

(Instructions note: "In a pretty tin, these twice-baked cookies keep their crunch for over a week")

2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened (I used the dark chocolate variety)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp. (3 oz) earth balance, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
3/4 cup chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)

1- Sift together dry ingredients. Beat earth balance and sugar together until very smooth, then mix in applesauce well. Mix in dry ingredients until blended. Fold in chips.
2- Divide dough; put pieces on opposite sides of a parchment-lined baking sheet. Shape each into a 12-inch-long, 1/2-inch thick log. Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes; cool 20 minutes.
3- Slice into 1/2-inch thick cookies. Stand them up on baking sheet; bake for 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
4- Devour!