Sometimes as a vegan I did miss Smarties in the past. I have vivid childhood memories about cake decorating fun with mummy... for quite a while there was no vegan smartie substitute on the market. Then the german company "vantastic foods" came up with "schokolinsen" ( what means chocolate lentils...) about 10 years ago but hey, who wants to import them to the UK all the time?
Well, now Holland&Barrett has the new "coated chocolate drops" from Doisy & Dam in their shops and online, so why not using these for some tasty but easy to make cookies?
Again: easy straight forward recipe for all the family, no funny ingredients other than the chocolate drops. And if you dont have them use chocolate chips, nuts, fruit or sprinkles instead. Have fun!
Ingredients for 12 cookies:
Cookies:
- 250g margarine (we prefer Earth Balance, Alsan and Naturli)
- 150g sugar
- 250g plain flour
- pinch of salt
- 3 tbsp plant milk
- 1tsp baking powder
- 1tsp vanilla
- coated chocolate drops aka "smartees"
Caramel filling:
-find our recipe here:
Method:
1. Prepare the Caramel using this recipe. Best is to let it chill overnight or at least until its cold.
2. Measure and mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the Vanilla (optional) and the soft margarine.
3. Add the plantmilk until the dough is firm but still soft, not too dry.
4. Shape the dough into a ball and cover it with cling film. Let it chill 30 mins in the fridge.
5. Take it out of the fridge, using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 12 equal pieces.
6. Roll those into a small ball and then, using a teaspoon, create a hole in the centre.
7. Now take your chilled caramel and using a spoon scoop out 12 tinycaramel balls to fit the holes in your cookie dough balls.
8.Place the caramel filling balls into the cookie centre and shape the cookie dough back into a ball so that the caramel centre is fully covered.
9. Place them on a tray and flatten the balls into a cookie shape, using your fingertips. They will spread, just shape them a bit, not too flat.
10. Switch on your oven on 175•Celsius.
11. Add the "smartees".
12. Now they are ready to go in the oven! 10minutes should be enough, check after 8minutes and then every 2 minutes as you dont want them to go brown. Every oven is a bit different.
13. Take them out of the oven, they might still feel a bit soft but that gives them a great “melt in your mouth feel” later. Let them cool down on the tray...
14. Enjoy when cold❤️ Team Seaside Kitchen & Cake Parlour
