Cookbook Review: The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur by Kelly Peloza

Right now I am nibbling on the most perfect little wafer of soft eggnog cookie with just the right amount of rum glaze and a cold glass of almond milk. I don't even like eggnog but these cookies make my heart smile. I made my first batch of Eggnog cookies about 3 weeks ago and have since made over 5 batches. I've brought them to classes, meetings and eaten more than I feel comfortable saying. These cookies are so amazing I wish I came up with the recipe myself but I didn't. All the credit goes to the author of the new book The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur Kelly Peloza.

Kelly has created what will now and forever be known as the gold standard in cookie books. The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur  contains over 140 cookie recipes is divided into 11 sections: Cookies inspired by drinks, totally nuts and seeds!, blissfully chocolate cookies, no bakes, DIY Version of Mass-Produced Cookies, Fruity Cookies, Bar Cookies, A Take on Tradition, Healthier Cookies and Baking for Specific Needs, Nostalgia: Everyone's Favorite Cookies, and Cookies You Would Find at a Tea Party.

The most used section of the book for me is the Cookies Inspired by Drinks section. Obviously the eggnog cookies are my favorite (although I've renamed them rum glazed sugar cookies for those who hate eggnog like me and wouldn't try them unless i renamed them) and the entire section is filled with one mouthwatering treat after another. The glazed rum raisin cookies are superb as are the fiesta margarita cookies. I had a little misstep when making the chai spiced cookies and they ended up coming out as hard as rocks but I know that they would have been phenomenal otherwise. To avoid the same mistake I made flatten these cookies out almost level to the thickness you want the end product. I kept looking into the oven waiting for the chai cookies to flatten out on their own and they never did which led to me over-baking them. And trust me, if you over bake these cookies by even a minute they will be as hard as a rock once they cool so keep an eye on the timer.

The Nuts and Seeds section had a couple notable treats like peanut butter cups and almond cloud kisses. My kisses didn't come out as pretty as the one's in the book but I find that the uglier a cookie looks the better it taste, and these cookies were damn good. I also highly recommend the Glazed Lime Cookies, Mexican Wedding Cookies and the Carrot Cake Cookies which I used to fool myself into believing I was eating something healthy. My dogs even got to get in on the tasting action and promptly devoured the Peanut Butter Dog Treats (and 1/2 a carrot cake cookie while I wasn't looking).

The only miss I found in the whole book was Kelly's version of a Rice Crispy Treats. I'm just not a fan of the corn syrup sugar mix that I've seen used a couple times to make these childhood favorites. I'd much rather just buy a big bag of dandies, some crispy rice and make the traditional recipe.

The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur  is a must have in every kitchen (vegan, omni or otherwise). Even though testing from this book made me gain 5 pounds and lose the ability to fit into most of my pants I don't regret one moment of it. My top 5 favorite recipes for this book are:

Eggnog Cookies

Chai Cookies

Carrot Cake Cookies

Peanut Butter Dog Treats

Glazed Lime Cookies