Tiny Batch Applesauce-Raisin Cookies (vegan)

The weather is getting colder, and baking something in our small oven heats up the house just the right amount in the morning. You can make these cookies quickly once the raisins are plumped and cooled, while preparing other foods to bake.

This is a cake-like cookie. I hate the taste of burnt raisins in cookies, so I plump the raisins before adding them (using the leftover liquid in the dough). This recipe contains no animal products (unless you make the variation with an egg yolk). It is low in fat for a cookie.

This recipe makes just enough for some little treats. Use a different recipe if baking for a crowd. It uses some small measurements. You can measure 1/8 teaspoon by leveling a 1/4 teaspoon measure and removing half of your ingredient. But you might want to buy a set of measuring spoons with a 1/8 teaspoon measure. Or a set of spice spoons with small measurements.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup raisins, packed
2 Tablespoons water

1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg or freshly crushed cardamom
2/3 cup all-purpose flour (stir flour, spoon into measuring cup and level)

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup cold applesauce

1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Directions:
About 15 minutes in advance, plump the raisins by mixing with water in a small bowl and heating on high in a microwave oven just until water boils. Stir, cover with a plate to allow raisins to plump for about 5 minutes. Stir and microwave again until raisins start to steam, maybe 20 seconds. Stir and cover for 5 minutes. If raisins were very dry to begin with, repeat one more time. Remove cover, stir and set aside to cool.

Position an oven rack in the top part of the oven. Preheat oven to 350º. Cover the baking surface of a light-colored baking sheet (shiny metal is best) with aluminum foil and grease or spray with non-stick cooking spray (or grease the baking surface of the sheet itself).

Combine all dry ingredients except flour in a small mixing bowl and stir until there are no lumps of soda and all ingredients are well-blended. Add flour and blend well.

Drain raisins and measure liquid. Add a scant Tablespoon of the cooled liquid to the dry ingredients - less if you want cookies which are more rounded. Add water to make a scant Tablespoon if necessary. Before stirring, add oil, vanilla and applesauce. Then stir just until blended. Stir in raisins (and nuts if used). Drop rounded tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheet, spacing evenly. Makes about 9 large or 12 smaller cookies.

Bake for about 12 minutes, or until medium brown. Do not under-bake or cookies will be gummy. If baked until darker brown, the cookies may be a little tough. I use the small oven at the top of a Gemini dual-oven stove, and switch to the top heating element (broil) for the last half of baking. But in some ovens, you may not be able to set the top element to a temperature lower than "broil". If using a large oven, positioning the rack near the top of the oven should help cook the tops and bottoms of the cookies more evenly.

Cool for about a minute before removing cookies from the sheet to a wire cooling rack. After cooling completely, store tightly covered, with layers of waxed paper, foil or plastic wrap between layers. Texture may improve after the cookies have mellowed tightly covered for a few hours, especially if you have over-baked them a little. They are nice the next day.

Variations
Spicy cookies - Increase the amount of cinnamon to 1/2 tsp. and add 1/4 tsp. allspice, 1/2 tsp. ginger or 1/8 tsp. cloves in place of nutmeg. Or use your favorite spice combination.

You may substitute brown sugar for granulated sugar by sifting dry ingredients with flour instead of mixing with sugar. Omit cream of tartar. Mix the brown sugar with wet ingredients before adding dry ingredients, crushing any lumps of brown sugar. You may wish to omit vanilla.

No Raisins - Substitute a scant Tablespoon of apple or pineapple juice, or water, for raisin liquid. Or leave out liquid for more rounded cookies.

With Egg - Add an egg yolk in place of raising liquid. This will change (and probably improve) the texture of the cookies.

Allergy Information: Contains no corn products, eggs or dairy. Unless you use the egg yolk variation.