Aquafaba Thanksgiving treats

I'm finally getting around to sharing specifics on recent, aquafabalicious aquafaba "play date"! I'll try not to ramble too long. There will be plenty of more opportunities to rave about the science-meets-magic of the stuff, as indicated by the number 1 heading this post.  What is aquafaba? Simply put, a vegan dream. Also a vegan-ish delight. A frugal cook's simple pleasure. And let's not forget a platform for potions for any curious chemist-in-the-kitchen.

For those who appreciate specifics, aquafaba is the viscous canned chickpea liquid you usually dump down the drain. It's a translucent, thick liquid resulting from soaking or cooking chickpeas (and possibly other legumes or beans) for an extended period of time, and it resembles an egg white. Turns out, it can also be used in place of an egg white, or an egg. It can even be whipped up, transforming into beautiful, peaked meringue without a hint of chickpea flavor! It takes a little longer (maybe 10 minutes or so, quicker with a pinch of cream of tartar added), but we're talking minutes. 

How does it work, actually? Of course I really don't know. It's been theorized that during the cooking process, the starches in legume seeds are gelatinized, setting up conditions allowing for soluble parts of the seed to go back out into the cooking water. What I do know is that, so far, it bakes beautifully in many a holiday treat. Here's a sampling so far, to be continued soon. :)

Gluten-free vegan  double chocolate chip cookies. Just lightly crispy on the outside, chewy in the inside, these gooey treats could easily be made as brownie bars. Before our our aquafaba "play date", Sarah and I separately made these amazing cookies. I altered the recipe a bit, stretching the batter further with the addition of a little chickpea flour, adding a bit extra cocoa powder, and replacing the sugar with a lower amount of honey. These are great for giveaways, on-hand freezer treats, just about any occasion. I don't have a picture to show you right now because I lost them somehow--but I will have occasion to take more and update very soon. If I had to pick a favorite among these recipes, if would be these based on the intended frequency of baking.

• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup maple syrup of honey
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup chickpea flour
• 6 tablespoons aquafaba
• 1/2 cup of natural almond or peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar (optional)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/3 cup vegan chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine aquafaba, honey, and nut butter in a mixing bowl. Stir until combined.
3. Mix cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and chickpea flour together with a whisk.
4. Combine the wet ingredients and dry ingredients and mix thoroughly until dough forms.
5. Add the chocolate chips to the dough and continue stirring until evenly distributed.
6. Roll dough into balls or drop by tablespoon an inch apart onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or silicone. Press down slightly with a fork.
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool and enjoy!

 Vegan, light molasses cookies. These bite-sized delights were an experiment and a pleasant surprise! Just crisp on the outside and just soft on the inside, they taste like lightly sweetened, ginger-flavored biscuits that also happen to double up as fantastic holiday pie crust in lieu of graham cracker crumbs.

• 1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger root
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon crystallized ginger, chopped (optional)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 6 tablespoons aquafaba
• coconut sugar for rolling, optional

1. Combine dry ingredients, flour through spices and brown sugar, in a mixing bowl.
2. Add remaining ingredients to bowl, stirring to combine.
3. Shape dough into 24 balls, about 1 tablespoon each. Roll balls in remaining coconut sugar; if desired.
4. Place 1 inch apart on baking sheets covered with parchment paper or silicone. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or just until set.

Vegan pumpkin pie. We made this scrumptious pumpkin pie with fresh roasted pumpkin, and so added a bit of flour to the mix to help it firm up, but that shouldn't be necessary with canned. And even if you were to get a custard middle, this would be worth it. Tastes so deceptively decadent. Gorgeous, especially topped with coconut whip.

• 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree or 2 cups fresh cooked, pureed pumpkin
• 6 tablespoons aquafaba
• 1 cup evaporated coconut milk (full fat coconut milk works, too)
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tablespoon crystallized ginger, chopped
• 2 tablespoons molasses or brown sugar
• 1 prepared pie crust, fresh or frozen and blind baked

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Combine all filling ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk.
3. Pour filling into prepared crust.
4. Bake for one hour or until mostly set. Chill at least two hours.

Pumpkin meringue tart. I'm not going to type up a recipe for this, because I'd have to guestimate completely. This was a winging-it creation Sarah put together, and it was suprt scrummy! You can figure it out: basically, crumble some of the molasses cookies, above, with a little added coconut oil to make pressed crust. Pour over a layer (thinner than a pie) of pumpkin filling (above), and bake until set. Whip up some aquafaba meringue and broil a few minutes until lightly browned. This is amazing. (Superb, Sarah!) One of us needs to make again and write down specifics.