You heard it here first. I’ve actually completed my Christmas shopping ahead of time. It’s the first ever documented occurance of its kind, in all the many odd years that I’ve been enduring December gift buying through gritted teeth. The Christmas cards were even mailed out two weeks ago. Someone actually sent a reply exclaiming surprise at how organised I was.

Next year, I’ll probably revert back to spending the dying shopping hours of Christmas Eve frantically looking for necessary presents. But for now, I get to sit back and bask (and bake) in the glory of readiness.

Because most of my shopping was done online this year, I came across some lovely things during my travels, which I’m bookmarking for future reference. Call it a head start for Christmas 2012 if you like.

-this takoyaki grill pan

-the Lebkuchen spice blend from Gewurzhaus

-this journal to accompany the Keepsake Box I sent my niece

-vintage treasures from emerald + ella and Cake Vintage

-a subscription to Gastronomica

-Tasmanian apple brandy

-or maybe next year I’ll just settle for sending some very special cards

In the meantime, if you happened to make the gingerbread cake from a previous post, and still find yourself in possession of a bit of leftover apple sauce, you may want to make these chocolate cookies as well. Use a suitable alternative to the recommended flours below if you want to want them to also be gluten free.

Vegan double chocolate cookies :
(based on a recipe from Babycakes by Erin McKenna)

1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Combine the oil, sugar, apple sauce, cocoa powder, salt and vanilla in a bowl. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. The cookie dough will be quite wet at this stage. Chill it for about 15 mins or long enough for the dough to be scooped and rolled into balls.

Preheat the oven to 160′C (325F). Scoop walnut sized portions of cookie dough, roll each into a ball and arrange them on lined baking trays, leaving an inch of space between each ball of dough to allow for spreading. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cookies feel soft but not raw in the middle. Once cool, they will be crisp on the edges and slightly chewy in the center. Just the way chocolate cookies should be.