late night baking

I'd like to invite you to take a little trip down memory lane with me. Care to join? 
Great! Let's go.

Remember earlier this week I told you about the fabulous new recipe book that arrived as a surprise on my doorstep? Remember that I wondered aloud who I might distribute cakes to that would flow forth from my kitchen as a result of this book? Well, one friend of mine happened to leave a comment on that post stating that we would be having Saturday morning breakfast buns together. As I write, it is 11.52pm on Friday evening, which means that breakfast buns need to be ready by tomorrow morning. 

I like to keep to my word, and sometimes that means embarking on late night baking adventures. Tonight is one of those nights. I know that for some of you, this is not late at all, but for me, it is way past my bedtime. Having spent the afternoon and evening with my dear friends, The Poulson's (the parents of beautiful baby Rachel - remember her?) and subsequently staying out way past supermarket closing time, I was limited to the ingredients in my kitchen. One very crucial ingredient in my baking is butter. The proper golden type. I normally have a plentiful supply on hand, but I used up my last 80g earlier today making lemon curd (another recipe for another day). So, I was searching through Cake Days in the hope that I might find a recipe that didn't need butter. I never thought I'd say this, but Cake Days has let me down. 

As I was calculating how early I would need to rise to go to the supermarket for butter supplies to bake some breakfast treats tomorrow morning, all before 9.30, the solution popped into my head. Joy's vegan chocolate cookies. Vegan = no butter + no eggs (I only had 1 egg left). Perfecto. Not quite breakfast buns, I know, but I think that chocolate cookies can be a permissable accompaniment to breakfast every now and then.

Scrolling through the ingredients list I saw apple sauce on the list. Remember this post on apple sauce? Well, it just so happened that I had one jar left at the back of my freezer. Hallelujah. 

Then I spotted flax seed. The only time I have had any of this in my possession is after running the Bristol half marathon - it was one of the goodies in their gift bags. I never knew what to do with it, so I am ashamed to say that it eventually ended up in the bin. I had no idea what I could use as a substitute, but figured I'd work it out as I went along. Speed is of the essence in late night baking sessions, so there was no time to stop and think. My solution? Egg! I'm definitely not a vegan, so why on earth couldn't I use my solitary egg to add moisture to these cookies? I cracked the egg into the fray and hoped for the best.

Fifteen minutes later and the dough was ready to be chilled. Now, it's time for me to go to bed. I've got an early morning date with some non-vegan cookie dough.