My husband, Joe, asked me to come up with a healthy version of a delicious cookie we once tasted at a gourmet foods shop. I decided to go one better and make them vegan so everyone can love ’em as much as we do.

　　

Ingredients

makes 12 cookies

　　

COOKIES

1/2 cup nonhydrogenated butter substitute

　　1 cup light agave nectar

　　1 teaspoon vanilla extract

　　1/2 cup firm silken tofu, puréed smooth in a food processor

　　1 cup sprouted spelt flour

　　1/2 teaspoon baking soda

　　1/2 teaspoon sea salt

　　1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

　　1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

　　1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

　　3 cups regular rolled oats (not quick cooking)

　　1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

　　1 cup raisins (optional)

　　

FILLING

1/2 cup non-hydrogenated butter substitute

　　1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon light agave nectar

　　1/3 cup unsweetened soy milk powder

　　1 teaspoon vanilla extract

　　1 teaspoon maple extract

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

　　

Step 2

To make the cookies, in a large bowl using an electric mixer set at medium-high speed beat together the butter substitute, agave nectar, and vanilla extract until fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the puréed tofu and mix until blended well. Add the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and oats and stir well. Fold in the walnuts and raisins if using. Drop the batter by heaping tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets. Using the back of a spoon, flatten slightly and shape into circles. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly golden. Let cool completely on cooling racks.

　　

Step 3

To make the filling, in a large bowl using an electric mixer set at medium-high speed beat the butter substitute until softened and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the agave nectar and continue to beat well. Add the soy milk powder, vanilla extract, and maple extract and beat on high, scraping down the bowl to incorporate all the ingredients. Continue to beat until the filling is light and fluffy.

　　

Step 4

To fill the cookies, spoon 1 or 2 tablespoonfuls of filling on the bottom (flat side) of one cookie. Top with a second cookie, bottom side on the filling. Wrap individually in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze in plastic freezer bags for up to 3 months—providing you have superhuman willpower.

　　Reprinted with permission from Baking with Agave Nectar: Over 100 Recipes Using Nature's Ultimate Sweetener by Ania Catalano. Copyright © 2008 by Ania Catalano; photography © 2008 by Lara Hata. Published by Celestial Arts, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.Ania Catalano is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet School of Cooking in New York and the owner of the Gourmet Whole Foods Catering and Cooking School in Milford, Connecticut.