Baking, the Hokkaido edition.

Japanese ovens cost just as much as their dryers: way. too. much. Instead of doling out the cash for one, many Japanese have microwaves that include an oven feature, what I affectionately call a moven. We acquired one of these movens from Corin’s predecessor Courtney and her significant other, Joe. The moven has baked a few frozen pizzas but other than that, it’s simply used as a microwave. When it came to making cookies, pies and cakes, I have to admit that I seriously doubted the moven’s capabilities. Now, after using it, I won’t say it’s the perfect miniscule kitchen utensil but it did the job on Saturday. Basing my version on these caramel stuffed apple cider cookies I found on Pinterest, I set to work substituting and improvising the recipe into something I could make, and eat, here in Japan. While the rest of the ingredients were easy to sub or come by, the apple cider packets and caramels were a bit harder. Instead of apple cider, I used apple sauce and instead of the caramels, I used butter caramels from our local Aeon BIG! Although they looked much like the called for Kraft Caramels, these were like hard butter toffee candy and ended up being a bit dangerous once the cookies cooled (and while they were fresh out of the oven for that matter). I also used coconut oil instead of butter, replaced half of the fat called for with the apple sauce and used Pamela’s Gluten Free all purpose baking flour instead of regular flour. I only made half a batch and ended up with about a dozen cookies. Using half the fat made the cookies more cake like, so use 1/2 cup coconut oil/butter/etc, plus the 1/4 cup applesauce, if you like them to be flat and a bit, well, greasier. The moven took a bit longer than a regular oven but the results were about the same. I do have a few hot spots in the moven and have to rotate the pan once or twice during baking but that may just be a model issue. However, no matter the problems the cookies were delicious! I only ended up using caramels in four cookies, which were immediately consumed by Corin and I. The risk with using the hard candies was that they were just that; once cooled, they hardened back into a solid mass in the middle of the soft cookie, something that’s not exactly a pleasant surprise when going for a midnight snack. Also, when fresh out of the oven, the caramel was prone to be notably hotter than the surrounding cookie, causing some near burns on our chins! Over all though, the experiment was a success and I can’t wait to make some muffins, cakes and more cookies in the moven as the temperature plummets and our tummies call for more comfort food. And now, here’s my version of the recipe:

GF/Lactose free Apple Spice Cookies, with a caramel option (using the caramel makes them NOT lactose free)

Yield: 12-15 cookies, depending on size and if caramels are included

¼ cup coconut oil

¼ cup unsweetened (homemade!) apple sauceàonce you go homemade, you never go back

½ cup granulated white sugarà I bet brown sugar would be divine!

¼ tsp salt

1 eggàfree range, if available

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp baking powder

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 ½ cup Pamela’s gluten free baking mix

Optional: caramels, the softer the better.

v  Note: You will need to refrigerate these for a bit so don’t preheat the oven just yet. When you are almost ready to bake, preheat an American oven to 350º F. If using a Japanese style moven, give about 3 minutes for the moven to get up to 170º C before putting in the cookies.

v  Note #2: I don’t have a Kitchen Aid or high power mixer, nor the counter space for either, so this was all done by hand.

v  In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and soda, and cinnamon.

v  In a larger bowl, combine coconut oil, apple sauce and sugar. Mix until well combined, or if using a high powered mixture, cream until fluffy (I gave up on making them “light and fluffy” after hand mixing for 5 minutes).

v  Beat in the egg until well combined.

v  Slowly add flour mixture to wet mixture until just combined.

v  Place the whole shebang in the fridge for up to an hour (I only put mine in for 20 minutes or so).

v  While you wait for the dough to firm up, unwrap some caramels, if using, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and start thinking about preheating your oven/moven.

v  Remove dough from fridgeàNow is the time to preheat moven.

v  Using caramels: take a tablespoon size portion of dough and flatten it in your palm. Place a caramel in the middle of the dough and fold the edges in around it, until completely covered. Place on baking sheet and repeat, spacing cookie balls 2-3 inches apart. Continue until your baking sheet is full (for me, and those of you with equally miniature movens, this will be at two cookies).  Bake for 12-14 minutes in an American oven, or 18-20 minutes for a moven. If using a moven, you may need to rotate the pan a few times to ensure even baking. This is strictly trial and error. Remove from the oven/moven and slide cookies off using the parchment paper. Allow to cool a few moments before transferring onto a cooling rack, or whatever is available. If you are using soft caramels, the original recipe recommends letting them cool upside down. Since mine hardened quickly, this wasn’t necessary. Repeat until dough is gone and comfort food craving is satisfied.

v  Not using caramels: The same as if you were using caramels, but decrease baking time by 2-3 minutes. Cookie size is your call (bigger is always better).

Mmm, caramely goodness.

Heat up a cup of coffee, tea, hot cocoa or better yet, apple cider and grab a cookie or two. The snow is coming so enjoy the crisp air and falling leaves while you can!