Antiquing in the Satellite Pantry: Leftover Bruce's Yams Cookies

Bruce's Yams Cookies

A few days ago, I left my new, beloved home for a month-long trek in nostalgia, non-schedules, and other people's kitchens--I'm couch-surfing across the country to visit long-unseen friends and family.  So far, it's been nothing less than the best thing ever (besides my husband's sense of humor).

My first stop was to see E--my best friend from high school days--and her new husband, J.  Flying in, I was excited enough to pee a little, and seeing E for the first time in nearly 8 years confirmed that the excitement was justified:  I wanted to holler and jump up and down when I saw her smile--it's always elating to know that the kid in you is still there; after all, there's someone who remembers you as that kid and loves you for it, pimples, bad fashion choices, and all.  

The kitchen antique

So, I didn't holler or jump, but I definitely giggled and haven't stopped smiling since I got here. 

Arriving at E & J's house, I was greeted by a plethora of fresh foods and vegetarian/vegan staples--they had stocked their fridge and pantry just for me, and I felt like a princess (sans the Royal Wedding) arriving to live in a new palace.  Their only request was this:  I had to use, somehow, the beast that was a ginormous can of Bruce's Yams, a lonely survivor of Thanksgiving, 2010.  

My mission had been chosen for me, and I wasn't backing down.  Instead, I was making yam cookies.  

As usual, I went to work checking out recipes and the rest of the baking supplies in the house.  Some things were missing, so, during our shopping and eating escapades around town, we stopped at the local grocery store and picked up some missing parts.

The kitchen assistants

And, as usual, I got side-tracked, changed my recipe after looking at the supermarket shelves, and forgot one essential ingredient--baking soda.  Thus, we were destined to do what most people are destined to do in life--improvise.  It definitely helped to have some cocktails along the way.

Our experiment turned out to be a blissfully delicious, many-textured concoction of the old and the new.  Here's how we did it: 

To have/do:

Bruce's Yams Cookies:

• 1-1/2 c flour--white or whole-wheat
• 1 c brown sugar
• 1-2 tsp pure maple syrup
• 1/2 c canola oil
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 egg (or substitute 1/3 c applesauce for a vegan version)
• 1 c Bruce's canned yams, aged gently in the can, mashed
• 4 tsp baking powder (change it up if you actually remembered baking soda)
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp all-spice
• 1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 c chopped pecans

1.  Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F; prep your cookie sheet with parchment.

Bruce's Yams Cookie batter

2.  In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients--flour, baking powder, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and all-spice. 

3.  In a large bowl, combine the sugar and canola oil.  Once combined, add in the rest of the wet ingredients--maple syrup, vanilla, and egg/applesauce.

4.  Fold the dry into the wet mixture, being careful not to over-stir (otherwise, you'll have too-gooey cookies).  Add in the chocolate chips and pecans, stirring until just-homogeneous.  

Test-version on the cookie sheet

5.  Using a spoon, plop 2-tsp rounds of the batter about 1-inch apart onto the cookie sheet--you should be able to fit between 12 and 15 cookies on a sheet safely.

6.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, being careful to check on the cookies every 3-5 minutes for the first batch (so that you won't overbake).  They should be just set on top; when you push down on them gently, they shouldn't give too much.  Let them cool on the sheet for a few minutes before devouring them.

Maple-Cinnamon Glaze (optional):

• 1-1/2 c powdered sugar
• 2 tsp cinammon
• 1 tsp all-spice
• 2 tbsp (or more) pure maple syrup
• 2 tsp canola oil
• 1-3 tsp water

Combine all ingredients--we used a tall measuring pitcher so that the sugar wouldn't sprinkle the kitchen with suspicious white powder.   The glaze should be runny enough to slowly drizzle off the spoon, but not so runny that it pours off the spoon.  If it's too thick, add more water/syrup; if it's too thin, add more powdered sugar.

Maple-Cinnamon Glaze texture

Thanks be to Bruce--his can-aged delicacy made our night of drinking while satellite kitchen-missioning yam-tastic to the max.

Bruce's Yams Cookies with Maple-Cinnamon Glaze