Chef It Up with Tiina Strandberg

The founder of the popular blog My Berry Forest, Tiina Strandberg is a “foodpreneur” (full-time foodie entrepreneur). She creates plant-based recipes and experiments in her kitchen in Finland, styling and photographing her creations. “My creation process starts with an idea, an inspiration which can come from anywhere—my children, the beautiful Nordic nature (forests!) and changing seasons, magazines, books, social media. Or it can be a special seasonal ingredient, a flavor, or even a color combination which I love and want to develop further into a beautiful recipe,” she says. In her new book Fantastic Vegan Cookies (Page Street, 2021), Strandberg shares recipes for an array of yummy vegan cookies―from gooey chocolate treats and fruit-studded confections to no-bake delights and to-die-for bar bakes. No matter what you’re craving, there’s a vegan cookie that will hit the spot!

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Tiina Strandberg’s Cranberry Date Cookies

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Cooking Tips:

1. Aquafaba is the liquid from a can of chickpeas or white beans. It can be used as a vegan “egg” in baking. Three tablespoons (45 ml) of aquafaba can be used in place of one egg. It is also whippable.

2. If you prefer your cookies thicker, try chilling the cookie dough for 30 minutes. The cookies will spread less, and the result will be a thicker and chunkier cookie.

3. Gluten-free oat flour is easy to make at home! Just use certified gluten-free rolled oats and blend them in a food processor or high-speed blender until you have a flour consistency. From 1 cup (90 g) of rolled oats you get about ¾ cup (90 g) of oat flour.