The Final Countdown

As a last hurrah for this project, I decided to revisit two desserts I had tried but weren't entirely successful: Meringue cookies and chocolate chip cookies. Last time, the meringues were disappointing; the "aquafaba" (water from a can of chickpeas) did not froth up enough to create the creamy meringue batter, and what little volume my cookies started with was lost during baking. This time, I found a specifically vegan recipe (here), which also called for aquafaba. It did not differ much from the other recipes I had looked at before, but this time I followed the instructions to the letter. I was also much more patient. It took about 20 minutes for the sugar and aquafaba to froth up, but once they did the result was a silky-smooth batter that kept its shape for ages. Trying the batter was like eating cool liquid marshmallow. After 2 hours in the oven at 200F, the meringues were ready. They were feather-light, smooth, and delicious. I have officially conquered the meringue, eggiest of desserts!

Last time I made chocolate chip cookies, they ended up tasty, but too dry and crumbly. This time, I used the same recipe (here), with the same substitutions (egg replacer and coconut oil). I did not make any other changes to the recipe, and unlike the last time, the cookies were moist and stayed together well. As I was careful about my measurements, my conclusion is that I made some errors in measurement the last time. Luckily, both times the cookies were delicious.

Overall, I feel I have improved in using appropriate substitutions, replicating "typical" desserts, and general confidence in my baking skills. Mission: Accomplished!