¬ ¬ Vegan Scooter Pies (a.k.a. Vegan Moon Pies)

I’ve made scrumptious strawberry shortcakes, heavenly black and white cookies, the vegan-elusive rainbow cookie, delectable Milano cookies, huge and fatty cinnamon buns, savory Red Lobster cheese and garlic biscuits, sweet bread, even cashew-cream-based vegan cannoli… all-vegan versions of the tempting treats I grew up craving. Treats I once had given up on. Twinkies, cupcakes, whoopie pies, cookies, and the list goes on and on.

All have proved, with flying colors, that animal products are just plain not necessary, to say the very, very least. It’s a quest that feeds my vegan values and has me continuing to look for veganization challenges.

I am moving onward to veganize yet another treat from my youth: the Scooter Pie. Ah, the Scooter Pie. Kris, Mike and Ken, I want to apologize. It was always me who finished the box. It was me that hoarded those marshmallow-sandwiched-chocolate-coated pies in a safe place behind the Ronzoni. I loved Scooter Pies, and I’ve been working up the energy to veganize them. So now… let’s rock.

Prep:
1. Prepare baking sheets. Line 2 standard sheets with parchment (for baking the cookies) and another high-walled baking sheet for the marshmallow to set. Cover the marshmallow sheet with a mix of 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar and 2 Tablespoons cornstarch. Make another batch of this mixture to sprinkle on top of the marshmallow as well.

Sandwich Dough {veganized from this}:
1 cup Earth Balance
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 Ener-G egg replacer
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

2. Make cookie layer. With a mixer on medium speed, beat the Earth Balance until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the brown sugar and beat at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium, add the egg replacer and the vanilla extract, and beat to combine. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour and the salt, and mix just until a soft dough forms. Divide the dough in two, shape into disks, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Working with one disk at a time, roll out the dough to about 1/8-inch thickness. It’s best to secure your rolling space with some wax paper and have plenty of flour on hand as dough gets sticky. Using the biscuit cutter, cut out the rounds and place them on the parchment-prepared baking sheets, about ½ an inch apart. Refrigerate the cookies (on the baking sheets) for 10 minutes.

4. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool on the pans for a couple of minutes, and then move to a cooling rack to cool completely. Pack in an airtight container after cool.

Marshmallow layer: {From these informative links: instructions and pictures}
5 tablespoons “100% soy protein” from Vitamin Shoppe
1/4 cup Ener-G egg replacer
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon guar gum
3/4 cup cold water

Sugar Syrup:
1 & 1/2 cup raw sugar
1 tablespoon vegetarian gelatin
1/2 cup water
1 cup brown rice syrup
2 teaspoon vanilla extract

5. To make the marshmallow layer, mix the dry ingredients together first in a stand mixer. Add the water and whip with a whisk for 15 minutes until you get formed peaks and an increase in volume.

6. While the above is whipping, prepare the sugar syrup. Mix the veggie gelatin with the raw sugar in a saucepan. Add the water and whisk quickly. You should have a thick mixture. Add the brown rice syrup, stir and turn on heat on the stove. Use a candy thermometer and cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, until it reaches 230 degrees. By this time, it should be thick and gloppy. The mixture will begin to gel as one large mass and you will be able to catch sight of the bottom of your pan as you stir. Hurry up and stop cooking! Stir in the vanilla.

7. Turn the stand mixer {with splatter shield in place} on high and whisk the fluff as you quickly add the sugar syrup. Add syrup quickly! The sugar gel is so sticky, it can climb up your whisk attachment and begin to gum up its connection to the mixer. Just dump it in with the mixer running as fast as it will go. Let whip for 10 minutes. Use a rubber scraper and pour the mixture into your prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the top of the marshmallow with more powdered sugar and cornstarch, covering the top completely. Let marshmallow set in the fridge for at least an hour.

8. When cool, use biscuit cutter to cut layers for cookie assembling. Alternate with the cookie and marshmallow, making a layer/s. Allow chocolate to set in the refrigerator while preparing the chocolate. Tape down wax paper on a large flat to prepare for coating them with chocolate.

Chocolate Coating:
12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces cocoa butter, edible of course

9. Prepare the chocolate coating. Using a double boiler, melt the chocolate and cocoa butter together until completely smooth. Retrieve cookie-marshmallow layers from fridge and place them on a cooling rack on top of the wax papered surface. Spoon the melted chocolate over each cookie so that it runs down the sides and covers most of the cookie, gently pushing with the back of a spoon if need be. Allow scooter pies to set back in the refrigerator. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

10. Enjoy a delicious taste of your youth!