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I'd like to make some biscuits (cookies), but I have no eggs, and I don't want to leave the apartment.

Can I use something else instead of the eggs? I'd like answers that will work for most cookie/biscuit recipes.

(Editor's note: yes, there are also plenty of cookie recipes without eggs - this question is about substitutions, not those recipes.)

Cascabel
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Blorgbeard
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    +1 for trying to avoid leaving the apartment. I can relate. – Nate May 08 '11 at 22:33
  • closely related: http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/21427/what-can-i-substitute-for-eggs-in-a-pancake-recipe and http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/21454/should-flax-seeds-be-crushed-to-be-a-good-egg-substitute – SourDoh Dec 26 '13 at 23:31
  • Looking at the answers posted, the question has become a random list of recipe suggestions. So I am closing it as opinion based - there are indeed too many ways to make cookies without eggs. – rumtscho Jun 19 '22 at 18:31
  • @rumtscho: The top voted answer is NOT a recipe. And I’ve used it in dozens of different cookie recipes for hundreds of batches, so it is NOT opinion based – Joe Jun 19 '22 at 20:55
  • @rumtscho Seems also reasonable to read this as a substitution question, and simply delete all the answers that give recipes instead of actually recommending a substitution, since they're not really answering the question. – Cascabel Jun 20 '22 at 06:35
  • @Cascabel and Joe I agree that a substitution question wouldn't need to be closed. The problem I see is that, so far, the vast majority of answerers interpreted it as a recipe request. Do you have a suggestion how we could reword it, so we don't keep getting this kind of answer after reopening? – rumtscho Jun 20 '22 at 08:16
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    @rumtscho Just make it ask for substitutions, like most of the related questions :) If people still post recipes, they can be deleted; don't have to let those posts ruin a good time. I've edited in that vein and reopened, and I do think that it's probably better to try that approach first, before closing questions. – Cascabel Jun 20 '22 at 23:00

3 Answers3

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There's a replacement, but it's not an ingredient most people have sitting around -- flax seed.

I use it when I'm cooking for a few of my friends who are vegans. Grind up some flax seed in a coffee grinder. For each egg, take 1 TB of flax seed meal, and 3 TB of water. Stir it up and let it sit for a while -- it'll get kinda slimy. Use that in place of the eggs.

Obviously, this won't work for anything where the whites and yolks are used separately, but I've used it for years for Christmas cookies -- the only problem is that the dough doesn't hold together quite as well when you're dealing with refrigerator cookies.

update: it's also a good idea to make friends with your neighbors. I've known the folks living in one of the houses behind me since high school ... we've been known to call each other up when we're short on sugar / flower / eggs / milk / vanilla, etc.

Joe
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    You may also want to increase the baking powder in the recipe, as eggs also have a leavening effect, which is sometimes desired. It often is not so simple as 1 egg = ____ because eggs are used for different reasons in different recipes. Think about what the eggs are *doing* and try to replace the function. – kevins Jul 13 '10 at 15:04
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This is a pretty good page of vegan egg substitutions.

Satanicpuppy
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    I know that people complain about ‘link only’ answers, but the article actually gives different lists depending on the application. I’ve asked the Internet Archive to index it, to prevent link rot: https://web.archive.org/web/20220621145235/https://cooking.lovetoknow.com/vegan-egg-substitute-list-different-dishes – Joe Jun 21 '22 at 14:54
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You can substitute canned pumpkin for eggs.

jules
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