Emily and Russell Brindley, who’ve operated the Braddon cafe since 2012, have worked for two years on the book, 200 pages of both cafe and family favourites.

Yet Sweet Bones: The Cookbook is more than a catalogue of recipes, it’s more of a keepsake of their past 12 years together, travelling, eating, creating a young family, as well as a successful business.

“I always wanted to write a cookbook,” says Emily, who trained as a chef and worked in several restaurants and cafes for many years before settling in Canberra. “But I’m not a writer.”

She was pregnant with their second son Banjo when she suggested to Russell maybe it would be a good project for them.

“I was pregnant, maybe I was a bit crazy, and I told him and I think he was just humouring me,” she says.

Russell says there was so much going on at the time and laughs, “I’m thinking, sure, we’ve got plenty of time to do that!”

But then Canberra publisher Jordan Montgomery came into the cafe, his company Seed Press was looking for a second book after the successful launch of The Cupping Room Cookbook.

“I don’t know what we were thinking,” says Emily.

“Our oldest son Beau was two at the time, I was pregnant, but we went why not.”

The pair met in 2006 when Russell was in the United States on a BMX riding trip

“Let’s just say this ‘riding trip’ turned into more of an eating trip,” Emily writes in the introduction to the book.

“Over the past 10 years, a lot of our time has been spent travelling the US and Australia, led by our stomachs and fuelled by caffeine. This combination has lead to some really incredible experiences that we’ve tried to capture and put into our café, through our menus and our team.”

Russell became a vegan in his late teens, he grew up on a small hobby farm, his best friend for many years, he writes in the introduction, was his pet goat Pixie.

“On one occasion, after having a horribly unsuccessful time trying to kill a chicken for our family dinner, veganism and vegetarianism started to make a lot of sense to me.”

Now in their mid 30s, the couple share their love for food and their compassionate lifestyle with not only their customers, but with their two sons, Beau and Banjo, family and friends.

And now with the launch of the cookbook, you can share it with your community too. For a starter, try the Chewy chocolate cookies below.

Sweet Bones: The Cookbook. By Emily and Russell Brindley. Seed Press. $39.95.

There’s a book launch party at Sweet Bones, 8/18 Lonsdale St, Braddon, at 6.30pm on November 1, which also happens to be World Vegan Day. All welcome and the book will be available to buy.

Who can pass up a delicious, chewy, chocolate cookie? The whisked liquid from the cans of beans (aqua faba) can be used in a range of vegan desserts as a vegan substitute for egg whites.

INGREDIENTS

4 cups flour

1 1⁄2 cups cocoa powder

2 tsp baking soda

1⁄2 tsp salt

1 1⁄2 cups oil

3 1⁄2 cups sugar

1 tbsp vanilla

1 cup soy milk

2 tbsp aqua faba (the liquid from canned beans whisked until frothy)

1 cup vegan chocolate chunks

METHOD

Step 1

Preheat oven to 175C.

Step 2

Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl and mix until well combined.

Step 3

In separate bowl mix oil, vanilla, sugar and soy milk.

Step 4

In a separate bowl, whisk the aqua faba until frothy (not too crazy), then gradually whisk it into the wet ingredients.

Step 5

Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, mixing continuously. Once combined, fold in chocolate chunks.

Step 6

Measure the mixture into 80g balls and press slightly onto a baking paper-lined sheet pan, leaving enough room for them to spread.

Step 7

Bake for eight to 10 minutes, rotating the pan halfway. Ensure you don’t overcook them - you want them to be chewy!

Step 8

Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for several days.