25 Days of Cookies: Day 17

Pictures and Recipe from Peas and Thank You

No Bake Snowball Cookies

Makes 24-30 cookies

Print this recipe!

• 1 c. organic sugar
• 2 T. vegan margarine (i.e. Earth Balance) or coconut oil
• 3/4 c. non-dairy or organic milk
• 1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 2 t. vanilla extract
• 1/2 c. natural peanut butter
• 3 c. quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats*
• 1/4-1/2 c. organic powdered sugar

*most recipes traditionally call for quick-cooking oats, but I don’t mind the texture of the old-fashioned.  Use whichever you prefer.

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, margarine or oil, milk and cocoa powder.Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat. Once the mixture has come to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add salt, vanilla and peanut butter. Place oats in a large mixing bowl and pour chocolate mixture over the top.

Stir until fully incorporated.

Place dough in the refrigerator for an hour.  This should give you plenty of time to wash your hair and/or put the Barbie Dream House away.

When the dough has chilled, place the powdered sugar in a bowl, grab your dough, a cookie scoop or measuring spoon and a plate.

And if you are extra tired like me, a chair. Using your scoop, portion out a bit of dough and roll it into a ball. Drop the ball carefully in the powdered sugar and roll it around until the cookie is lightly dusted all over. Repeat until you’ve used all the dough. The cookies will be ready to eat or return to the refrigerator for a firmer cookie and/or storage.

25 Days of Cookies: Day 16

I really love snowmen. Out of all the Christmas and Holiday decor I always go AWWWWW! when I see snowmen decorations. Just a note: these cookies are NOT vegan nor are they clean eating. BUT… I literally freaked out when I saw them! “OhMyGosh! Those are SOOOOOO CUTE!” Or something along those lines.

Just look at them!

Recipe and Pictures from Smashed Peas and Carrots

Sugar Cookies

1/3 cup cold butter
1/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour

Beat butter and shortening with an electric mixer for about 30 seconds on high speed.  Add in sugar, baking powder and a dash of salt.  Beat until combined.  Add in egg and vanilla and continue mixing.  Add in the flour 1/2 cup at a time, you may need to hand stir the remaining 1/2 cup.  Lightly flour your rolling surface and place half your dough on top.  Flip your dough a few times to get it nicely coated with flour.  Flour your rolling pin and then roll out your dough 1/8 to 1/4 inch in thickness and cut your shapes.  Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 7-8 minutes or just until the cookies edge is firm and the bottom of the cookie is a very light golden brown.  Cool on a rack and ice!!

Ice them using your favorite sugar icing, or you can view mine here.

I cut my dough with a large circle cookie/biscuit cutter.  This gives you a nice sized area to decorate your melted snowmen.  Then just haphazardly ice your cookies, the more imperfect the better cause it gives the lovely effect of melting snow, kinda drippy and oozing. 

While you are icing your cookies, place a few large marshmallows on a plate and microwave them on high for about 25 seconds.  They should puff up a some but they will shrink back down if you let them sit for a bit!  Before you pick up your marshmallows to place on your cookies grease you fingers with some cooking spray first.  This will reduce the sticky factor of those puffy marshmallows as well as help to not ruin their shape and therefore reduce any bad swear words you might want to utter! 

Then since I was short on time, I just grabbed a bottle of colored Jimmies from my cupboard and picked out the brown and orange ones to decorate the snowmen’s faces and little melted bodies.  If you had more time on your hands you could color your icing orange and black and decorate them with a small circular piping tip.  Or…you could use a few of those handy dandy food-safe markers but you’d want to wait until the cookies are completely set and hard before drawing on them!!

25 Days of Cookies: Day 15

Recipe and Photos by Manifest Vegan (I LOVE HER BLOG!)

Peanut Butter Coconut Cookies~Vegan & Gluten Free

Dry Ingredients:

3/4 cup sorghum flour

1/4 cup brown rice flour (superfine or regular)

1/4 cup potato starch

2 tbsp tapioca flour

1 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp sea salt

1 1/2 cups flaked coconut

Wet Ingredients:

1/3 cup + 2 tbsp smooth peanut butter

2 tbsp vegan margarine

1 cup granulated sugar

3 tbsp flaxseed meal mixed with 4 tbsp water

1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:

1/2 cup coconut flaked, toasted (to toast, simply place in oven in single layer on cookie sheet at 375 °F, until golden brown, about 5-7 minutes.)

Preheat oven to 350 °F.

In large electric mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients using a whisk until well combined.

In separate medium sized bowl, cream together peanut butter, margarine and sugar until smooth. Add in prepared flaxseed meal and vanilla and stir well.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until clumpy. The dough will be slightly dry, but you’ll be able to pack it into a clump, typical of peanut butter or oatmeal cookie dough.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Press down with fork and top with toasted coconut.

Bake 9-11 minutes. Let cool at least 20 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

25 Days of Cookies: Day 14

I have never had fruitcake. Not once. I’m not entirely sure if anyone even eats it… yet it seems to resemble the Holidays. Apparently, those colorful little candies are candied pineapple and cherries, mixed with dates. Who knew!

Fruitcake Bars Recipe

3/4 Cup Vega Butter, Softened
1 And 3/4 Cups Brown Sugar (I Used Light)
6 Teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer Powder
12 Tablespoons Lukewarm Water
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
1 And 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
3 Cups Walnuts, Chopped
1 And 3/4 Cups Candied Pineapple, Chopped Into Bite Size Pieces
1 And 3/4 Cups Candied Cherries, Halved
2 Cups Pitted Dates, Diced Into Small Pieces

Procedure:

Preheat oven at 325F/160C for 15 minutes. Grease a 15×10 inch pan (jelly roll pan) either with shortening or non-stick cooking spray and set aside. Blend the egg replacer powder and lukewarm water in a mixer until it’s frothy and keep it aside.

In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar until it’s light and fluffy. Add the egg substitute mixture to the creamed butter in small additions and beating well after each addition.
Stir in vanilla. Add in the flour and chopped nuts and combine it well with a rubber spatula.
Spread the dough onto the prepared pan. Sprinkle the candied pineapple, cherries and diced dates on the dough and press it lightly.

Bake for about 45-50 minutes or until lightly browned. I removed the pan around 47 minutes. Cool it completely on a wire rack before cutting into bars.

25 Days of Cookies: Day 13

12 days until Christmas… Yup. I’m not freaking out. Noooo… not. at. all.

Recipe and Photos from Marji Beach

Vegan Cookie Pile

Ingredients:
Enough Ener-g egg replacer for 3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 c chopped walnuts
1 c chopped dates
1 c flaked coconut
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract

Directions:
Add to the egg replacer the sugar, walnuts, dates, coconut, vanilla extract, almond extract. Mix together.

Place mixture into casserole dish and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Let mixture cool. When mixture is cool, form into small balls and roll in powder sugar. Eat.

25 Days of Cookies: Day 12

Vegan Ice Cream Sandwiches
Photos and recipe by Novel Eats
1 cup unbleached white flour (or to make it gluten-free, use gluten-free baking flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons vegan butter
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup soy yogurt or vegan milk (if you use vegan milk, you may need to increase the flour by a tablespoon or two)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Sugar or Celtic sea salt, both optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Mix the flour, soda, and salt together and set aside.
In another bowl, mix the cocoa with the granulated and brown sugars and set aside.
Melt the vegan butter in a medium-sized saucepan. When it is completely melted, take it off the heat and add the sugar and cocoa mixture, then stir to combine.
Then add the soy yogurt or vegan milk, vanilla extract and balsamic vinegar and stir until mixed.
Finally, add the flour mixture and stir just until it’s combined, but don’t over-mix.
Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop tablespoons of the dough onto the baking sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart.

If you want your cookies to be uniformly round, instead grab a spoonful and roll it in your hands for a few seconds then place the cookie ball on the sheet. It will be more perfectly round that way.
Sprinkle lightly with your choice of vanilla sugar or Celtic sea salt (I opted for the latter on about half of the cookies), and place them in the oven.
After about five minutes, switch the pans around so that the one on top is on the bottom and the front sides are in the back. Check again in another five minutes. Be careful – depending on the type of pan you use, they can go from underdone to burned in seconds. They shouldn’t need more than 11 minutes and will look soft on top, but they’ll harden as they cool. Note that I baked these for a maximum of 10 minutes because I wanted to keep them a little on the chewy side.
Remove from the oven and transfer onto cooling racks.
Next thing I did was make a basic recipe of coconut ice cream. I also doubled this recipe, but it’s really probably not necessary. I still have some ice cream in the freezer that I didn’t use.
The ice cream was still too soft once it was done, so I stuck it in the freezer overnight. I used a metal bowl and just covered it with plastic wrap.

I then used a melon baller scoop and scooped out a generous amount of ice cream and placed it on the bottom side of a cookie. Take another similarly shaped and sized cookie and place it bottom down on top of the ice cream and press down.
You can either do one of two things:

1. Eat it right away, but it will definitely be more messy because it will melt fast.
2. Stick in your freezer for a few hours, then individually wrap each in plastic wrap and store in your freezer for up to five days.

Yum – vegan ice cream sandwich

These are fantastic, but I would definitely allow a couple of days to prepare if you are making these totally from scratch for a party, picnic or event. I thought I’d be able to make them in one day, but the ice cream really needs to be pretty well frozen to make it easy to put these babies together.

One variation I wish I had tried: blending a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter with the ice cream mixture. That would have been pretty awesome. A good excuse to make them again!

25 Days of Cookies: Day 11

Where did the day go? Better yet, where did the weekend go? I have been a busy little elf hiding behind my sewing machine all weekend long. I will be posting new coasters, mug rugs and pillows in my shop in a bit… but here is Day 11’s cookie for now!

Simple Vegan Sugar Cookies

Oh what fun it is to make sugar cookies! These are an easy holiday treat to make with kids, and also a blast to make during a quiet afternoon alone.
They’ll remind you of Grandma’s house during a winter visit, or baking cookies in your childhood kitchen on a chilly day.
My Vegan Sugar Cookies are delicate, soft on the inside, yet have a crispy outside. These must be refrigerated for at least a few hours (even overnight) before rolling and cutting into shapes. You can’t help but smile while making these cookies!

Recipe and Photos are from Aine Carlon

Ingredients:

1 cup organic plain white flour
1/2 cup (vegan) granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegan sunflower spread/soy butter
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
zest 1 lemon

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 175 degrees celsius/345 fahrenheit.
Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl using a spatula or an electric whisk until it is fluffy. Stir in the vanilla extract and thoroughly mix.
In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder and zest.
Add the flour to the creamed butter and mix until a soft dough is formed.
Shape into a log and wrap in cling film or foil and refrigerate for an hour or overnight.
Tear off small amounts of dough and shape into balls spacing them well apart on a baking sheet, as they will spread in the oven.
Bake for 15-20minutes depending on your oven. Ease them off using a palate knife – they will be a little soft still but that is fine.
Allow them to cool on a rack for at least an hour before glazing – if you are glazing – otherwise they are as lovely warm as they are cooled.
Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

25 Days of Cookies: Day 10

Today’s post isn’t exactly a cookie… but who could resist the smell of homemade cinnamon rolls baking in the morning. Warm rolls smothered in cinnamon goodness and gooey icing… It is the perfect way to start your weekend!

These vegan cinnamon rolls were made by Lesley over at The Purple Carrot. Lesley and I go way back. She was one of the first blogs I started reading. Her voice and recipes have always stood out to me and she is such an inspiration to food bloggers all around.

Thanks for the wonderful recipe, Lesley!

Quick & Easy Mini Cinnamon Rolls
Makes about two dozen rolls

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup melted coconut oil, divided
2 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups almond milk (or other milk)
1 cup sucanat (or other sugar)
2 tablespoon cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat oven at 450 degrees.
Combine flour, salt and baking powder.
Add 1/2 cup (rest is used later) coconut oil and all the milk, stir until stiff and then work dough with hands until soft.
Form dough into a ball and place on slightly floured surface.
Roll out into rectangle, brush on the rest of the coconut oil and then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
From the long side, tightly roll up your dough. Cut into 1/2 to 1 inch rolls.
Place rolls in greased baking dish. I used a 9 x 13 glass dish, and it seemed to be a good size.
Bake for about 13 minutes. Spread on icing, and enjoy!

Notes: Makes about 24 small to medium sized cinnamon rolls. Half recipe and bake in a pie dish if you want a smaller batch.

Icing:

Mix together about a cup of powdered sugar (I used homemade sucanat powdered sugar) and 2-6 tablespoons almond milk (or milk of choice).
Pour in about a tablespoon almond milk at a time and stir. Keep adding a little more milk until you reach desired consistency. I like ours fairly thick so I don’t use much, but it’s completely whatever you prefer!
If you want it to have a little more flavor, feel free to add about a half teaspoon vanilla extract.