Vegan Holiday Cookies

[rusty_halo]

Here is a post all about vegan cookies. Enjoy! Please let me know if you bake any of these and how they turn out.

This is something of a sequel to a previous post on how to make vegan pies and cakes.

If you are wondering "Why make vegan cookies?" click here for information.

Preliminary Info:

• If you're looking for vegan margarine: Willow Run makes soy margarine, and I believe that Fleischman's Unsalted is also vegan.
  
• White sugar is often bleached using animal bones, and it is so refined that the nutrients (and flavor) are removed. I strongly recommend using less refined sugar, such as Sucanat, Sugar in the Raw, or Hain's turbinado sugar. These preserve more of the nutrients and flavor, and are vegan.
  
• If you are seeking vegan powdered sugar, Hain makes a version you can buy in stores. You can also make your own by combining, and blending in a blender, 1 cup vegan sugar and 4 T. cornstarch. (Change to fit whatever amount you need, just keep the same proportions.)
  
• My favorite sugar for cooking is Sucanat. It works perfectly in place of white sugar and adds a delicious brown-sugar flavor to whatever you're baking.
  
• There are a ton of vegan egg replacers on the market; mainstream supermarkets even carry them. You can also make your own by combining 2 T flour, 2 T water, 1/2 T corn oil, 1 tsp baking powder.
  
• When I'm baking, I always throw in random extra amounts of the ingredients that make it rise--baking soda, baking powder, cream of tartar. This is to balance the lack of egg. I'm weird, but it's never hurt.

"Butter" Cookies

• 2 sticks of vegan margarine
  
• 1 1/2 cups powdered vegan sugar
  
• 1 tsp. vanilla
  
• 1 vegan egg
  
• 2 1/2 c. unbleached white flour
  
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  
• 1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
  
• 1/4 tsp salt

Cream margarine. Add powdered sugar, cream until light and fluffy.

Add "egg" and vanilla, mix.

Sift together the dry ingredients. Slowly blend into the wet mix until you have dough. (If it's too dry, add water in tiny amounts just until it sticks together like dough.)

Roll out the dough; cut it into pretty shapes. (Or use an upside-down glass for round shapes.)

Bake for 8 minutes at 400 degrees.


Light Anise Rum Cookies

• 3 T dark rum
  
• 2 T anise seeds
  
• 2 sticks of vegan margarine
  
• 1 1/2 cups powdered vegan sugar
  
• 1 tsp. vanilla
  
• 1 tsp. anise extract
  
• 1 vegan egg
  
• 2 1/2 c. unbleached white flour
  
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  
• 1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
  
• 1/4 tsp salt

Place the anise seeds in a small bowl with the rum. Set aside to marinate overnight.

Cream margarine. Add powdered sugar, cream until light and fluffy.

Add "egg," vanilla, anise extract, and rum/anise seed combo. Mix.

Sift together the dry ingredients. Slowly blend into the wet mix until you have dough. (If it's too dry, add rum in tiny amounts just until it sticks together like dough.)

Roll out the dough; cut it into pretty shapes. (Or use an upside-down glass for round shapes.)

You now have a choice: bake as is (and possibly add icing later), or dip into a mixture of cinnamon sugar before baking.

Bake for 8 minutes at 400 degrees.

(Variations: you can leave out the anise extract if you want a less anise-flavored cookie. Use rum in place of water when making the not-egg for an even more rum-flavored cookie. Grind anise seeds in coffee grinder if desired.)


Spicier Anise Rum Cookies

• 2 T anise seed
  
• 3 T dark rum
  
• 1 1/4 cups vegan margarine
  
• 3/4 cup sugar
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 vegan egg
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves

1. Place the anise seeds in a small bowl with the rum. Set aside to marinate overnight.
   
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the margarine, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the anise seed and rum. Mix in the "egg". Combine the flour, salt, baking powder and cloves; stir into the margarine mixture until well blended. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
   
3. 3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters. You now have a choice: bake as is (and possibly add icing later), or dip into a mixture of cinnamon sugar before baking. Make your choice, then place cookies on a greased cookie sheet.
   
4. 4. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown at the edges. Cool for a few minutes on baking sheets before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

(Variation: this recipe calls for plain sugar, but I suspect it would be better with powdered sugar.)


These cookies are all fine on their own, or you can make icing.

I can't give exact proportions for the icing recipes; basically, you just mix these until you get a good taste and consistency.

Vanilla Icing
Mix about 1 cup powdered vegan sugar, 1 - 3 T of vegan margarine, vanilla to taste, maple syrup.

Lemon Icing
Mix about 1 cup powdered vegan sugar, 1 - 3 T of vegan margarine, juice and grated rind of a lemon

Anise-Maple-Cinnamon Icing
Mix about 1 cup powdered vegan sugar, 1 - 3 T of vegan margarine, 1 tsp anise extract, cinnamon to taste, maple syrup

Anise-Rum-Cloves Icing
Mix about 1 cup powdered vegan sugar, 1 - 3 T of vegan margarine, 1 tsp anise extract, ground cloves to taste, rum

Comments

[spikewriter]

Thank you! I will give it a try -- and thank you for the tips on vegan margirine. We're not vegan at my household, but I've reached a point where if I can cut some fat and cholestorol by going soy, I'm willing to give it a try.

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

Cool.

Soy is supposed to have all kinds of health benefits ... :)

If you make them, let me know how they turn out. :)