cookies

Vegan Chai Spice Cookies

IMG_8601.jpg

We are big chai fans in this house. Well, at least half of us are.

Recently we stumbled upon a recipe book with all kinds of chai spice recipes in it, and it got our wheels turning.

One of my daughters favorite cookies to bake is a Vegan Mexican wedding cookie. You may call it a Russian tea cookie, a snow ball, or some other name because there are so many.

We often make these cookies gluten free and have added instructions to make them gf if that is your preference! Just use any good all purpose gf flour blend and they will turn out great!

So she decided that it would be extra delicious to mix the Mexican wedding cookie with a little spice so to speak. The perfect blend of warm chai spices with a nutty powdered sugar covered cookie that almost melts in your mouth!

Y’all, I could not stop eating these vegan chai spice cookies!! They are addictive, perfectly spiced, and taste like fall!!

IMG_8598.jpg

These vegan chai spiced cookies are pretty easy to make but a little time consuming if you decide to shape them into a crescent. This is why we normally just shape them into balls.

These cookies are great for just about any occasion, or fall holiday. I mean, we made them on a random Monday because we were in the mood for cookies, which seems like a good enough occasion for me!!

So if you are a fan of a buttery, traditional snow ball/Mexican wedding/Russian tea cookie, and love all things chai, I know without a doubt you will love these easy vegan chai spiced cookie.

IMG_8588.jpg

INGREDIENTS:

Chai Spice Blend: (keep stored in a cool dry place in an air tight container)

  • 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

  • 1 tablespoon ground ginger

  • 1 tablespoon ground clove

  • 1/2 tablespoon ground cardamom

  • 1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper

Cookies:

  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour or gluten free flour blend (we use this one, it is hands down the best we have tried)

  • 1 cup vegan butter, softened

  • 1 cup powdered sugar, plus extra for rolling

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

  • 2 teaspoons chai spice blend

  • 1/4 teaspoons salt

  • 1 cup almond meal ( ground up almonds)

  • 1/2 teaspoon chai spice blend, plus 1-1 1/2 cup powdered sugar for coating

IMG_8606.jpg

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

  1. In large bowl mix softened butter and sugar until creamy. Add in the vanilla and almond extracts and mix.

  2. Add in the dry ingredients and mix until well incorporated. The dough be dry but wet enough to hold the shape of a ball. You can find almond meal in the baking section of most stores now. It is NOT almond flour. It is more coarse. We normally just pop some almonds in a blender to make the meal.

  3. Line 2 baking sheets wth parchment paper. Using a small cookie scoop or a talbesppon, scoop dough and roll into balls. The cookies do not really spread, so you do not have to space them out too much. You can also scoop the dough and shape it into a crescent shape. Whatever is your preference, but shaping them into balls is a lot quicker!

  4. Bake for about 12-15 minutes, just until the cookies are starting to brown around the edges.

  5. Allow cookies to cool completely before rolling them in chai spice and powdered sugar. If the cookies are even still warm it will cause the powdered sugar to cake up and melt on the cookies. So make sure they are totally cool.

  6. Store cookies in an airtight container.

If you like this recipe, then try these:

IMG_8591.jpg

Vegan Cinnamon Sand Dollar Cookies

Vegan cinnamon sand dollar cookies surrounded by sea shells.

These adorable little vegan cinnamon sand dollar cookies are basically a summertime themed snickerdoodle!

We are parents to 3 girls and a 1 boy. This means we have watched the Little Mermaid and Finding Nemo approximately 9 gazillion times, and have hosted about seventy eleven mermaid/ocean themed birthday parties over the years. These cookies scream beach themed gathering!

They are pretty easy to make, they just require a little time to press all those almonds down into the dough! They bake up quickly and are super delicious to boot.

So if you need a beachy themed cookie for a party, or just want to whip up a batch for yourself because they are so cute and addictive, then we are here to serve.

And if you are stuck watching a the same mermaid or fish movie for the millionth time and just need something to break up the monotony of this phase of life, these should help. They won’t however help with the songs that are forever stuck in your head from said mermaid movies. Hey, I just make food, not miracles.


INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 cups all purpose flour

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1 cup vegan butter, softened

  • 1 cup powdered sugar

  • 1 cup granulated sugar, divided

  • 2 tablespoons tapioca starch, plus 6 tablespoons water

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

  • slivered almonds


INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl.

  2. Using a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer and a large bowl, cream together butter, powdered sugar, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy. This will take a few minutes.

  3. Mix the tapioca starch and water together.

  4. Add starch mixture and vanilla to the butter sugar mixture and mix.

  5. Add in the flour and mix until well combined.

  6. Mix remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

  7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

  8. Scoop dough using a small cookie scoop or spoon ( around 2 teaspoons of dough) and roll into balls. Roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

  9. Use the bottom of a glass to press the cookies out flat. It helps to spray the bottom of the glass with some cooking spray so they dough does not stick.

  10. Press 5 pieces of slivered almonds into each cookie to make a star shape.

  11. Bake cookies for 7-10 minutes, just until the edges seems done. Let cookies cool on the sheet for a few minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

  12. Store cookies flat in an airtight container. This helps the almonds stay put! We stored them in a zip lock and it caused some of the almonds to fall out.

If you like this recipe, try these:

Vegan Ranger Cookies

Gluten Free Mexican Wedding Cookies

Dairy Free Oreo Truffles

A woman holding a vegan cinnamon sand dollar cookie

Vegan cinnamon sand dollar cookies

Vegan Apricot Hamantaschen

IMG_1569.jpg

Hamantaschen cookies are typically baked durning the Jewish holiday, Purim.

These tasty little bites can be filled with an array of fillings, savory, or sweet, but often are filled with apricot jam.

Our apricot jam recipe is so easy and the perfect filling for these classic vegan hamantaschen. I make it with dried apricots and it is good on toast as well.

Also, you don’t have to celebrate Purim to enjoy these cookies. These tasty, sweet treats can be enjoyed any time of year!

And if you are not a fan of apricot jam, use your imagination and fill them with anything you like from jam, to chocolate, to vegan cheese!


INGREDIENTS:

The Dough

  • 3/4 cups vegan butter, room temperature

  • 2/3 cups sugar

  • 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

  • 1 egg replacement, we used Bobs, you can use flax but it will leave dark flecks in the dough

  • 1 teaspoon orange or lemon zest (optional)

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1-2 tablespoons water

  • Apricot Jam


INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. In large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.

  2. Next, mix in the zest and egg replacer with the butter and sugar.

  3. Finally add the flour and the salt, and mix until a soft dough forms. If the dough seems crumbly, add in a tablespoon or two of water.

  4. Knead the dough on a lightly floured counter top for a few minutes. You do not want to over knead the dough, you just want to make sure all of the ingredients and well incorporated.

  5. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 2-3 hours in the fridge. The dough is really soft and needs to be pretty cold to roll out.

  6. Once dough is ready, roll it out on a large, clean, floured surface. I like to split my dough in half and only roll out one half at a time, leaving the other half in the fridge so it does not soften back up. I find it easier to manage. Roll the dough out to around 1/8 of an inch thick.

  7. preheat oven to 350 degrees

  8. Using a 3 inch circle cookie cutter or biscuit cutter (or the rim of a small glass) cut circle in dough. Carefully transfer the circles to a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Take about a teaspoon of apricot jam and place in the center of the circle.

  9. Form the cookie into a triangle by folding in the top of the circle and pinching to a point. Fold up the bottom half of the circle and fold the sides over the bottom. Lightly press the corners together or you can pinch them like the top. Just make sure all corners are sealed well so the triangles do not come open while baking. Continue with remaining dough, leaving about an inch of space between each cookie.

  10. Bake cookies for about 20 minutes. Once cookies are done, transfer to a wire rack to cool.

    Yields about 2 and 1/2 dozen cookies

    If you liked this recipe, try these:

    Savory Vegan Goat Cheese and Tomato Hamantaschen

    Easy Apricot Jam


IMG_1561.jpg

The Prefect Vegan Peanut Butter Cookie

Peanut butter cookies are a classic and super simple to veganize! Soft and chewy, and sooooo yummy! You can just as easily use a different nut butter if you prefer, or if there is an allergy to peanuts. I often bake a double batch and freeze half, i…

Peanut butter cookies are a classic and super simple to veganize! Soft and chewy, and sooooo yummy! You can just as easily use a different nut butter if you prefer, or if there is an allergy to peanuts. I often bake a double batch and freeze half, in case I need a dessert for a party or gathering in a pinch. OR if I just really, really, NEED to eat a cookie and can’t wait for a batch to bake. No judgments here!!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup vegan butter (I use Earth Balance)

  • 2-1/2 cup white all-purpose flour

  • 1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed

  • 1 cup white granulated sugar

  • 1 cup peanut butter

  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

  • 1 flax egg

  • 2 tablespoons plant based milk

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

preheat oven to 350 degrees

  1. In the bowl of your stand mixer, or a large bowl if you are using a hand mixer, cream butter with both sugars until light a fluffy.

  2. Beat in the flax eggs, peanut butter, vanilla, and plant based milk.

  3. Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a smaller bowl. Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture. Mix until just combined.

  4. Line a 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a tablespoon or small cookie scoop, scoop out dough and roll into 1 inch balls. Using a fork, press into the cookies making a cross hatch design, helping to flatten them out.

  5. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool on the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.

Vegan Ranger Cookies

Growing up, ranger cookies were hands down my favorite treat. We would buy them from our local grocery store’s bakery. After growing up and moving away, I would still pop in a buy a pack when visiting my parents. Eventually we went vegan , and it fi…

Growing up, ranger cookies were hands down my favorite treat. We would buy them from our local grocery store’s bakery. After growing up and moving away, I would still pop in a buy a pack when visiting my parents. Eventually we went vegan , and it finally occurred to me to search for a recipe, and try to veganize my favorite cookie!. These taste just like the the ranger cookies I grew up eating. These cookies are chewy, and coconutty, with little crispy bits from the rice cereal. So if you have never had or even heard of a ranger cookie, bake up a batch. I think you might just love them as much as I do!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup vegan butter

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 1 cup packed brown sugar

  • 2 flax eggs



  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 2 cups quick-cooking oats

  • 2 cups crisp rice cereal

  • 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Instructions:

preheat oven to 350 degrees

  1. In the bowl of your stand mixer, or a large bowl if you are using a hand mixer, cream butter with both sugars until it is light a fluffy.

  2. Beat in the flax eggs and vanilla.

  3. Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a smaller bowl. Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture. Mix until just combined.

  4. Stir in the coconut, oats, and rice cereal.

  5. Line a 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a tablespoon or small cookie scoop, scoop out dough onto cookie sheets, leaving a few inches between each scoop of dough.

  6. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow cookies for a few minutes on the pan before transferring them to a wire cooling rack.

The Perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie

IMG_9857.jpg

I have eaten a LOT of chocolate chip cookies in my day, vegan and non, but these are hands down the best I have had.

Your search for the perfect soft and chewy vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe will end here!

This recipe makes a large batch of cookies, so its perfect for sharing, or giving as holiday gifts, as well!! So bake up a batch and you can thank me later!!


Ingredients:

  • 4 cups all purpose flour

  • 1 1/4 cups white sugar

  • 1 1/4 cups brown sugar

  • 1 1/2 cups vegan butter (I use Earth Balance)

  • 2 teaspoons baking soda

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

  • 2 flax eggs or 2 powdered egg replacers

  • 24 oz vegan chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life brand)

  • a few splashes of plant based milk if the dough seems too crumbly.


Instructions:

preheat oven to 350 degrees

  1. In a stand mixer or large bowl using a hand mixer, cream butter and sugars together.

  2. Add the vanilla extract and egg replacer and mix well.

  3. In another bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt.

  4. Begin mixing the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and mix until everything is well incorporated.

  5. Fold in the chocolate chips.

  6. Scoop cookies using a small cookie scoop, or spoon, onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, leaving an inch or so between each cookie.

  7. Bake for for 7 - 10 minutes. You want to take them out of the oven when they seem soft but are just beginning to brown. Leave cookies on the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack. They may seem extra soft but they will cool to the perfect consistency.

Yields 4 - 5 dozen cookies, depending on size of your scoop