Friday, October 8, 2010

31 Days of Halloween: Vegan Halloween Sugar Cookies

Hello, darlings!!

Here we are, early October, and I finally took the time to do one of my favorite things...bake cookies!! I love baking during any holiday, but with Halloween I have the added bonus of getting to decorate with my favorite colors and favorite shapes without getting funny looks (who knew bat cookies weren't appropriate for 4th of July gatherings?!).

When I went vegan, I didn't think I'd be able to have a yummy sugar cookie ever again, but thankfully I was proved wrong by these lovely folks! They have come up with the "perfect vegan sugar cookie recipe" and this year I was determined to try it!


As you can see above, the recipe was a success! The cookies are quite tasty, I might add! I also used the vegan icing recipe (seen below) for most of the cookies, as well as some spare "tube" icing I had lying around. However, you'll see a few I've left plain and used a edible color marker to make them look like Sam from Trick 'r Treat! Thanks to Very Vegan Holiday for the inspiration!

Below you'll find the recipes for both the cookies and icing, although tweaked a bit from the originals. So dust off those tombstone and black cat cookie cutters and get ready to make some yummy vegan sugar cookies!

Perfect Vegan Sugar Cookies
1 cup vegan margarine (I used Earth Balance)
1 cup white sugar
2 whole egg replacements (Ener-G, Neat Egg, Follow Your Heart VeganEgg, or Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup Tofutti vegan cream cheese
A few tablespoons of non-dairy milk if needed

Instructions:
In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar. Stir in the egg replacements and vanilla. Gradually add flour, baking powder and vegan cream cheese. The dough will be VERY crumbly, so using your hands to mix it is the best option. I found that adding a few splashes of non-dairy milk helps as well. Form the dough in a long loaf and wrap in plastic wrap. Mixture will still be crumbly, but don't fret! Stick it in the fridge for a few hours to chill.

After about 2 - 4 hours, pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with foil.

Pull out the refrigerated dough. The mixture may still be somewhat crumbly, but just kneed it a bit with your hands and the proper consistency should develop. Then, in small batches, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into desired spooky shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 inch apart on the lined cookie sheets.

Bake for about 12 - 14 minutes, until bottoms and edges just start to get light brown. Remove from baking sheet and cool on wire racks. Store in an airtight container until you are ready to eat or decorate them!

Perfect Vegan Icing
2 cups confectioners' (powdered) sugar
6 - 8 tsp. non-dairy milk
4 tsp. light corn syrup
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
Assorted vegan food coloring

Instructions:
In a medium bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and non-dairy milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add a little more corn syrup.

Add food coloring to desired intensity. I separated the icing into 3 different bowls and made 3 different colors - orange (mixing red and yellow), purple (red and blue) and gray (all of the colors mixed together).

Dip the cookies in the icing or use a spatula to spread the icing on each cookie (the dipping method works best, even though it's messier). Allow the cookies to dry on wire racks overnight (be sure to put paper towels or foil underneath to catch the drippings!).

Voila! You'll have a plate of irresistible vegan sugar cookies in no time! They make a perfect accompaniment to a Halloween-themed flick...Trick 'r Treat, anyone? 

Adorable, I know!

5 comments:

  1. Yes, they are adorable! And, I might add, excellent decorating! :)

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  2. Those are super cute! I wish I had the patience to bake from scratch and decorate them like that! They're perfect for Halloween month! :o)

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  3. great recipe! I am going to try this out! I love your cookies! ;)

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  4. Those are so cute, great job with the decorating!

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  5. I love these! So cute! I'll be trying this recipe out soon :]

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