Welp, it’s that time of year. The one where you put your skinny summer jeans away and bust out the yoga pants because ALL THE COOKIES.
It’s the all-the-cookies time of year, and I’m starting with vegan shortbread, because – why not?
I’m actually posting this recipe as part of The Sweetest Season Cookie Exchange put on by my friend Erin over at The Speckled Palate. 60+ blog friends are sharing gorgeous cookie recipes to celebrate the season’s best food (cookies, duh).
But today is EXTRA special. 50 other bloggers and I have teamed up to bring you The Sweetest Season’s Sweetest Cookie Giveaway! We picked out a stand mixer and other goodies to make sure you can bake ALL THE COOKIES this holiday season.
We’re giving away The Sweetest Cookie Prize Pack, and it is worth $690! See the Rafflecopter below to enter to win this amazing set of cookie baking goodies. The prize pack includes:
- One KitchenAid 5-Qt. Artisan Design Series Stand Mixer with Glass Bowl in Sugar Pearl Silver // $315 value
- One $50 Bob’s Red Mill gift card and one exclusive set of Bob’s Red Mill products: One 5-lb. bag Organic All Purpose Flour, one 5-lb. bag Organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, one 40-oz. bag Almond Meal, one 28-oz. bag Sparkling Sugar, one 28-oz. bag Cane Sugar // $95 value
- Two 4-lb. bags of Imperial Sugar/Dixie Crystals granulated sugar, one My First Cookbook and a silicone baking mat // $50 value
- Coupons for $40 worth of Cabot Creamery products, including butter and yogurt // $40 value
- One OXO Good Grips 5-Quart Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl // $35 value
- One Jenaluca Stainless Steel Medium Cookie Scoop // $33 value
- One 2-piece Calphalon Nonstick Baking Sheet Set // $30 value
- One 10” x 15” Stainless Steel Metal Cooling Rack // $25 value
- One 7-piece OXO Good Grips Multi-colored Nesting Measuring Beaker Set // $20 value
- One GIR: Get It Right Ultimate Spatula in Gray // $19 value
- One 5-piece R & M Snowflake Cookie Cutter Set // $10 value
- One OXO Good Grips 11” Balloon Whisk // $10 value
- One OXO Good Grips Silicone Cookie Spatula // $8 value
To view the giveaway rules, click here.
Before I go any farther, did you remember to scroll through all those entry possibilities and make sure you did mine? It’s to join my email list – and you can unsubscribe whenever you like. But I only send you mail when I have a new recipe I think you’ll love!
Ooookay! Now that we got that out of the way, how ’bout them cookies??
When I thought about all the types of cookies I like to eat during the holidays, I couldn’t stop thinking about the little shortbread cookies that you get out of the little red tin with reindeer and snowmen and shiz on it. I KNOW. Of all the cookies in the world, these are the ones that pop into my head.
Possibly because every year my mom’s business would have an open house during the holiday season and she would serve these cookies and I would steal handfuls of them and eat them all while hiding under a table with my sister.
Did I mention the business is a gym? Where you’re supposed to be healthy and fit and eschew all sorts of cookie-shaped temptation? I obviously didn’t get that gene.
So, I set out to make my favorite cookies this year, but in a vegan rendition because that’s how I prefer to bake.
If you don’t like to use fake butter, just use the real stuff. They will be amazing.
This vegan rendition turned out so well! I had a few necessities in mind. They had to be:
Crunchy
Crisp
Buttery (tasting)
With a chocolate option
And delicious
And these totally fit the bill.
They’re actually really easy to make, though they do require a stand mixer. If you don’t have a stand mixer, get your booty on up there and enter that giveaway to win the KitchenAid stand mixer! And if you do, get your booty on into the kitchen and make these cookies (but still enter the giveaway because all the other stuff is amazing, too).
I decided to dip these in chocolate, then give them a sprinkling of sea salt or espresso beans. I honestly couldn’t decide which I liked best! They were both so good.
I also made some with just a powdered sugar icing with lemon juice and zest, but they weren’t my favorite. But AJ loved them, so if you think that’s your jam then stir some of that up and give it a go (recipe not included).
What are your favorite types of cookies during this time of year? Let me know in the comments!
And, a big thank you goes out to the generous sponsors who helped with The Sweetest Season by organizing, as well as providing products to the participating bloggers and donating some incredible prizes for our giveaway! Be sure to check out Imperial Sugar, Dixie Crystals, Bob’s Red Mill, Cabot Creamery and The Crumby Cupcake for lots of great recipe ideas. And check out Garnishing Co., who designed our graphics.
VEGAN SHORTBEAD COOKIES
INGREDIENTS
- ⅓ cup oat flour
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 13 Tbsp cold Earth Balance butter,* cut into ½” cubes
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips, plus more if necessary (optional)
- sea salt (optional)
- ground espresso beans (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Combine the flours, cornstarch, powdered sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.*
- Add the cut butter to the bowl, then use the paddle attachment and mix on low speed until a smooth dough is formed – this will take 5-10 minutes. It’ll start out really crumbly and you’ll think you’ve done something wrong, but let it keep going; it’ll get there.
- Grab a handful of the dough and form it into a rough ball. Use a rolling pin to roll it into a ¼” thick sheet. Use a biscuit cutter to cut into 1½” – 2″ circles. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet spaced about ½” apart (they don’t spread much). Repeat until all dough has been used.
- Bake for 10-13 minutes, until just starting to turn golden on the edges. Remove from the oven, then use a toothpick to poke 5-6 little holes in each cookie – this lets extra steam escape and helps them crisp up. Transfer to a cooling rack.
- Place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds, then mix. Continue in 30-second increments until fully melted (it’ll take about a minute and a half total).
- Dip the cookies in the melted chocolate, then place on some parchment and sprinkle with either some sea salt or some ground espresso beans. Place in the refrigerator to let the chocolate harden.
- These store best in the fridge – the chocolate likes to get sticky at room temp. Eat!
NOTES
– The stick form of the Earth Balance butter can have an off flavor to some people. It’s not usually noticeable in less-butter-intensive recipes, but if you’ve noticed before that you don’t like it then use whatever other butter substitute you prefer. I have only tested this with Earth Balance, though, so I can’t guarantee results for other subs.