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Craving Sugar Cookies! ...and Vegan? 

So, it's that time of year that everybody is throwing their "Christmas Cookies" around..they're everywhere: tv shows, movies, blogs, instagram, facebook, you get the point! And of course, I want some!  But alas, all recipes are calling for butter, eggs, and milk..sigh...which doesn't work so well with my vegetarian preferring vegan lifestyle.  Luckily, there are many vegans out there who love yummy food, and so I found a few recipes and compared that with what's in the cupboards. (Two recipes that I relied on came from "Minimalist Baker" and "Loving it Vegan" ..thanks guys!)  And... Voila! Vegan sugar cookies!  It is possible, my friends, and here is my experience on how it turned out...

*Disclaimer: Please remember, I am not an expert chef/baker/cooker/kitchen person...just an impatient person trying to create some cookies, fast!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegan butter (like Earth Balance) 
3/4 cup brown sugar 
1/4 cup pumpkin puree (from the can) 
1 tsp pure vanilla extract 
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 
1 tsp baking powder 
1/2 tsp baking soda 
1/4 tsp salt 
2 tsp soy milk (or any other dairy free milk)

Step 1. Add softened butter, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and soy milk.

Step 2. Mix well

Step 3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 4. Roll the cookie dough into small balls and place on a baking sheet. (This recipe should make about 12 cookies.)

Step 5. Flatten the cookie dough balls (I did it with the end of a glass) and then sprinkle some sugar on top of each.

Step 6. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Step 7. Take out and enjoy!

So, overall, I think they are pretty tasty and definitely took care of my sugar cookie craving!  Some things I might try differently are adding some almond extract, cornstarch for binding, and trying applesauce instead of the pumpkin puree.  I would also like to try using regular cane sugar instead of the brown sugar which may make a difference in the taste and color.  Also, I would recommend using a mixer to make a very smooth dough.  I would like to take the time to flatten the dough and make some cute cookie cutter shapes as well as add some decorative and yummy vegan frosting in the future!  The cookies are quite fluffy and soft, so some flattening would not hurt.  But, overall, I like!  And, I look forward to trying again!