Christmas Cookies 2011: Raw Vegan Christmas Cookies & Vegan Soy-Free Baked Cookies!

Hey Peeps,

Time for some holiday cheer! Tis’ the season for gingerbread cookies, frosted sugar cookies, fudge…

Thought it would be fun to create some Low Fat Raw Vegan cookies and revisit (and revamp) some old SAD traditional Christmas cookie recipes.   I haven’t baked cookies since I went raw almost 2 years ago, but I love the art of creating new recipes and playing in the kitchie.  When I was on the traditional high fat raw diet,  I was creating constantly. Not so much anymore. Not when I’m eating fruit mono-meals!

Last week I enjoyed a rawkin’ date-dried cranberry-coconut cookie (recipe below) but since going LFRV, that was the only cookie I’ve had since July! I no longer have sweet treat cravings as FRUIT entirely fills that sweet desire:)

Although I no longer eat rawkin’ cookies, I’m always thrilled to make and share them with others.  And because my daughter enjoys cooked Christmas cookies, I was determined to make healthy vegan versions. I’m confident you’ll find some goodies below to eat & share!

Peace, Love, Joy & Christmas Cheer,

Celeste

Raw Vegan Gingerbread Divas

RAWcipe

• 1 cup almond meal (ground almonds)
• 10 organic medjool dates, pitted
• Spices: ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg

How to: Put all in your food processor and blend until everything is ground and sticky. Use a gingerbread cut-out to form your cookies. Store in fridge or freezer.

No Bake Cookies (Non-RAW) revisited….

I’ve been enjoying these cookies forever.  My Mom made these often when I was growing up.  So I wanted to revisit the recipe.

My revised version taste identical to the original recipe that called for 2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup butter, and 1/2 cup dairy milk. And instead of dropping a spoonful on wax paper, I simply spooned them into tiny paper cups and put them in the freezer. Once hard, they easily popped out of the cups and onto the plate.  They are the perfect size for a few bites of cookie!

Vegan No Bake Cookies Recipe (NOT raw)

• Unsweetened Coconut flakes
• 2 TB Cocoa (or Carob, whichever you prefer)
• 3/4 cup pure organic maple syrup
• 1/2 cup Almond Milk
• 3 cups quick oats

How to: Add all to your food processor and whirl well. I then put them in small paper cups (1.25 in diameter) and placed in freezer. Once firm,  I popped them out of the cups and onto the serving plate.

Ho Ho Ho Santa Cookies

3 ingredients only! Dried cranberries, Unsweetened coconut flakes, & medjool dates–all blended in food processor.

Celeste’s Raw Vegan Butter-licious Noel Cookies

RAWcipe

• 1-4 TB Almond Butter
• 6-10 Organic Medjool Dates, pitted

How to: Add ingredients to food processor. Adjust ingredients to your taste. Process well. Using cookie cutters, form into your fave shapes. Store in fridge or freezer.

Raw Vegan Cookie Dough Balls

RAWcipe

created by chocolatecoveredkatie.com

• 5 (or more) organic medjool dates, pitted
• 1 c cashews, ground
• 1 c Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (these are VEGAN, gluten, dairy, and soy free!) OR for homemade raw chocolate chips, click here for recipe

How to: I placed all in food processor (OR you can leave out the chocolate chips and stir them in later before forming dough into balls) and whirled until all was ground fine and ‘dough’ was sticky. Formed small balls and put in mini muffin cups in freezer. Once frozen, placed in freezer container and kept in freezer until ready to eat (take out a little before consumption to soften).

Rawkin’ Fudge with Heat!

Because I like my fudge with a little heat, I add some cayenne pepper to this recipe. It adds something special, a richer flavor. However, if you are going to add the pureed strawberry, you may want to leave out the heat factor and stick to the sweet factor.

Celeste’s Rawkin’ Fudge RAWcipe

• 1 cup walnuts
• 1 + 1/3 cups organic medjool dates, pitted
• French Vanilla liquid stevia
• raw Carob Powder
• secret ingredient-Cayenne Powder
• Pureed Strawberries, optional

How to: If you’d like to make traditional fudge balls without strawberries, simply add all but the strawberries into your food processor and whirl well. Form into balls and place in mini muffin tin and freeze. If you’d like to make some strawberry fudge balls, add some pureed strawberries either in with your fudge mixture and process OR, I simply slathered on the strawberry puree on the outside of the fudge balls. Form into balls and freeze. Once frozen, store in container in freezer and take out a little before consumption to soften or store in fridge.

~~~~~More Vegan-licious Soy-Free NON-RAW Christmas Treats~~~

Vegan Traditional ‘Fair Trade’ Holiday Fudge

Celeste’s ‘Fair Trade’ Vegan Fudge Recipe

• 1 cup Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 3 cups Wholesome Organic Fair Trade Powdered Sugar 
• 1/2 cup Dagoba Organic Fair Trade Certified Chocolate Cacao Powder
• 1/2 cup Sweetened Almond Milk
• 2 TB soy-free Earth Balance spread
• 1/2-whole vanilla bean pod, ground (buy vanilla beans in your local health food store and grind pods in your coffee grinder to make vanilla powder)
• sprinkles, optional

How to: In bowl, combine sugar, cocoa and chips. In saucepot over med. heat, add Earth Balance spread and milk. Stir until bubbles begin to break surface. Remove from stove and pour over dry mixture. Stir well. Put mixture in greased dish. Freeze. Cut into squares. Add holiday sprinkles, optional.

Celeste’s Vegan Molasses-FREE Gingerbread Cookies

Molasses Free Gingerbread Cookies Recipe

• 1.5 cups Unbleached White Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• spices: ginger (lots!), ground cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt.
• vanilla powder OR vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup soy-free Earth Balance, softened
• 1/2 cup pure organic maple syrup
• 1/2 cup Sucanat

How to: Add all in mixing bowl and mix/beat. Refrigerate the dough (covered) for a few hours or overnight. Take out a little before you make the cut-outs so the dough has time to soften up a little.  On wax paper, with a rolling pin and a little flour to coat your rolling pin, roll out the dough and using cut-outs, make your gingerbread cookies!  Put cookies on greased baking sheet and bake in 350 oven for 12-15 minutes.

Celeste’s Vegan Fruity (Citrus) Sugar Cookies

OF course, if I’m going to create a sugar cookie, there has to be some kind of fruity element to it, right! LOL.  So here it is…read below for the secret citrus ingredients…shhh don’t tell anyone. Simply make a bunch and share. It will be our little secret.

Celeste’s Citrus Sugar Cookies Recipe

• 2.5 cups Unbleached White Whole Wheat Flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup organic sugar (organic evaporated cane juice)
• 1/3 cup Sweetened Almond Milk
• 13 oz tub of soy-free Earth Balance spread
• French Vanilla Liquid Stevia (few drops or as much for your personal taste)
• Secret ingredient–Boyajian pure orange oil, optional
• Secret ingredient-orange peels, ground in coffee grinder (you can buy orange peels in your health food store–spice section)

How to: Cream sugar & Earth Balance until light and fluffy. Beat powder until incorporated. Add milk, as necessary. Slowly add flour, until blended, don’t overprocess. Add orange oil and orange peels at and. Stir well.  Refrigerate covered, for 2 hours or overnight. Take out and preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Put down some wax paper and flour up a rolling pin and start rolling out the dough. Using cutouts, form your favorite Christmas cookie shapes. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Cool down and frost.

Frosting Recipe

• 3 TB soy-free Earth Balance spread
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups organic powdered sugar
• sweetened almond milk (just as needed)

How to: Put all ingredients in a large bowl and stir.

To make the frosting a pretty pink color: I added a pinch of beet powder (get in the spice section of your local health food store) to the frosting.

There are many homemade recipes online to make your own food coloring so have fun and experiment.

Pink and white candy canes!

Eau natural icing~

If you prefer not to go with the store-bought holiday sprinkles, use what’s in your fridge to top your cookies…here I used a dried cranberry…

Or top your cookie with Unsweetened dried coconut…again, this purty pink frosting is made by adding beet powder to the frosting recipe…

What’s your favorite Christmas treat recipe?

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