'Tis the season! Before we know it there will be snow and ice and carols playing everywhere we go. Thus, while I have a few free moments, I am looking over a few good recipes for holiday baking and what I have found is that most of my "family favourites" can be easily adapted to fit the vegan diet.
This recipe for vegan Lemony Tea Cookies was created from a basic sugar cookie recipe I found online a couple of years ago. These cookies are buttery (without real butter, naturally!) and so satisfying, AND the lemon is a refreshing change from the over-abundance of heavy, chocolate, caramel and mint flavours we typically see during the holiday season. These cookies are easy to adapt to suit your favourite tastes or what you have on hand - for example, chopped pecans and orange zest could be substituted for the lemon, or why not make them with lime zest and lime juice? Happy baking - hope you enjoy these in good health xox
Lemony Tea Cookies - Vegan
Ingredients:1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 cup coconut oil, softened* (not melted - coconut oil is solid at room temp)
1/4 cup soy milk
1-1/2 tsp. lemon extract
zest of one lemon
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. corn starch
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar
*vegan margarine could also be used - personally I love the buttery flavour of coconut oil, but both work just great. I recommend Earth Balance.
Method:
Wash and zest your lemon - if you don't have a zester, a fine steel grater will do. In a large bowl, combine the coconut oil, lemon extract, salt, and lemon zest. Gradually stir in the powdered sugar and soy milk, beating until light and fluffy (I mix this dough by hand, but you could use a hand mixer also).
Combine the flour, corn starch, soda and cream of tar tar in a small bowl. Gradually mix these dry ingredients into the creamy coconut oil mixture to form your cookie dough. This dough is quite dry, but depending on your flour and coconut oil, you may need to add up to an additional cup of flour - the finished dough will be similar to pie pastry. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill in for 30 minutes.
When ready to bake - preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and begin rolling out the cookie dough (about 1/4" thickness, but experiment with different cutters and thicknesses of dough - a slighter thicker dough yields a chewy, softer cookie, and slightly thinner will make a crispier cookie; both are yummy!).
Place the cookies about 2" apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 7-10 minutes - a lighter coloured cookie will be soft/chewy, and a lightly golden cookie will be crispier. Allow to cool fully before icing. My Lemony Tea Cookie glaze recipe follows, below.
Lemony Tea Cookie Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar (icing sugar)
1 tsp. lemon extract
Juice of one lemon
Zest of one lemon
Hot water, as needed
Candy sprinkles or dusting sugar
(optional)
(optional)
Method:
Zest and juice one lemon. Place the zest and juice in a medium sized mixing bowl along with one teaspoon of lemon extract. Gradually beat in 2 cups of icing sugar - the consistency should be fluid/creamy but not runny. If the mixture is too thick, or if it thickens while you are working, just add a teaspoon or two of very hot tap water to restore the creaminess. Ice the cookies and sprinkle with dusting sugar or sprinkles - I use Hagel Zucker (German bakers' decorative sugar) because it reminds me of winter snow!). Allow the glaze to dry - it will be shiny in appearance and smooth to the touch. Store in containers with tight fitting lids, placing wax paper between the layers. If you are making these in advance, I recommend baking the cookies and freezing them WITHOUT frosting. Then make the glaze and frost them a week or so in advance of serving - these taste even better when the natural lemon oils have had time to permeate.
Zest and juice one lemon. Place the zest and juice in a medium sized mixing bowl along with one teaspoon of lemon extract. Gradually beat in 2 cups of icing sugar - the consistency should be fluid/creamy but not runny. If the mixture is too thick, or if it thickens while you are working, just add a teaspoon or two of very hot tap water to restore the creaminess. Ice the cookies and sprinkle with dusting sugar or sprinkles - I use Hagel Zucker (German bakers' decorative sugar) because it reminds me of winter snow!). Allow the glaze to dry - it will be shiny in appearance and smooth to the touch. Store in containers with tight fitting lids, placing wax paper between the layers. If you are making these in advance, I recommend baking the cookies and freezing them WITHOUT frosting. Then make the glaze and frost them a week or so in advance of serving - these taste even better when the natural lemon oils have had time to permeate.
