Tag Archives: Christmas

Cranberry Orange Shortbread with Hibiscus Glaze + gluten-free option

cranberry orange shortbread - gluten free option
cranberry orange shortbread with hibiscus glaze

This time of year adds more parties to my calendar, and that means cookies! I love to bring cookies along because they are tasty and easy to snack on while chatting with other guests. And they can be made in quantity without much extra effort.

With several events scheduled this season that included gluten-free attendees, I scoured my files for vegan and gluten-free treats. I discovered a book in my collection with a cookie recipe that fit the bill. To allow for all foodie types to enjoy my offering, I decided to bake a batch gluten-free, as listed in the cookbook, but also one with regular flour. It was a fun and interesting experiment, and it tasted great, too. You can find the gluten-free substitution at the end of the recipe.

To amp up the holiday taste I added orange zest to the dough. I also borrowed a red cookie glaze from a Food Network recipe. The shortbread turned out colorful and festive, and they combined my favorite holiday flavors.

Vegan Cranberry Orange Shortbread with Hibiscus Glaze inspired by Gluten-Free and Vegan Holidays and The Food Network

for cookies
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries
for glaze
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup (17 grams) dried hibiscus
2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease the sides and removable bottom of a 4” x 14” tart pan. If you prefer wedge-shaped cookies, then use a 9” round tart pan. Set aside.

Put the flour, salt, cinnamon, and orange zest in a medium bowl. Whisk until combined.

Add the coconut oil and maple syrup to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream until combined. Add the vanilla and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until it comes together.

Add the walnuts and cranberries and mix on low speed to just incorporate. The dough should be a bit stiff, but if the mixture is too crumbly you can beat in a small amount of water until it just holds together.

Press the dough into the prepared tart pan, smoothing the surface with a spatula or the bottom of a measuring cup.

Bake for 20 – 22 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Place the pan on a heat-safe surface and cut the shortbread into squares or wedges while still warm. Leave the cookies in the tart pan and move the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Remove them only once they have fully cooled.

While the cookies cool, start the glaze by bringing the water and hibiscus to a boil in a small pot. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and steep for 5 minutes. Strain, pressing to remove all liquid, then discard the hibiscus. Place the confectioners’ sugar in a bowl and add the warm hibiscus water a bit at a time, mixing as you go, until you reach your desired consistency. Let it sit until fully cooled. (Note: You may not use all of the hibiscus water.)

Dip half of each cooled cookie in the cooled glaze and place on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Place cookies in the fridge to allow the glaze to set. If you prefer a darker shade of glaze, you can dip the cookies again and place them back in the fridge to set. (Note: you may have leftover glaze depending on how much you apply to your cookies.)

Gluten Free option: use an equal amount of buckwheat flour in place of the all purpose flour. You may need to add extra maple syrup and/or water because buckwheat flour is thirstier with a bolder flavor than all purpose flour.

Note on the photograph: the darker cookies are gluten-free and the lighter dipped cookies are made with all purpose flour.

Until next time, happy baking!

Chocolate Peppermint Cookie Sandwiches

chocolate peppermint cookie sandwich
chocolate peppermint cookie sandwiches

It’s cookie season! Well, to me cookies are always in season, but cookie baking seems to be at an all time high right now. Especially in my kitchen where I recently baked dozens and dozens of cookies for holiday gifts and cookie exchanges.

When making many cookies I love to try new recipes, but it’s nice to fall back on favored creations from the past that have already had the kinks worked out. And yet, sometimes it’s nice to riff on a favorite. That’s where this cookie sandwich comes in.

My Chocolate Roll-Out Sugar Cookies are vegan and gluten-free, but for this baking frenzy I realized I was out of gluten-free flour. So after swapping in all-purpose flour, and a few other ingredients for ones I was low on, I decided to create a cookie sandwich. With a simple peppermint filling I turned a nice cookie into something magical.

Chocolate Peppermint Cookie Sandwiches adapted from Chocolate Roll-Out Sugar Cookies

Chocolate cookies
1.75 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup dutch process cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon + a pinch fine sea salt
1 cup organic cane sugar
1/2 cup unsalted vegan butter, softened
1/4 cup + 1 teaspoon unsweetened non-dairy milk
1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
Peppermint frosting
2 cups organic powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vegan butter, softened
3 teaspoons warm water
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

To make the cookies, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cane sugar and 1/2 cup vegan butter until creamy. Beat in the non-dairy milk, vanilla, and 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract. Add the flour mixture and mix until combined.

Split the dough into two discs and wrap each in plastic wrap. Let the dough discs rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

On a flat surface, lay out a large piece of plastic wrap. Place a rested disc of dough in the center and top with another piece of plastic wrap. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin until the dough is just under 1/4-inch thick. Cut the dough using a festive cookie cutter. Place the cookies on a baking sheet. Repeat with the second disc of dough until all dough, including the scraps, has been cut into cookies.

Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the cookies firm up on the edges. Remove baking sheets from the oven and place on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the peppermint frosting by placing the 2 teaspoons vegan butter into a bowl. Smash the butter with a spoon to soften. Sift the powdered sugar into the bowl, then stir together.

Gradually add the water, one teaspoon at a time, and stir until the frosting is smooth. Stir in the 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract until well combined. The frosting should be spreadable and slightly stiff. If it is too stiff, stir in more water. If it is too runny, stir in more powdered sugar.

To assemble the cookie sandwiches, spoon a dollop of frosting onto the bottom of a cookie. Place another cookie on top, bottom side down, and press lightly until the sandwich holds together. If the frosting starts to dry out during assembly, then stir in a few drops of water. Store the cookies in an airtight container.

Until next time, happy (holiday) baking!

Holiday Fruited Muffins

holiday fruit muffins’Tis the season for fruitcake, although I’m not a big fan. The jewel-toned rum-soaked fruit frightens me. But in the spirit of dried fruit studded bread, I went searching for an alternative. Thus, I give you my homage to holiday fruitcake, in muffin form.

I found a recipe for a bread that contained both dried and fresh fruit with the idea that the fresh fruit would lighten it. I then changed it up so the fresh to dried ratio was higher. For altitude I added a bit of flour and reduced the leaveners. For dryness at altitude I added more milk. Then, to combat the possibility of collapse, I made them into muffins.

Holiday Fruited Muffins loosely adapted from Peaceful Dumpling
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup + 1 TBS all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
dash salt
3 TBS sucanat
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 small apple, cored and cut into small chunks
4 Medjool dates, pitted and cut into small pieces
1/3 cup dried blueberries
1 cup + 2 TBS non-dairy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
Heat oven to 350F and line a muffin tin with paper liners that have been lightly sprayed with oil. In a bowl, mix together milk and vinegar and let sit. In a large bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sucanat, and spices. Add apple, dates, and blueberries. Add sour milk to flour bowl and quickly combine. When just combined, transfer to muffin tin. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Makes 1 dozen.

Until next time, happy baking!

Cocoa Peppermint Cookies

cocoa peppermint cookies

cocoa peppermint cookies

The cookie monster reared its head, so I searched through my recipes for something new. I saw sugar cookies and ginger cookies and nut cookies, but knew the cookie had to have chocolate. And then my brain morphed a few ideas together and decided on chocolate mint.

The only consideration I had to take for high altitude was to add extra liquid for the dry atmosphere. I borrowed a bit from this recipe and then that, but I used vegan ones from the start so I didn’t have to make changes. After it all came together the scent of the dough reminded me of mint fudge. My kitchen smells like Christmas in July.

Cocoa Peppermint Cookies
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
8 TBS vegan margarine
1 cup organic sugar
1 tsp peppermint extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 1/2 TBS non-dairy chocolate milk
Preheat oven to 350F. Sift together flour, salt, and cocoa powder. In a stand mixer, beat margarine until smooth. Add sugar and beat until smooth. Add extracts and chocolate milk and beat until fluffy. Slowly add flour mixture to margarine mixture. Beat until well combined. Place cookies 2” apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10-11 minutes. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for a few minutes then move parchment paper with cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes 4 dozen one-bite cookies.

Until next time, happy baking!