12 Vegan Christmas Cookies for everyone!

• Instructions In a food processor, first add almonds and cashews and process until very fine (the almonds are the hardest, and need to be worked until crumbly). Let them process for a minute or two until quite fine. Then add walnuts, dates and cherries and pulse/process until mixture is quite crumbly, but not yet coming together. Then, add cocoa powder, salt, and almond extract, and pulse through. With a sharp tip knife, slice the vanilla bean down the outer side to open up the bean. Using a blunt (butter) knife, scrape out all the tiny seeds from the bean on both sides, and add them to the processor (or add vanilla extract). Process again, along with the almond extract if using. Process until the mixture comes together. The mixture should be sticky and hold together when pressed with your fingers. You don’t want to overmix (to prevent the nuts from releasing their oils, see note), but the mixture does need to hold and be sticky. If it’s not doing so, add a few drops of water, as your dates might be dry. Once you have a good, sticky mixture that will hold together, remove it from the processor and press into a brownie pan (8” x 8”) lined with parchment paper. Use a small piece of the parchment to help press and flatten the mixture evenly into the pan. Press it firmly to ensure the mixture holds.

For the frosting, in a mini‐food processor, first combine the coconut butter and agave nectar until smooth. Then add the cocoa powder and salt, and pulse through again until just combined. Do not overprocess or the frosting will begin to separate with the heat of the churning and become oily. (If you don’t have a mini‐ processor, you can follow the same steps stirring by hand in a bowl). Smooth frosting over base, and refrigerate for an hour or more until set. Cut into squares and serve! You can also freeze the squares after cutting, and enjoy them out of the freezer!

• Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). In a bowl, sift in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the sugar and salt, and stir until well combined. In a separate bowl, combine the maple syrup with the molasses and vanilla, then stir in the oil until well combined. Add the wet mixture to the dry, along with the chocolate chips, and stir through until just well combined (do not overmix). Place large spoonfuls of the batter on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and flatten a little. Bake for 11 minutes, until just golden (if you bake for much longer, they will dry out). Let cool on the sheet for no more than 1 minute (again, to prevent drying), then transfer to a cooling rack. Makes 8-10 large cookies.

First, prepare the caramel topping: In a small saucepan, whisk about half of the milk with the arrowroot. Then add the remaining milk, whisking, and the remaining caramel ingredients. Heat the mixture over medium-high heat, whisking frequently, until it just reaches a boil. Then remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl to let cool slightly while preparing the base. (Continue to whisk or stir occasionally to prevent a skin from forming on the caramel. If a skin does start to form, you can whisk it into the mixture, or if fairly thick, simply remove and discard the skin, if you prefer.)

Prepare the base: In a bowl, combine the oat flour, coconut, and salt, then add the brown rice syrup and coconut oil. Mix with your fingers to help work in the syrup and oil. Once the mixture can hold together somewhat when pressed, transfer to the prepared pan. Press evenly into the bottom of the pan. When caramel has cooled slightly (can still be warm, just not hot), pour over the base. Then layer on each of the toppings, sprinkling over the caramel, followed by sprinkling on a couple of pinches of salt. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the pan on a cooling rack. Let cool slightly and then refrigerate to fully cool before slicing into bars. Makes 16-20 bars.

• In a food processor, add the cashews, oats, dates, zest, lemon juice, vanilla seeds, and salt and process. At first it will appear as if nothing is happening, and the mixture is just whirring around crumbly, but soon it will start to become sticky (patience my pretties)! When you see it start to become a little sticky, add the coconut and process again. Continue to process until it forms a ball on the blade. Stop, and then remove the dough. Take small scoops of the dough (about 1 – 1 1/2 tbsp in size) and roll in your hand. Repeat until you have used all of the dough. If using coating, mix ingredients in a small bowl. Toss or roll the balls in the coating if using, and refrigerate. Eat and repeat often!

• Line a loaf dish or similarly sized small pan with parchment paper. Place the cashews, dates, and raisins in a food processor. Pulse until the nuts and fruits are crumbly, then add the pecans and the remaining ingredients and process again, scraping down the sides of the bowl a couple of times, until the mixture has come together and becomes sticky (don’t overprocess, as pecans can make mixture too oily if overworked). Transfer the mixture to the prepared loaf dish. Press the mixture firmly into the pan (using a small piece of parchment is easiest). Prepare the frosting: Combine all the ingredients in a mini food processor, or mix very well by stirring in a bowl). Smooth the frosting over the base. Refrigerate for an hour or more until set. Cut into bars or squares and serve!

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and allspice. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the coconut oil, sugar, molasses, milk, and maple syrup, beating on medium speed for several minutes until creamy, and stopping to scrape the bowl as needed. Mixing at low speed, add the dry mixture about 1⁄2 cup at a time, over about a minute or so. Continue blending until the dough comes together in one or two balls on the paddle, separating cleanly from the inside of the mixing bowl. Transfer to a clean, dry countertop. Roll out the dough to about 1⁄4 inch thick. (If you are having trouble rolling the dough—if it is sticking—sandwich the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll your pin on top of the parchment, instead of directly on the dough.) If the dough has become too pliable (this may happen if your room is slightly warm), transfer to the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes to firm slightly. Once rolled fairly evenly to 1⁄4 inch thick, use cookie cutters to cut the dough into shapes. A spatula (offset or regular) will help lift the cookies off your counter and to the prepared baking sheet. Space the cookies at least an inch or so apart. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan for at least a couple of minutes. The cookies will firm more as they cool, and even more after they are chilled. Refrigerate the cookies in an airtight container. Decorate as desired, such as with the simple gingerbread icing.

To prepare the icing: In a bowl, mix the sugar with 11⁄2 tablespoons of the milk, until very smooth. Add the extra 1⁄2 tablespoon or so of milk, if needed, to thin mixture to a soft enough consistency that can be squeezed through a piping or resealable plastic bag (snip one corner if using a plastic bag). After decorating the gingerbread, allow the icing to dry on the cookies before stacking.