little extra-glittery and girly.
1 cup nonhydrogenated margarine,
softened
1¼ cups sugar
2 tablespoons nondairy milk
1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1⅔cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
CINNAMON SUGAR FOR ROLLING:
⅓ cup sugar
2 tablespoons white decorator sugar, or
any large-crystal sugar
1 rounded teaspoon ground cinnamon
A big pinch of ground nutmeg
1. In a large bowl cream the margarine and sugar together until light and creamy, about 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl when necessary. Add the nondairy milk and vanilla and beat until combined. Sift in the flour, cornstarch, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt and beat mixture until a soft dough forms, about 4 minutes. Dough will be soft and fluffy. Chill dough for 30 minutes. Or, if desired, cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small shallow bowl, combine the sugar, decorator sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
3. Scoop 1 tablespoon of dough, drop it into Cinnamon Sugar, and gently roll it into a ball. Place dough balls on cookie sheets about 3 inches apart. Sprinkle the top of each cookie with a little additional Cinnamon Sugar.
4. Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Cookies will be puffed and will deflate after removing from the oven. Allow cookies to cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets before moving to wire racks to complete cooling. Store in a loosely covered container.
COWBOY COOKIES
MAKES 2 DOZEN LARGE COOKIES
WE’VE HEARD OF THIS LEGENDARY VARIETY of oatmeal cookie and really have no idea what makes it “cowboy,” but we like it just the same. Can’t you picture a big, mustached cowboy on the range just chowing down on these babies instead of nasty old beef jerky? But we digress. Here’s our version of that big, satisfying oat and brown sugar cookie, chock full of all kinds of things like nuts, coconut, and best of all, chocolate. Vegan chocolate chunks are perfect for this cookie, so use them if you can find ’em!
2 cups quick-cooking oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
⅔ cup canola or peanut oil
⅔ cup sugar
¾ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
½ cup nondairy milk
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup shredded coconut
1 generous cup semisweet chocolate
chunks or chips
1 cup chopped toasted pecan pieces
Additional nuts and chocolate chips or
chunks for decorating tops of
cookies.
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium-size bowl, stir together oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat together oil, sugar, brown sugar, nondairy milk, flax seeds, and vanilla. Fold in half of the flour mixture to moisten, then fold in the remaining half. Just before the mixture is completely combined, fold in the coconut, chocolate chunks, and pecans.
4. For each cookie, drop ¼ cup of dough (about the size of a golf ball) onto cookie sheets. The dough will be sticky and thick. Leave about 2 inches of space between each cookie. Flatten slightly with moistened fingers or the moistened back of a measuring cup; repeat dipping in water for each cookie. Bake for 14-16 minutes until edges start to brown. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to wire racks to complete cooling. Store in a loosely covered container. These are also ideal cookie jar cookies!
Cowboy Cookies
Variation
COWGIRL COOKIES: Omit the coconut and pecans. With the flour, sift in 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon ground cloves. At the end of the mixing process, stir in 1 cup dried cranberries, 1 cup toasted walnut pieces, and 1 generous cup semisweet chocolate chunks or chips or vegan white chocolate chips.
Morsels
A lazy way to toast pecans is to
make use of