Wa-Wa-We-Woah, I'm actually blubbering because these may be the best cookies I've ever had, vegan or not! Ok, ok, these are def a splurge item, but life is for living people! And just because I, or you, or anyone else is vegan (or not), doesn't mean that we aren't allowed to have delicious treats, especially at the holidays!

Holiday cookies are so super nostalgic for me. My mom would basically have a flour covered apron on for a solid 72 hours before Christmas to get her insane cookie platters together. She'd make like 8 different kinds of cookies and we'd go out and deliver them to the neighbors and friends and family. It's truly one of my most precious memories and one of the reasons that making (and eating!) holiday cookies feels so damn good to me.

These are called "Katie's" cookies because my coworker & friend, Katie shared her non-vegan family recipe with me and she was asking about some possible swaps she could make to translate it into a vegan recipe. She made them and OMG, they were soooooo good. Like so so so good. Basically, she swapped the egg for apple sauce, and uses margarine instead of butter. We love the Earth Balance brand of buttery spread for this recipe. Not only will you not think they're vegan, but they are quite literally the best cookie ever. Thanks Katie!!

I can't wait for these cookies to be a part of my holiday tradition with my family, and I hope they become a part of yours too!

Happy Baking!!

Cookie Ingredients

• 2 1/2 Cups flour

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

• 1 Cup vegan butter/margarine

• 1/2 Cup sugar

• 1/2 Cup powdered sugar

• 1/4 Cup apple sauce

• 2 tsp vanilla

Frosting Ingredients

• 2 1/4 Cups powdered sugar

• 1 Tbsp light corn syrup

• 2 Tbsp + more non-dairy milk (I used macadamia)

• 1/4 tsp almond extract

Directions

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cream of tartar, set aside. In a larger mixing bowl, cream together margarine, sugar and powdered sugar until light & fluffy. Add apple sauce and vanilla and continue to blend until fully combined. Slowly add dry ingredients until dough is formed. Separate into 2 sections and wrap each in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 2 hours to cool. 

Preheat oven to 375. Pinch off 1 inch of dough and roll into ball. Coat slightly in flour and place on cookie sheet and press gently to flatten cookie slightly. Can also be used for cutouts! Roll dough onto floured surface at about 1/4 inch thick and cut out into shapes. Bake 7 mins. Cool before icing.

For Frosting/Icing

In a medium sized bowl, combine ingredients using an electric mixer. Set aside 1/3 cup of thick frosting for outlining. Add milk, a small splash at a time, to remaining frosting to get a thinner icing like consistency. I use a ziplock bag as a piping bag by sealing frosting in the bag and snipping a tiny corner off. Outline all cookies with the thicker frosting, then flood the center of the cookie with the thinner icing, using a butter knife to gently help icing to spread. 

You can also simply make a thinner icing and dip the top side of your cookie! Easy breezy!