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With Christmas just around the corner, it´s time to start thinking about what we are going to do for the big night and what we can offer without leaving the wallet empty and without causing unnecessary waste. What if instead of buying the most fashion piece of clothing, or the hippest smartphone of the moment, we invest our love on unique and special gifts?
Nowadays, there are plenty of cute gift ideas that we can easily make at home, but I still think cookies are the best! We can be super creative with them, from the shapes to the flavors, and actually they look beautiful inside a little jar! Don´t you think?
But why cookies have become so traditional on this season?
The story says that this tradition began in the Middle Age, when spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon and black pepper began to be widely used in Europe, as also apricots and dates! These ingredients along with sugar, lard and butter were much appreciated by the medieval cooks and considered as delicacies. Obviously not everyone had access to these ingredients. Only noble families, on festive seasons, could afford sweets made with these ingredients. Because cookies, unlike cakes and pies, could easily be shared, they quickly became the perfect Christmas gift for friends and neighbors.
Fun fact: The famous gingerbread men was invented by none else than Queen Elizabeth I of England, who wanted cookies to represent some dignitaries and important figures of her court, so she created cookies with the shape of each and with edible clothes and features.
According to Michael Krondl, author of Sweet Invention: A History of Dessert “The popularity of gingerbread during the holidays can, at least in part, be attributed to the belief that spices heated you up in the winter.” And tell me, there is Christmas Cookies without cinnamon and ginger? If anyone tells you that exists they are wrong, because It´s impossible to capture the flavor of the season without these two spices!
If we start putting all the pieces together then we can’t deny that cookies are really the best Christmas gift ever!
As well as being an amazing gift idea, they are also a great idea to decorate the house! This year my Christmas tree is covered with cookies (this recipe)! Just praying that ants don’t have any ideas!
So today, I bring you a super simple recipe, but so simple, that it shouldn´t be called a recipe! All that for you to have no excuses to not get your hands dirty!
EASY TO DO | CRUNHCY | ADDICTIVE | FLAVOR RICH | TO SHARE | PERFECT TO DO WITH KIDS
Nothing can be simpler than putting all the ingredients in one bowl and mixing, right? These cookies are made just like this, then you put the resulting dough into the fridge to make it easier to open it and cut the figures you choose. It’s a cool recipe to make with family, especially with kids who will love to cut the figures! Give it a try! Then just bake for about 15min and your cookies will be ready!
No excuses to make them!
120gr of vegan butter
60gr powdered sugar
45gr of yellow sugar
300gr of Whole Spelt Flour
½ tsp of baking powder
½ tsp of baking soda
4 coffee spoons of cinnamon
3 coffee spoons of ginger powder
20 drops of Wild Orange essential oil
120gr of vegan butter
60gr powdered sugar
45gr of yellow sugar
300gr of Whole Spelt Flour
½ tsp of baking powder
½ tsp of baking soda
4 coffee spoons of cinnamon
3 coffee spoons of ginger powder
20 drops of Wild Orange essential oil
1- Put the butter and the powdered sugar into a bowl and with the help of an electric mixer beat until they form a smooth and uniform cream.
2- Then add the remaining ingredients and start by mix them with the help of a spatula. To achieve the right texture, you need to use your hands to knead the dough and aggregate all the ingredients, forming a firm dough, easy to shape and does not stick in your hands. If you feel it has gotten a little soft or if it sticks on your hands, add a little more flour and knead it again.
3- Once your dough is ready, form a ball, wrap it in a plastic film and take it to the fridge for about 15 minutes.
4- Preheat your oven to 180°C (356°F).
5- Remove the dough from the fridge and start to open it with a rolling pin. To make your job easier, place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper, and open it. This way the dough will never stick to the roll.
6- Choose the cutters with the shapes you want and start cutting the figures in the dough, until no more dough has left. It ́s important that you place the cookies on the baking tray (previously lined with parchment paper) as you cut them.
7- Then bake them for about 15 min. This dough don ́t grow as much, so you can place the cookies very close to each other on the baking tray. When you see that the edges start to look darker, it’s time to remove them from the oven.
8- Let it cool down for about 2 minutes before removing them from the tray. They need this time to prevent them to broke up in pieces when you try to remove them.
9- Store them in a container or jar that closes tightly, the air can ́t enter into the container or your cookies will soften.
10- If well stored, they last up to a month.
1- Put the butter and the powdered sugar into a bowl and with the help of an electric mixer beat until they form a smooth and uniform cream.
2- Then add the remaining ingredients and start by mix them with the help of a spatula. To achieve the right texture, you need to use your hands to knead the dough and aggregate all the ingredients, forming a firm dough, easy to shape and does not stick in your hands. If you feel it has gotten a little soft or if it sticks on your hands, add a little more flour and knead it again.
3- Once your dough is ready, form a ball, wrap it in a plastic film and take it to the fridge for about 15 minutes.
4- Preheat your oven to 180°C (356°F).
5- Remove the dough from the fridge and start to open it with a rolling pin. To make your job easier, place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper, and open it. This way the dough will never stick to the roll.
6- Choose the cutters with the shapes you want and start cutting the figures in the dough, until no more dough has left. It ́s important that you place the cookies on the baking tray (previously lined with parchment paper) as you cut them.
7- Then bake them for about 15 min. This dough don ́t grow as much, so you can place the cookies very close to each other on the baking tray. When you see that the edges start to look darker, it’s time to remove them from the oven.
8- Let it cool down for about 2 minutes before removing them from the tray. They need this time to prevent them to broke up in pieces when you try to remove them.
9- Store them in a container or jar that closes tightly, the air can ́t enter into the container or your cookies will soften.
10- If well stored, they last up to a month.
* Be careful when choosing the essential oil, not all of them are edible. I used DoTerra’s Wild Orange Essential Oil, which is totally safe for ingestion. If you do not have access to the oil, use organic orangezest.
* If you want you can decorate your cookies with a royal icing and make them even more fun, or just sprinkle with some powdered sugar.
* You can use another sugar, other than yellow, to make your cookies. I also made it with coconut sugar and it works perfectly.
* You can use all purpose white flour, but you will probably need more flour for the dough to get the correct texture.
* Be careful when choosing the essential oil, not all of them are edible. I used DoTerra’s Wild Orange Essential Oil, which is totally safe for ingestion. If you do not have access to the oil, use organic orangezest.
* If you want you can decorate your cookies with a royal icing and make them even more fun, or just sprinkle with some powdered sugar.
* You can use another sugar, other than yellow, to make your cookies. I also made it with coconut sugar and it works perfectly.
* You can use all purpose white flour, but you will probably need more flour for the dough to get the correct texture.
Tag @things_about_a_vegan_girl on instagram and hashtag it #thingsaboutavegangirl so we can see all the masterpiece you made!!!
Tag @things_about_a_vegan_girl on instagram and hashtag it #thingsaboutavegangirl so we can see all the masterpiece you made!!!