Saturday, February 27, 2010

Ayyam-i-Ha and Vegan Sugar Cookies

Last year I started an Ayyam-i-Ha tradition to bake sugar cookies in the shape of 9-pointed stars. I'm happy that even though I'm a vegan now that tradition can continue.
















Mmm sugar cookies. I even saved some dough to bake next week. It'll be nice to eat them at 5 am when I start fasting this Tuesday.

Vegan Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup margarine, slightly softened (like Earth Balance "butter" sticks)
1/2 cup nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening
1 cup sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon extract (you can also use almond, maple or any other flavor)
1/4 cup vanilla soymilk (or other non-dairy milk)

1. In a bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt and baking powder
and set aside.
2. In a larger bowl, cream the shortening, margarine and sugar with electric beaters until the mixture gets all soft and fluffy, for at least 4 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure everything mixes in.
3. Now beat in the vanilla and lemon extracts and the soymilk until everything is just combined.
4. Beat in half the flour and when it is thoroughly moistened, and then mix in the rest to form a soft dough.
5. Divide the dough into two and pat each portion into a disc. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
6. On a lightly floured platform or board, roll each disc to about
3/8ths-inch thickness. Cut it into shapes with a cookie cutter. Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, about 1-inch apart. Reroll leftover scraps and shape into more cookies.
7. In a preheated, 350-degree oven, bake the cookies for about 10 minutes until done.
8. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for five minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.

(Recipe from the book Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar by Isa
Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero, published by Da Capo
Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Copyright © 2009.)


2 comments:

  1. Super cute!! And love the quip about eating them before dawn.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I searched for vegan Ayyam i Ha recipes (why not?) and here you are! Happy Ayyam i Ha! Best way to celebrate is the compassionate way!

    ReplyDelete