December 22nd marks one of the most delicious days of the year, National Cookie Exchange Day. Just in time for the end of the year holidays, National Cookie Exchange Day is the perfect time to host or attend a holiday cookie exchange.
Baking, especially baking holiday cookies often evokes that feeling of nostalgia, bringing you back to those sweet memories shared with loved ones in the kitchen. After all there are so many holiday recipes that get passed down through the family. Perhaps it’s your great-grandmother’s gingerbread cookies or your mom’s peppermint bark that takes you right back. That’s really what it’s all about isn’t it?
Since we love any excuse to celebrate delicious treats, we asked the team here at O’MY for their favorite holiday cookie recipes, and as a holiday gift to our community, we wanted to share these delicious recipes with you, along with some creative ways you can make them allergy-friendly or vegan. We hope you, and whoever you share these recipes with, enjoy each and every bite. Happy National Cookie Exchange Day everyone!
Peppermint Bark
Peppermint Bark is a personal favorite of Julie’s. A festive and traditional cookie pick for many, this peppermint bark recipe can easily be made vegan by swapping out the white chocolate and replacing it with a dairy-free or vegan white chocolate instead.
Ingredients
- 16 oz. white chocolate chopped into ½’’ pieces
- 6 candy canes, crushed
- ¼ tsp. Peppermint oil
Instructions
1.) Line 11”x17” baking sheet with parchment paper.
2.) Using a double boiler, melt white chocolate, stirring constantly to avoid burning.
3.) Once the white chocolate is melted, stir in the crushed candy cane pieces and peppermint oil.
4.) Pour the melted chocolate mixture over the parchment paper, spreading evenly with a spatula.
5.) Chill peppermint bark in the fridge until it is firm, roughly 30-45 minutes.
6.) Break or cut into pieces and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
Soft Gingerbread Cookies with Maple Glaze
Allison’s festive holiday cookie pick are these Soft Gingerbread Cookies with Maple Glaze from the Pinch of Yum blog.
If you are interested in making this recipe vegan, swap out eggs for flax eggs and use Earth Balance Vegan Butter Sticks instead of traditional dairy-based butter.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup salted butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1–2 teaspoons ground ginger
- Granulated sugar for rolling
Ingredients: Maple Glaze
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 3/4 to 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- Pinch of salt, to taste
Instructions
1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2.) Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and molasses; mix until incorporated.
3.) Add flour, baking soda, salt, and ginger. Mix until a soft dough forms.
4.) Scoop into small balls (a little smaller than the size of a golf ball) and roll in sugar. Bake for 8-10 minutes; remove from the pan so the cookies can flatten slightly as they cool.
5.) Whisk maple glaze ingredients together until smooth. Dip one side of the baked cookies into the maple glaze and add a few festive sprinkles if desired.
3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
In a pinch and short on time? (Aren’t we all). Don’t worry. We have got you covered with Morgan’s great, go-to holiday cookie exchange recipe, 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies from the Feel Good Foodie Blog. Naturally dairy-free and flourless, these cookies are super simple to make even if you are in a hurry.
Just like in Allison’s recipe, this recipe can be made vegan by using flax eggs. If you do not want to use peanut butter, consider swapping it out for an alternative nut or seed butter. Morgan recommends sunflower butter, but mentions to make sure it is salted.
Ingredients
- 1 cup peanut butter – Yumna recommends peanut butter with no added sugar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Mix peanut butter, sugar, and egg together in a bowl using an electric mixer or spoon, until smooth and creamy. Roll mixture into small balls and arrange on a baking sheet; flatten each with the back of a fork, making a criss-cross pattern.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before moving to a cooling rack for a few more minutes.
Best Fudgy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Chocolate connoisseur? Then give Heather’s favorite holiday cookies a go with these Best Fudgy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies from the Cafe Delites blog.
With an irresistible brownie texture center along with the crunch of a cookie, this recipe mash-up is like combining an ooey-gooey brownie and a classic cookie. Ummm…yum! If you are a peppermint fan, Heather subs 1 of the 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract with pure peppermint extract to make it extra festive!
If you prefer a vegan spin on this holiday classic, swap out the eggs for flax eggs instead.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (2.2 oz/60 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup (7 oz/205 g) white granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (3.5oz/130g) all-purpose or plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar (for coating)
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, white sugar, and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs one at a time, until fully incorporated. Mix in the vanilla.
- In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture just until a dough forms (do not overbeat). Cover bowl with wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F | 175°C. Line 2 cookie sheets or baking trays with parchment paper (baking paper). Roll 1 tablespoonful of dough into balls for smaller cookies, or 2 tablespoonfuls for larger cookies.
- Add the confectioners (icing) sugar to a smaller bowl. Generously and evenly coat each ball of dough in confectioners’ sugar and place them onto prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes (for small cookies) or 12 minutes (for larger cookies). The cookies will come out soft from the oven but will harden up as they cool.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool.
We hope you enjoy all the delicious goodies this season has to offer, and that you create sweet memories with those you love. Oh, and do not forget, one of the best things to pair with a plate of holiday cookies is a scoop (or two) of your favorite dairy-free gelato. Happy baking everyone! Sending each and every one of you happy holiday wishes from all of us at O’MY!
Show us your favorite holiday cookie recipes by tagging us @omydairyfree .
