Dairy Free Christmas Cookies

My favorite cookies during the holidays are my grandmother's cookie press cokkies, my husband's grandmother's kolachki, peanut butter stars and of course gingerbread cutouts. Now the traditions are being passed down to my grandson. Making yummy dairy free cookies takes a little more than mere substitution. Cooking time may be a little longer. Many dairy free products are reduced in fat and won't crisp up as easily. Other changes have been made but the mouth watering essences of our families heritage remain intact.

Grammy Dot's Cookie Press Cookies

If you don't have a cookie press these can be dropped by teaspoon full.

Ingredients:

2 sticks dairy free margarine, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg or egg substitute
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 t almond extract or vanilla extract
green food and red food color
sprinkles

Preparation:

Preheat oven 350°

In a large mixing bowl with electric mixer, cream margarine and sugar until fluffy. Add egg; beat well. Add extract. You can half the recipe and make some almond and some vanilla. Addition of food color can make the cookies fun. We used green for the almond cookies.

Add the dry ingredients gradually and cream.. Press cookies 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Decorate cookies with sprinkles before baking.

Bake for about 7 to 8 minutes. Cool butter cookies on a wire rack.

Kolachki (passed down from Granny with the cane)

Ingredients:canned or jar filling (not pie filling) strawberry, poppy seed or prune
24 ounces soft tofu (I prefer MORI-NU brand)
2 lbs stick margarine
8 cups flour
2 t vanilla

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°

Allow cream cheese, margarine and vanilla to soften to room temperature Mix till well Blended.

Add Flour a little at a time and mix in till well blended. Chill in refrigerator overnight.

Using a quarter of the dough, roll out a square about 1/8 inch thick on board sprinkled with flour or confectioners sugar or a combination. Using a glass or biscuit cutter cut out circles from the dough.

Place a teaspoon of filling into the center and fold the dough in half.

In college my Jewish roommates made a similar cookie called Hamentashen. The circle of dough was squeezed together to make three points with the filling in the center. The filling was poppy seed. A favorite at Purim.

Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for about 20 minutes. Cool for a couple of minutes then place on wire rack to cool. Filling will be very hot. Sift powder sugar over the cookies while hot.

Peanut Butter Stars (You can't get better than chocolate and peanut butter! or easier)

Ingredients:

2 cups granulated sugar
1 jar of peanut butter (if you use all natural mix in the oil)
1 large egg or egg substitute
1 bag dairy free chocolate candy (star shapes if you can find them or ½ inch pieces of a bar

Preparation:

Preheat Oven 350°

In a large mixing bowl with electric mixer, cream peanut butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg; beat well. Drop by teaspoon cookies, 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for about 7 to 8 minutes. Immediately pull from oven and push a chocolate into the top of each cookies. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Gingerbread CutoutsIngredients:

2 ¾ cups flour
½ t baking soda
2 t ginger
2 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1 t cloves
½ cup dairy free margarine, room temperature
¾ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup black strap molasses
1 egg or egg substitute
Frosting: confectioner's sugar, food color and small amounts of water
Small candies, raisins or sprinkles for decorationPreparation:

Preheat oven to 350°

In a large mixing bowl, cream margarine and brown sugar. Add molasses, beat well. Add in egg and beat until well. In several additions, add the dry mixture, beating until mixture just holds together. Divide dough into three batches. Wrap each section in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for one hour.

Lightly flour pan or line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Lightly flour a countertop or work surface, and, working with one section at a time, roll out dough until about 1/4 inch thick. Using a cookie cutter dipped in flour, cut out individual cookies and place on prepared cookies sheets. Place sheets in freezer for 15 minutes.

Bake cookies for 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned. After removing the pans from the oven, allow cookies to remain on pans for about 2 minutes before placing on a cooling rack to finish cooling.

When cooled frost and add decorations.

Enjoy the holiday cookies with a tall glass of almond, rice or soy milk. And be sure to leave some for Santa.