Cookie

This is a simple drop cookie with a delightful maple flavor. I went to college in Quebec, and these cookies transport me back to snowy winters where nothing was more warming than a freshly baked treat.

My husband Adam asked me to create this recipe. He wanted a facsimile of Archway Dutch Cocoa Cookies, one of his childhood favorites. This recipe comes pretty darn close to the original, and has become a real favorite with my kids as well.

Spicy, exotic, buttery drop cookies—just the perfect size for dunking in a hot cup of tea or mulled apple cider.

This is an old-fashioned recipe from Sweden, often baked during Christmastime. Although Swedish cuisine may be unfamiliar to most of us outside of Scandinavia, these cookies will probably taste familiar. Cardamom is the predominant spice in masala chai, the warming, aromatic tea sold by street vendors called “chai wallahs” throughout South Asia, and now also sold at Starbucks around the world, packaged as chai latte. But whether it’s Starbucks, Stockholm, or India, these cookies from way up north taste like the holidays to me.

Subtly sweet and ultra-crispy, these twice-baked Italian cookies are an all-purpose treat. Great for dipping, dunking, or just plain snacking, they’re wonderful to have on hand any time of day. I like mine dunked in tea, and my kids like theirs partnered with vegan ice cream.

SunButter is used in place of marshmallow as the binder in this allergen-free version of an old favorite. In addition to being delicious, this rice crispy treat is also packed with protein and vitamin E, so you can feel indulged and virtuous, all at the same time! Dark Karo syrup contains molasses instead of high-fructose corn syrup, and thus is better in my opinion, but dark and light corn syrup are interchangeable.

These graham crackers are addictively delicious. They’re great as a snack with a glass of rice milk, or wonderful made into s’mores (see variation below). This recipe also makes a wonderful pie crust.

I was so excited when Enjoy Life came out with their new line of chocolate bars, I literally jumped for joy. I was already a huge fan of their chocolate chips, and now they’ve given me a whole new genre of chocolate to bake with. These chocolate chunk cookie bars are an old-fashioned picnic or school function favorite. So easy and yet sooooo good!

Often called “dream bars,” these double-layered bar cookies have a crunchy graham cracker base and a chewy, caramelized top. My friend Ben Duke says, “The only problem with these cookies is that there aren’t more of them!”

Up until I created this recipe, allergen-free, gluten-free brownies were a bit like the Holy Grail. I kept searching, but to no avail. I worked on my own recipe, but making brownies without dairy, soy, gluten, and, most of all, eggs is not easy! Granted, there were recipes out there that called themselves brownies, but they were really just mini cupcakes. A chewy, moist brownie with a nice crusty, glossy top remained elusive. Until now, that is. Yup, that’s right, after years of trying, I’ve finally baked it—an honest-to-goodness allergen-free, gluten-free, vegan tray of real brownies. Go ahead, I dare you, try eating just one.

This cookie was a happy accident. I was experimenting with SunButter and discovered that when you bake it combined with maple syrup, it turns the center of the cookie green. (It has to cool to work its alchemy.) My husband loves these cookies because they have no refined sugar, and my kids like them for their Dr. Seuss–like hue. They’re perfect for the Christmas season or as a healthy snack all year round. Use organic unsweetened SunButter if you can fi nd it; if not, regular works fine, too. Be sure to measure the SunButter and the maple syrup with a liquid measuring cup. Remember there is a small chance of soy cross-contamination with SunButter (see page 179 for more information), but if that’s a problem you can make your own sunflower seed butter.

This recipe first appeared in Living Without in December 2008. I had to include it here because it’s so good, and also because it reminds me of my grandmother Catherene, who taught me to bake cookies. She was very fond of ginger.

Make these for any of the holidays where you want cutout cookies. They’re perfect for Halloween, Christmas and Hanukkah, Valentine’s Day, Easter... you get the idea. They’re also great made into letter cookies or animals. My kids love baking these as an activity. It’s part cooking, part art project, and they’re so proud of their handiwork once it comes out of the oven.

Spritz cookies are the backbone of holiday baking. You can decorate them with any kind of sprinkles, drizzle them with chocolate, dust them with sparkly sugars, add food coloring to make them in a rainbow of colors, press them out into any shape . . . they’re endlessly versatile. I’ve spruced up the classic recipe slightly by adding a hint of orange flavor, giving them just a little special oomph. I’ve written proportions for a large batch so you can give them as gifts or make them for a party. They also store well in the freezer, so you can keep them on hand for treats anytime.

My grandmother Catherene used to make a version of these when I was a child. I still remember waiting in the kitchen for them to set, barely able to contain myself as their tempting aroma wafted through the house.

Pretty and elegant, these cookies will make your mouth water, and they’re fun to make! Kids love sticking their thumb in the middle of the cookies, and filling the mini pool with creamy delicious chocolate. See below for a fruity variation.

A hearty, chewy classic! Pack these in your kids’ lunch for a snack, or serve them after school with a big chilled glass of rice milk for dunking!

I don’t know what to call these, other than perfect. But don’t thank me, thank the advent of gluten-free oats. Hurray for oats! This is my favorite cookie.

When I give these to vegan friends, they think they’ve died and gone to heaven. Nobody can believe they’re vegan and gluten-free. They disappear as fast as I can bake them, so I make them in bulk and keep them in the freezer.

These are my son Lennon’s favorite cookies. They’re like a soft Oreo, but unlike Oreos, where most kids just break them open, eat the cream filling, and discard the hard cookie exterior, Lennon ooohs and ahs and chows down the whole thing. Store them in a tightly sealed container and they’ll last well for days.