With the holidays comes holiday baking. Baking festive cookies can seem daunting, but it does not have to be. Here are some easy recipes to make with the holiday season quickly approaching. 

This first recipe is for vegan snickerdoodles. Although these cookies are vegan, they can be enjoyed by vegans and non-vegans alike. The blend of cinnamon and sugar in these snickerdoodles make them the perfect cookies for the holiday season. This recipe is from lovingitvegan.com.

For this recipe you will need:

1/2 cup vegan butter

2/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 and 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon 

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon non-dairy milk

For Rolling:

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

To make these cookies:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Add the butter and sugar to an electric mixer and cream them together. Add in the vanilla and apple cider vinegar and mix in.
• Add in the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and mix in by hand until it forms a crumbly dough.
• Then add in the non-dairy milk so that it forms into a dough.
• Roll the cookie dough into balls and then roll the balls in the cinnamon and sugar mixture and place them onto a parchment lined baking sheet. 
• Bake for 10 minutes.

The next recipe is for Russian tea cake cookies. These cookies are easy to make and they have a nutty flavor that’s perfect for holidays. This recipe has been adapted from Cook’s Illustrated’s recipe.

For this recipe you will need:

2 sticks unsalted butter

½ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½  teaspoon salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

¾ pecans, toasted and chopped

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

To make these cookies:

• Beat butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt in an electric mixer for three minutes, until light and fluffy. 
• Reduce speed to low and add in flour.
• Add pecans and mix until combined.
• Wrap the dough and refrigerate for an hour.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Roll dough into one-inch balls and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet.
• Bake for ten to twelve minutes, rotating them halfway through.
• Sift confectioner’s sugar into a bowl. Gently toss cookies in sugar to coat them, one at a time. 
• Once the cookies have cooled, coat in confectioner’s sugar an additional time to ensure coverage.

This last recipe is for cocoa wafers. These chocolatey cookies pair well with hot cocoa and can be decorated with festive sprinkles, or cut into festive shapes, if you choose. This recipe comes from Cook’s Illustrated’s cocoa wafers recipe.

For these cookies you will need:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

½ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To make these cookies:

• Whisk flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl.
• Beat the butter and sugar in an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about three minutes.
• Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. 
• Reduce mixer speed to low and add in the dry ingredients until just combined.
• Divide the dough into halves and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for thirty minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Working with one half of the dough at a time, lightly flour the dough and roll it out until it is ⅛ thick.
• Using cookie cutters of your choice, cut out the cookies and place them onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
• Bake the cookies for eight to twelve minutes, rotating them halfway through.

These recipes are all easy options to make in the upcoming month. Baking does not have to be hard, and it is a great way to connect with family over the holiday season. Hopefully you will try out these easy recipes in time for the holidays. 

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