Lucious Lemon Cookies

Yup, as weird as you may think this is...my cookie list for Christmas ALWAYS includes lemon cookies!  I'm not sure if it's because it's the one time during the year that I do away with self-restraint and just indulge in whatever goody is out there...OR if it's because ever since childhood, my Grandma Sass (mom's mom...she's super sassy...hence the name!)  would put out an array of Christmas cookies that would make Santa drool...and the platter always included these TO DIE FOR lemon cookies!  Whatever the reason, Christmas cookies at our home ALWAYS include lemon cookies, and this year, we went healthy with them!!

Here's my holiday cookie disclaimer:  although I always try to stay within the realms of "healthy vegan" baking/cooking, the holidays are also about taste...so if I can't find an amazing alternative that's completely vegan or healthy, I WILL resort to using some ingredients that you normally wouldn't find in my recipes...in this recipe...it's powdered sugar for the frosting...go ahead, try making a piping frosting without it...I've tried...failed every time!

The Cookie:

Preheat oven to 375

-Sift then set aside:

3 c. King Arthur's White Whole Wheat Flour
3/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. sea salt

-Cream together:

1/2 c. coconut oil (coconut oil is WAY healthier than butter...but if you don't have any, you can use all vegan butter...the original recipe actually calls for 1 c. butter)
1/2 c. Earth Balance Buttery Spread
3/4 c. agave (you can actually use a full c. of agave if you want...but I try to make the cookies just a little less sweet if they're going to be frosted...haven't had any complaints yet!)

-Add to the creamed mixture:

1 "egg" (1 eggs worth of prepared egg replacer)
1 T. unsweetened almond milk
1-2 T. lemon extract (taste the dough and see what fits your taste the best)

-Add the flour mixture and mix.

-Pack into a ball and roll out the way you would sugar cookie dough (minus the lemon extract, this is actually my sugar cookie recipe!)  Cut them out into simple circles (as shown above), or use your cookie cutters and get creative!

-Bake for 7-9 minutes...I find that these harden up quite nicely, and they won't really brown in the oven, so DON'T over-bake them, because they'll be dry.

The Frosting:

Ok, side note:  Frosting is one of those things that I NEVER measure out...I just get a good feel for taste and texture and go with it.  I found a recipe to use as a base, if you follow it correctly, it will work out for sure...I just can't guarantee you it will be the same thing that I did when I made the frosting pictured above!

3 T. Earth Balance Buttery Spread (do not soften)
3 T. Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese (do not soften)

-Cream together until smooth (or your frosting will be lumpy and unattractive!)

-Add:

2 1/4 c. powdered sugar (I cringe just writing this out...but honestly, I haven't been able to do a good piping frosting without it...PLEASE let me know if you find something!)
1/8 t. sea salt

-Beat until a very firm frosting begins to emerge, and add:

2-4 t. of almond milk (add very slowly, because you definitely want a firm frosting)
1 t. vanilla

-Taste the frosting...if it tastes good, but is runny, add more powdered sugar...if it tastes too sugary, add more butter (make sure you beat it up smoothly before you add it)

-I added a few drops of food coloring to some of the frosting for decorative purposes...not necessary, but it sure makes it pretty!

-Top with your favorite sprinkles, or just eat them plain...either way...this recipe spells WINNER!  Enjoy!  (I actually need to make another batch of them, because although I froze them so I'd have them for Christmas functions, SOMEHOW they got eaten still!!!)