Sugar Cookies - vegan

I think this one might be learning the word "cookie" too. That does not bode well for having conversations the rest of the week. "What kind of, er, baked dough are you making now?" or "I need to take the thingies out of the oven, but then we should take them out for a promenade." (They know "walk," too. It's sometimes inconvenient) 

This is a great base recipe. You can dress it up like this or this or extra fancy like this, cover with frosting and sprinkles, or simply eat right out of the oven. I don't think Santa (or Mrs. Clause) is too picky about how they look, and, personally, I think they go pretty well with almond milk.

Sugar Cookies - vegan
adapted from The Joy of Vegan Baking

1/2 C vegan butter

3/4 C sugar

1 1/2 tsp Ener-G Egg replacer (equal to 1 egg)

2 Tbsp water

1 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 C flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg replacer, water, and vanilla and beat for at least another minute. Mix in the flour and baking powder. The dough will probably be somewhat crumbly, but will hold together if you press it together with your fingers. If necessary, add an additional 1-2 Tbsp water.

Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least one hour, or overnight.

When you're ready to make the cookies, remove one dough package from the fridge, and while it warms slightly, line your cookie sheets with parchment paper. On a floured surface, with a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough to a thickness of approximately 1/4 inch. Cut out as many cookies as possible and transfer them to the cookie sheet. Re-roll remaining dough, cut out cookies, and repeat until you've used it all. If the dough starts to get too sticky to work with, put it back in the fridge for 10 minutes or so.

Preheat oven to 350F. Refrigerate cookie sheets with cookies while your oven warms up. This will help them keep their shape. Bake them for 10-15 minutes, depending how crunchy you like them. Remove from oven and allow to cool a few minutes on the baking sheets before transferring them to wire racks to finish cooling.

To Frost:
In a small bowl, stir together some confectioners sugar and non-dairy milk, water, or juice. Start with a very small amount of liquid and gradually increase until you reach your desired consistency. Use a piping bag or a ziplock bag with a corner cut off to decorate as you please. If you just want to slather on as much frosting as possible, might as well just use a spoon.