Sugar Cookies for One

Any time of year is just right for sugar cookies, and the winter holidays make them especially inviting. This recipe makes a dozen little cookies rather than the usual two or three. You’ll want the extras, and they keep pretty well if you don’t gobble them up all at once. Try to wait until your tea is steeped, at least. 

1 ½ TBLSP water

½ teaspoon flax seed meal

6 TBLSP all-purpose flour

Pinch of baking powder

A pinch of salt

1 ½ TBLSP vegan butter

3 ½ TBLSP powder sugar

1 teaspoon non-dairy milk (I like almond milk)

A splash of vanilla extract

A splash of almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

1. Combine the flax and water in a small bowl and set it aside to think about becoming egg-like.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the flour baking powder, and salt.
3. Cream in the butter and powdered sugar until it’s all a nice mixture.
4. Add in the flax glop and mix that in too, along with the milk, vanilla, and almond extracts.
5. Roll the dough into a ball, and refrigerate for a half an hour.

Tra-la-la.

1. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, and cut into nice shapes. This can include things like circles and squares, if those are shapes that appeal to you. Don’t feel that you have to invest in a collection of cookie cutters.
2. Bake them for 18 to 20 minutes until slightly golden.

Variations:

• Dust the bare cookies with granulated sugar before baking.
• Dust the bare cookies with a mixture of 1 TBLSP granulated sugar, and 2 shakes of cinnamon.
• Grind up ¼ teaspoon of cardamom and sneak it into the batter with the extracts. Yummmm.
• Switch out the almond extract for a lemon wedge’s worth of juice and a half teaspoon of poppy seeds. 

Cream Cheese Frosting

This is a great recipe for cakes, cookies, scones, muffins--pretty much any time you'd like some frosting.

½ TBLSP vegan butter, softened

2 TBLSP vegan cream cheese, softened

A splash of vanilla extract

¾ cup powdered sugar

Drops of food coloring

1. Combine the vegan butter and cream cheese until it’s fluffy.
2. Add the vanilla, and stir until well-combined.
3. Add the powdered sugar a little bit at a time. You might not want all of it, if you want a thinner drizzly frosting. You might want more of it, if you want a thicker frosting that you can make into peaks.
4. Add the food coloring. Or not. It's pretty when it's just white, too. 

Variations:

• If you want to make it pretty colors, divide the frosting into small bowls and mix in the food coloring of your choice. Go lightly!
• Sprinkles. Need I say more?