Welcome to Day 1 of our 12 Days of Christmas Cookies!! As pumped as I am for the first Christmas event on Wicked Vegan, it took me almost no time to come to the conclusion that this little special is going to involve me eating a LOT of cookies. My plan was to give some away but, well, that is proving better said then done. For instance, this week I baked up 4 types of cookies, all which I photographed today since I was home during the day (Hello, natural lighting!!). Which means, all week, I have had fresh-baked cookies chillin’ in my house, including some of the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever eaten.

Yeah…let’s just say you won’t be seeing the whole batch of those chocolate chip cookies.

These cookies, though, are just too adorable to keep to myself! I didn’t intend for it to happen but don’t they look a little like christmas wreaths?? So cute! These are just plan ol’ sugar cookies with a little pizzaz thrown in.  Tired of seeing crazy concoction cookies like, bacon, whiskey cookies with artisan chocolate chips or blueberry basil thumb prints with  fresh lemon curd made with the tears of virgins? Yeah, it’s getting a tad out of control. These are great because they are simple and tasty without losing any of the presentation that you may want for gifts or holiday parties.

Pinwheel Sugar Cookies
veganized from Wiltons Gifts from the Kitchen
makes approximately 21

• 1/2 c. (1 stick) vegan butter, such as Earth Balance, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Ener-G egg
• 1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/8 tsp salt
• Food coloring of your choice (Obviously I chose green. I just used some that was in my cabinet from Stop and Shop. If you want an all natural variety, I have used India Tree before and liked them. )
• about a cup of sprinkles of your choice. I would advice you use a smaller type such as nonpareil. The bigger jimmies I used had a hard time sticking.
• 1/4 c. vegan chocolate

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar using electric mixer. Add Ener-G egg and vanilla extract; mix well. Stir in flour and salt, mixing until well blended.

2. Divide the dough into two equal portions. Add food coloring to one portion; knead to blend. Shape each portion to form 4 x 5-inch rectangles; wrap in plastic wrap. Refigerate dough 45-60 minutes.

3. Remove dough from refrigerator. Roll out colored dough on Parchment Paper (in can be a little sticky if it warms up or is over worked) to form 6 x 11-inch rectangle; set aside. Repeat with remaining dough. Place white dough rectangle over colored dough rectangle. Gently press dough together. Starting on one 11-inch edge, roll up dough jelly-roll style. Wrap roll in plastic wrap; refrigerate 1-2 hours until firm.

4. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Remove roll from refrigerator. Slice roll crossways into 1/4-inch rounds. Place each round onto ungreased cookie sheet, spacing 1 inch apart.

5. Bake 8-10 minutes or until the bottom edges are lightly golden brown. Remove from oven. Cool cookies on baking sheet 2-3 minutes. Transfer cookies to cooling rack; cool completely.

6. Places sparkles in a small bowl and set aside. Place chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds and give chocolate a stir. Repeat this process every 30 seconds until the chocolate is melted.

7. Spread a small amount of chocolate around the edge of the cooled cookie. Immediately roll edge in sprinkles. Place cookie on parchment paper to set.

You can’t go wrong with a well made sugar cookie at a party, especially when they are this cute. I also love that you can totally make them your own by switching up the dough color and the sprinkles. Green and red dough with white sprinkles maybe? Blue and white with Cake Sparkles for a more winter or Frozen theme? Totally doable! If you are using a lighter colored sprinkle, I would maybe try switching out the chocolate for a light coating of icing. Something like this may work better. I haven’t tried that but I would imagine it would look a bit nicer.

PS. How cute is my Christmas count down clock? My mom made it for me after she saw my Halloween one. Crafts and cookies- they are definitely two of the perks of Christmas time!! What cute crafts are you working on this year?

Read Full Post »