When we were kids there was an absolute ban on discussing Christmas before the end of the autumn half term holiday (note for non-UK readers: usually the last week of October). Then we’d have a Halloween party (apple bobbing and dressing up as witches!)…
…and then and only then could the subject be broached, lists written and requests sent to the North Pole/Lapland/the chimney/wherever the hell it was that Santa actually lived.
I’m afraid (at the risk of igniting the wrath of Pa Yogini), I am breaking that rule this year. In order to get all the recipes I want in before the big day actually comes I’m going to need to start my Very Vegan Christmas series today. I hope you don’t mind readers. I hope you don’t think it’s too soon?
I thought I’d start with Christmas cookies, because cookies are great any time of year, can be baked to gear yourself up into thinking about Christmas, as a last batch to eat before thinking about Christmas or indeed just because it’s Wednesday. Also wrapped up in tissue paper, cookies make fabulous Christmas presents – always have some to hand in case a visitor arrives unexpectedly bearing gifts (they are my sort of visitor to be honest!)
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So a couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I may well have finally cracked the perfect vegan cookie recipe – I was reluctant to share but really that seems mean. I kind of made the recipe up and didn’t really write it down as I went but I’m 99.9% sure that this is it. These taste like Maryland cookies (if you know what they are) and keep for about 5 days in an airtight tin. This recipe makes 18.
(NB – if you want to change this up you can add chopped nuts or take out the choc chips and add oatmeal and raisins instead, or cinnamon and ginger – anything you like really – play with it, make it your own, that’s what my recipes are for 
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In a bowl sift together 500g/1.25lb plain flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and a pinch of salt.
Add 250g/9oz brown sugar to the bowl and stir together.
In a pan put one large tablespoon of black treacle and 125ml/4fl.oz sunflower oil. You need to heat these together over a low heat. Be careful, you know what happens to oil when it gets hot. As soon as they start to melt together take them off the heat and stir them into the flour mix whilst still warm.
You will then need a further 125ml/4fl.oz oil and stir this in a spoonful at a time until you have a cookie dough consistency.
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Add 200g/7oz of plain chocolate chips and two teaspoons of vanilla essence and stir in well.
Put spoonfuls of dough on a greased and lined baking sheet remembering to leave lots of space between spoonfuls as these cookies spread out in the oven!
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Then bake in a 180*C/350*F/Gas Mark 4 oven for 10-15 minutes.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool and eat as soon as physically possible!
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Lovely, thanks for sharing this delicious recipe!
Thanks for sharing your recipe, they sound gorgeous!
I’ve never heard of Maryland cookies, but as I live in Maryland, I’d better get researching! These look awesome–anything w/ chocolate chips is fine by me.
Last week I made some awful spongy cookies which were dry as dust only minutes after cooling. I resigned myself to having some sort of incapacity where cookies are concerned.
Then I just made these. My spirits are lifted, my soul is soothed, my boyfriend is one happy man (I’ve told him he can have a batch to give out to his friends tomorrow). Thanks for reassuring me that I am not in fact incapacitated on a cookie-baking level!
And finally, I have downloaded your yoga sequence and am about to try it out! Will report back
ps. I like Christmas to begin after Bonfire night, which is one of my favourite parts of the whole year, so I used dates and refer to them as ‘Sticky date bonfire cookies’ for now
@ Catherine – I am soooo glad they worked. As I was typing this I was thinking “I hope this is how I did it”, but just didn’t have a chance to bake them again before posting. Thanks so much for trying them out.