Nothing says Xmas like the smell of cinnamon, am I right? And orange zest, and nutmeg and cloves, but cinnamon is right up there and I think it’s one spice that pretty much everyone associates with Christmas time. This is why I have been hell bent on perfecting vegan snickerdoodles, cinnamon coated sugar cookies with a gorgeously pillowy texture. I first sampled them when strolling around a Christmas market in London’s Southbank, many years ago and I have fallen in love with their flavour and texture ever since.
I got them from a very passionate and very cold (it was a tough day for the stall holders as it was properly cold and to add insult to injury the market was near the Thames) Canadian baker who had a stall with all sorts of Christmas cookies and I remember how sad I got when I took the last bite.
This year, I have decided that it’s time to veganise these beauties and I have been at it for a while now. Finally, I’ve settled on a combination of flax egg or aquafaba (whichever one you have handy) and a bit of pumpkin puree. It may seem strange to employ two different egg replacement methods in one humble cookie, but I feel like the combination of the two of them offers the best texture. I must admit that these aren’t still quite as delicious as the ones I had in the Christmas market, but they are pretty close and I am aware that eating stuff al fresco always tastes better! These are soft and pillowy with slightly crispy edges rather than chewy, which I got quite close to but it still needs some testing so you’ll have to wait till next year 🙂 . Anyway, I hope you will enjoy these!
- 1 tbsp (I use golden) flax seeds or 45 ml / 3 tbsp aquafaba
- 100 g / ½ cup fragrance free coconut oil
- 70 g / 1/3 cup caster sugar or coconut sugar for refined sugar-free version
- 70 g / 1/3 packed cup muscovado sugar (I used light) or coconut sugar for refined sugar-free version
- 60 ml / ¼ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 160 g / 1 + 1/3 cup all purpose wheat flour or GF flour mix
- 1 tsp cream of tartar*
- ½ tsp baking soda (GF certified if needed)
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
COATING
- 1 tbsp cinnamon, plus extra ½-1 tsp (optional)
- 3 tbsp caster sugar
- Place ground up flax seeds in a small bowl with 45 ml / 3 tbsp of water, set aside to jellify. If using aquafaba, skip this step.
- Measure out coconut oil and leave it out somewhere warm (like at some distance from a working radiator) so that it softens rather than melts.
- Once softened, beat coconut oil and both sugars with an electric whisk.
- Once combined, whisk in jellified flax until well combined and gooey. If using aquafaba, add at this step.
- Next, whisk in pumpkin puree and vanilla extract.
- Finally, fold in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. You may also want to add ½-1 tsp of cinnamon to the batter itself, if you love cinnamon.
- Refrigerate the batter for 90 minutes. If you want to speed things up, place it in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Before you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 175° C / 350° F and line a large baking tray with a piece of greaseproof paper.
- Mix 1 tbsp of cinnamon and 3 tbsp of caster sugar on a large plate.
- Divide the batter into 12 equal size pieces (mine weigh 43 g / 1½ oz each), roll into a ball, coat in cinnamon sugar and then place on the baking tray, leaving plenty of space around each cookie as they will spread.
- Bake for 8-9 minutes, until the edges are just barely set.
- Allow the cookies to cool off a little before transferring to a drying rack as they will be very fragile straight out of the oven. Cool the cookies completely before eating. Store in an airtight jar for up to 3-4 days. If you want to freeze them for later, freeze them after you coated them in cinnamon sugar but before baking. Use baking paper or freeze on a baking tray initially to make sure they don’t stick together.