What you need:

Cookie cutters!  I use “people” shaped cutters, but you can also use stars or whatever you like!

1/2 Cup vegan butter

1 cup brown sugar (light or dark, I prefer light)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

2/3 cup apple juice

1 1/3 Cups molasses (dark molasses)

7 1/2 Cups flour

You don’t have to worry about preheating the oven, because you are going to be refrigerating this dough for a few hours before rolling it out and cutting the cookies.  Keep this in mind in your planning!  The dough can be left overnight, but I think about 4 hours is enough.

In a mixing bowl, cream together the vegan butter, baking soda, salt, sugar, and spices.  Whisk in the molasses and the apple juice.  Once everything is well mixed, add the flour until you form a stiff dough.  For this step, I use my electric mixer with the paddle attachment.  Once you have a big, firm ball of dough, wrap it in plastic and chill it for about 4 hours.  During this time, you can make your frosting and prepare your decorating ingredients.  You can use the frosting recipe at www.myveganplanet.com, or you can use your own!  I prefer the vegan cream cheese frosting at maximum stiffness because it tastes delicious and holds its shape well.

When the dough is ready, cut it into sections and roll each section out to about 1/3 inch thick.  Cut with the cookie cutters and place them on baking sheets either lined with parchment paper or lightly greased.

When ready to bake, bake at 350 F for about 12 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack before decorating.

Enjoy!

Makes approximately 25-30 Latkes.

What you need:

8 medium to large baking potatoes, cleaned and grated on a cheese grater

2 large white or yellow onion, grated on a cheese grater

2 cups flour gram flour

2/3 cup cold water

salt and pepper to taste

Combine the onion and potato in a large mixing bowl and mix well.

In a separate mixing bowl, add the cold water to the gram flour and whisk well.  You should have the consistency of whisked eggs when you finish.  Season heavily with salt and pepper.

Using your hands, squeeze the water from the potatoes (when you shred potatoes, the natural water seeps out and will add unwanted excess liquids to your “pancake batter”).  When you have removed all the water, add the “egg” mixture of gram flour and water.  Season heavily with salt and pepper.  If you like, you can add a couple Tablespoons of vegan parmesan for extra flavor.

Now, to cook these, you need a NONSTICK skillet or pancake griddle pan.  Either of the 2 will work, but it is absolutely necessary that the surface is nonstick.  If you don’t have access to that, you can use a little oil on your pan, but in order to keep this recipe fat free, you shouldn’t be using any oil.

Heat your griddle pan or skillet on low/medium heat.  Spoon out a little less than 1/4 cup for each pancake onto the pan, as many that will fit without touching, and then cover the pan with a lid.  Allow them to cook for 2 or 3 minutes on each side while steaming.  Remove the lid and cook for 1 minute on each side to lightly crisp.  Remove from the pan and place on a plate lined with a couple of paper towels.

Enjoy!!!