This may have been the most epic blog post and photo shoot we’ve ever tackled on Oh She Glows. As my last post before the Christmas holidays, I think it’s safe to say we’re going out with a bang this year! This cookie roundup has a little something for everyone on your list, and I hope my treats inspire you to create your own vegan dessert board—big or small—this holiday season. If you make one and share it online, I’d love to see. Be sure to use the hashtags #ohsheglows, #osgcookies, #GETINMABELLY, and #SantaGoesVegan…okay, I suppose the last two are optional.
Yesterday morning all I could think was “WHAT DID I GET MYSELF INTO!?” There I was: in the throes of a nasty cold, buzzing around the kitchen and decorating cookies at the speed of light while Arlo played quietly with his educational toys screamed at my legs . I wish you could’ve seen me running between my kitchen and photography studio during naptime, pleading with the Nap Gods for five more minutes of photoshoot time. Luckily it all came together with some major hustling.
Check out these two behind-the-scenes photos! Who else finds their kitchen in organized chaos this time of year? ;)
Can you spot the gingerbread escapee below? LOL. It’s like a scene straight out of Shrek.
As you’ll see in the graphic below, we’re playing around with a new photo feature. Please humour me by hovering over the red dots near each cookie grouping to display a fun pop-up box. I actually find all that clicking around quite satisfying…almost like popping bubble wrap! I’d love to hear whether you like this sort of thing; if so, we’ll do more in the future.
[annotator_pro name=”vegan-cookie-platter”]
1. Gluten-free Snickerdoodles
A festive favourite. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and a dash of turbinado after baking. Recipe is online here. Or find the non-gluten-free version here.
2. Almond Butter Rice Crisp Treats
Riffing on the classic Rice Krispie Square, these treats can be iced and sprinkled in advance for a pop of colour. I like to cut them into triangles for “tree” shapes around the holidays. Recipe available on the Oh She Glows Recipe App and on the blog.
3. Eggnog Crunch Biscotti
A great companion to coffee or a latte, these crispy eggnog biscotti have a wonderful nutty flavour too. If you don’t have vegan eggnog on hand any plant-based milk works in a pinch. Recipe on Oh She Glows.
4. Gingerbread People
What’s a holiday spread without gingerbread buddies? These are fun for kids to help make too. Recipe from the Oh She Glows Recipe App (inside the Cookie Lover’s bundle).
5. Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Bites
With a quick prep and 10-minute chill, these bites are perfect for whipping up just before guests arrive. Recipe from The Oh She Glows Cookbook, page 235.
6. Triple Almond Thumbprint Cookies
Kid- and freezer-friendly for easy prep, any leftover cookies are perfect for breakfast the next morning, not that you’ll have any to speak of! Arlo LOVES these cookies. Recipe from Oh She Glows Every Day, page 205.
7. Ultimate Flourless Brownies
Rich and decadent, these gluten-free brownies with an almond butter base will make your kitchen smell amazing before guests arrive. Recipe from Oh She Glows Every Day, page 199.
8. Pillowy Pumpkin Snacking Cookies
Nut-free and kid-friendly, these cookies are a lighter complement to the board’s richer desserts. Recipe from Oh She Glows Every Day, page 217.
9. Lightened Up Magical Coconut Bars
Lightened up without butter and using unsweetened coconut, these bars still feel totally indulgent. Recipe on Oh She Glows.
10. Chewy Molasses Spelt Cookies
A holiday classic. I like to dip half in white chocolate and decorate with chopped candied ginger to punch up colour on the plate. Recipe is on the blog and in Oh She Glows Every Day, page 219.
11. Chocolate Macaroon Truffles
Rolled in matcha, these truffles add a sweet festive look to the board. For a more traditional macaroon flavour, you can stir shredded coconut into the truffle mixture. Extras make a lovely host gift too! Recipe on the blog.
12. Chocolate-Almond Espresso Cookies
Rich and perfect for dunking in after-dinner coffee or tea. Dip cooled cookies in melted vegan white chocolate for the ultimate treat. From Oh She Glows Every Day, page 207.
13. Peanut Better Balls
Peanut butter balls were a Christmas treat in my house growing up, and this lightened-up freezer-friendly version is perfect for making ahead before putting together your board. Recipe on the blog and in Oh She Glows Every Day, page 231.
14. Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
My twist on the classic peanut butter cookie. They’re gluten-free and freezer-friendly, too. From Oh She Glows Every Day, page 213.
Cookie board styling ideas:
If you’re looking for some festive styling ideas for your cookie board, feel free to play around with some of the following: fresh cranberries, clementines (bonus points if they have green leaves attached!), greenery (such as lacy cedar), or hand-written labels.
This post wouldn’t be complete without a shout-out to Nicole, OSG’s recipe tester extraordinaire, for all of the baking help. You should’ve seen the truckload of cookies she delivered this week! #cookiemotherlode
Well friends, I won’t be posting again until the new year as I’m working away on the blog redesign and also preparing for a couple TV segments next week (one of which is live on Your Morning on December 19th!). Be sure to follow me on Twitter and Insta Stories for all of my riveting day-to-day updates…heh. And if you have any recipe questions for me, I’ll be on stand-by to help troubleshoot, as always!
Last but not least, I want to wish you all a fantastic holiday season! I’m so grateful for your continued support, friendship, and enthusiasm for what I do. With love and immense gratitude,
Angela xoxo
That is really stunning!!!! So beautiful and festive!
Thank you Anne! I appreciate the kind words :) :)
I love you honesty in this post. Playing with educational games, haha (in our mommy dreams!). It turned out beautiful. Merry Christmas, I can’t wait to pick on of these to try today!
hehe…glad it’s not just me!! Silly little ones. Have a fabulous Christmas too, Leah! All the best to you and your family.
This is INCREDIBLE. I’ve been excited to make Christmas cookies but this is next level! Love your stuff Angela. I’m making your cinnamon buns for a Christmas brunch we’re hosting tomorrow and can’t wait to eat them. Maybe I’ll need to reassess (and increase) my cookie making time to include some of these ones that I hadn’t considered…
Merry Christmas! xx
Hey Nicole, Oh man, enjoy my buns (wait that didn’t come out right), lol. Such a fun brunch addition. Let me know how it goes!
And happy cookie baking if you add any to your plans.
Hahaha, thanks Angela! Buns turned out perfectly! They were a massive hit. The make ahead option was an awesome way to save time in the morning and to be able to serve them fresh. We also had a version of your happy digestion smoothie (with mango instead of pineapple and no parsley), your smoky and spicy bar nuts, avacado and cherry tomato on baguette, eggnog pancakes (regular vegan pancakes with sugar omitted and holiday nog instead of almond milk), and chia pudding parfaits. We had way to much food (as we always seem to) which meant leftovers for a second brunch for us yesterday!
Whoa baby!!! Please invite me next time..hahah. Sounds like an absolute dream…way to go! And I’m so happy the buns were a hit.
Hi Angela, love the cookie board – it looks so festive and inviting!!
I just want to thank you for being such an inspiration. Although I’m not a vegan myself I am toying with the idea and have been eating your recipes all week. You make it so easy.. and delicious!! We are so blessed to have someone like you in our lives. I find myself on your blog daily (let’s face it… multiple times per day!).
And yes, the red dots are great.. much appreciated!
Thanks Alema, I’m so flattered that you love the blog so much…your encouragement really means the world to me.
And thanks for the red dot love…haha. I had a minor freak out when I hit publish and it wasn’t showing up. Glad you can see it!
;) =D
Beautiful display, Angela!
I can’t even imagine the amount of work that went into creating this shoot.
I’m so excited to start my holiday cookie baking this weekend. :)
Thank you, Hannah! Glad this post came just in time for your cookie baking. :) Have fun!
So beautiful!!! You’ve inspired me to do some baking this weekend. I already had your recipe for the Chocolate Chunk Toffee Bars, but now I want to make more.
I love the hover feature, too. So cool!
Happy holidays to you and your family, Angela. Thank you for all the delicious recipes and drool-worthy pictures you provide.
Thank you Jennifer! So glad you like the hover feature too. Have a wonderful holiday and happy baking this weekend!
Oh my goodness, Angela, these pictures are gorgeous! They are merry and bright!
The cookies look (and taste!) so incredibly decadent…I wish I could click on one of the pictures and add it to an online Oh She Glows shopping cart! Deliver to my door for our Christmas feast dessert and I’m all set!
Your Eggnog Crunch Biscotti is my new craving…I’ve been dipping it in coffee, tea, hot chocolate…now that I’ve seen these pics I’ll have to dip half in melted white chocolate and try it that way…yum! I don’t know if it can ever replace my number one fave (your Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies are simply the best cookie ever) but it is my go to treat for this Christmas season!
Time to get baking…
I’m such a fan of biscotti too! It’s so satisfying. I was so happy to bring this recipe out of the archives from years ago!
Thanks again for all of your help…couldn’t have done it without you, Nicole! And now some of your cookies will be on live TV on Tuesday…haha…how cool is that?
Live TV? How cool is that?!
Well, it’s a little “Agh!” And a bit of “Eek!” And brimming with “How do you do this all the time, Angela?” And, I’m so glad you do!”
You made these cookies so pretty! I love the candied ginger and melted chocolate…and the little crispy rice Christmas trees are adorable :)
Fingers crossed I can transport the cookies to Toronto on Tuesday morning! lol. No pressure, no pressure. ;)
Merry Christmas Angela! To you and yours – you deserve a holiday break! Happy cookie eating! Enjoy Christmas with your little ones. :)
Thanks Sandy! Merry Christmas to you and your family too :)
This is my dream! It’s beautiful. Just wondering where you get your vegan white chocolate, I can never find it.
Hey Jessica, You can often find it online at Vegan Supply or Vegan Essentials. Hope this helps!
Beautiful! I made your flourless peanut butter cookies (with sunflower butter) last night and they are fantastic!
I love your recipes Angela and I must echo other comments about how inspiring your are!! My husband turned vegan around 3 years ago and I followed suit soon after. Your blog has been so vital and I’ve cooked so many of your recipes now I’ve lost count. I also found your blog about freezer meals really useful when I was pregnant.
Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Sarah
Hey Sarah, I’m so happy they worked with sunflower seed butter. :) Such a great option!
And I’m so flattered to be a part of your vegan journey…thanks for all the encouragement!
I look forward to every new post. This one is so gorgeous! Your recipes (whether from your books or website) are always a hit. Awesome work- thanks!!
Really? That’s so sweet! Thank you Tammy…it really means a lot to me to hear how much you look forward to the posts.
Love this..like everything you do!! Thank you for all the red dots, I looked at the first few shots trying to guess which cookies they were..ha. I found if I held my thumb down and moves the pic I was able to see all the dots and names of cookies. Thanks so much and Merry Christmas!?
Thank you for your kind words! I noticed last night that the red dot image wasn’t working on mobile devices, but Eric worked some magic and now at least you can move it around with your thumb (as you found out!)…still some kinks to work out, but it’s fun.
Merry Christmas to you as well, Karen :)
So pretty! And mouth-watering! I love everything about these cookies and I will be trying these Christmas! Thank you for sharing!
Love,
Olga from Myme
Thank you and happy baking Olga!
Thank you Angela for another inspiring, beautiful post. The cookies look amazing!
Thank you, Bonnie! It was really fun to come up with.
OMGoodness! If this doesn’t make pinterest many times over then that’ll be a real shame…LOL. I LOVE the way you keep it real….screaming child, cookies on the floor…its the real deal…LOL.
I am going to try to tackle making some of these. Maybe next time you can give us ADVANCE WARNING….LOL.
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas from T.O. ;)
You just reminded me that I didn’t add this to my pinterest board…I always forget!! Will do that now.
Have a wonderful Christmas too Sabrina :)
The cookie board is gorgeous and a great idea! The red dots are really, really helpful. I hope you will continue to use them.
That’s great to hear, Lesley! I really appreciate the feedback. We have some fun ideas for future photos using the pop up dots.
I like the pop-ups on the cookie image. I’ve never seen that done before. :)
Thanks Dana! It’s pretty fun (that is, once we finally got it working!). I realized last night on mobile devices it wasn’t working properly (the image was majorly cut off on my phone). So Eric worked some magic and now at least you can scroll around the photo on mobile devices. Still some kinks to work out. :)
Oh my goodness. Your board is incredible. However, my favorite part is the behind the scenes pictures! Love the gingerbread boy making a break for it. I make plates for neighbors and they always say “these are so beautiful” and I think of the mess in my kitchen–full of baggies and crumbs and containers. Sometimes even an escapee! Our dog usually grabs those.
haha…yes the mess isn’t avoidable, is it? Too bad there wasn’t a way around that. Thanks for the cookie board love, Mary.
This is sooo beautiful and makes me want to bake even more cookies :) Do you have a link for where I can find the sprinkles you dipped your chocolate almond espresso cookies in? Love them!
Thanks Cassondra! For the chocolate almond espresso cookies, I used crushed candycane and some festive regular red/green/white sprinkles from a bulk food store. Sadly, they are not the “natural” kind as I couldn’t locate any.
You are amazing! Your cookie board is beautiful! Looking forward to trying some of your recipes. Thank you for the inspiration.
Thank you so much for the kind words, Mary-Lynn! Happy baking.
Wow, that looks gorgeous (and sounds delicious)! I have both your cookbooks too. :)
Which recipe is for the cute little green ball cookies?
Oops, never mind! They’re the macaroon truffles. :)
Thank you so much for the cookbook love Tina!
Yep, you’re right about them being the macaroon truffles! I left out the shredded coconut for this batch and coated them in matcha powder. The matcha is a bit strong, so next time I may mix in some icing sugar into the matcha powder before rolling.