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
WOWEE!!!!!!
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The hardest part was not eating them after…I had to freeze them for my tv segment on Tuesday! *cries* lol
Brava, Angela! What a feat. And inspiring! Happy holidays to you and your growing family…what a fun way to end the year :) cheers!
Thank you, Annalise! It was fun :) Happy holidays to you and your family as well!
Wow love your work. Never would have thought of a cookie platter for Christmas . Wow blown away. Have all your books and will give it a go. You are so inspiring . Thank you so much for being you and helping us all over the world to love cooking. Have a lovely Christmas and happy cooking. Newcastle Australia
Wendy, thank you for your lovely words!! I’m so touched. :) Thanks so much for your support!
Loved the recipe popups (red dots)! Really neat idea/feature. Hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! :)
So glad you enjoyed the photo Kayla :) Thanks for the holiday wishes, too. All the best to you and your family!
Love this; so beautiful! Love the pinpoints too, so fun (and worked on iPhone). Merry Christmas, love your blog/instagram.
Merry Christmas to you too, Julie!
So happy to hear the dot image worked on the iphone. We had some kinks with it!
What a fantastic spread! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could go to a party and see that array of goodies, knowing that we could eat them all???? Have a great Christmas with the family x
Yes, that’s such an awesome feeling seeing so many vegan options! Thanks for the kind words. :)
Happy holidays, Angela! Thank you so much for all your fantastic recipes! :)
Happy holidays to you too Malin! Thanks for the recipe love.
I have to say these photos are seriously gorgeous. I had to save one to my phone so I can look at it when I’m super hungry and imagine how good they all taste. This is definitely one of your best photos ever! Happy Holidays!
Thank you, I’m so flattered you love the photos so much! It was fun to style and shoot.
I am having trouble finding the gingerbread people recipe? Any tips. I have the app but when i search for the cookie board nothing comes up.
thank you.
Hey Sarah, The Gingerbread People recipe is in the Cookie’s Lovers bundle in the app (go to the bundles page and you’ll see it). Please let me know if this helps or if you need any other help with it!
Hi Angela,
Do you have an icing recipe for these cookies??
Hey Vicky,
I used a vegan royal icing mix from Bulk Barn for these since I have to transport them into Toronto for a TV segment. But I do have a homemade frosting you can try. The recipe is in the gingerbread cut-out cookies recipe in the app (it’s in the cookie lover’s bundle on the bundles page). I’ll share the proportions below:
2 cups powdered icing sugar
2 tablespoons vegan butter, melted
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon non-dairy milk, or as needed
pinch fine sea salt
Hope this helps!
Definitely gonna have to try this! I’ve loved your blog for years.
Thank you, Melanie! Happy cookie baking :)
Do you have a vegan shortbread recipe by chance?
Hey Nancy,
I’m sorry I don’t have one, as I haven’t tested one that I really loved yet. I will certainly share it if I do. :)
Merry Christmas Angela! It looks like a heaven served on a plate. These gorgeous assortment of cookies in a variety of shapes is a perfect treat for Christmas. I must mention that all your recipes whether it is a vegan banana bread or your taco wrap all looks delicious.
Thank you for the kind words, Sakshi!
Hey Angela, OMG this is amazing! I will make cookies and peanut balls for sure with my 3 year old:) Question: What kind of recipe would your recommend to make cookies with shape-cutters? (like star-shape, tree-shape etc.) Especially gluten-free recipes for that kind of baking are really hard to come by…thank you so much!
Hey Rachel, Thanks so much. :)
The only cut-out cookies I have are the gingerbread cut-out cookies found in the cookie lover’s bundle in my app. Unfortunately, they aren’t gluten-free! However, a GF all-purpose flour may work, I haven’t tried it yet. I’ll have to come up with some more!
Hi Angela,
I love the green on the chocolate truffle but can’t seem to find what you used for that in the recipe. Could you let me know what it is? – would love to add that nice green color to the cookie tray!
Thanks,
Johanne
Hey Johanne, For sure, I used matcha green tea powder! It’s quite bitter, so you can cut it with a bit of powdered icing sugar if desired.
I had an inspiration while reading through the comments (well, actually from reading this gorgeous blog post – breathtaking, Angela!)…I’m going to try the matcha and then dip half the truffle in melted Enjoy Life chips, and roll the other half in crystal sugar. These are beautiful!
That sounds amazing! Double chocolate is always a good idea.
Wow!! I do not know how you do all you do with 2 little ones. Gorgeous cookies!
Thankfully my recipe tester Nicole delivered a boatload of cookies to help me for this post. I couldn’t have done it on my own that’s for sure! :)
Can I just say your effort and craziness/running around during nap time was sooooo worth it!! Your spread looks absolutely amazing and I’m drooling and trying to figure out how soon I can make a bunch of these cookies ha ha ha. I just received the cookbook box set so maybe I’ll try the flourless brownies first :) Also, similar to another person’s comment, I will be making your cinnamon buns this year for Christmas morning, since it is a tradition in my family (Pillsbury’s..) but I’m staying out west for Christmas instead of going home to Ontario this year. Can’t wait!
Hey Alexa,
You’re so sweet, thank you! Let’s hope these cookies hold up for their trip into Toronto tomorrow!
We’ll be having the cinnamon buns right along with you on Christmas morning…I’m already so excited. Going to make them the day before and just bake in the morning while we open stockings. Mmm…can already smell them now!
I needed one more cookie to round out my xmas baking and I the chewy molasses spelt cookie is IT! I did a trial run yesterday (you know, just to be sure), and these might be my fav cookie of all time! Do they sell the vegan ginger molasses cookies at Whole Foods in Canada? These remind me of those cookies but maybe even better!!! Thanks and Happy Holidays!!
I’m so happy you found your perfect cookie to complete your xmas baking! I adore those chewy molasses cookies too…the smell alone is enough to die for. Have a great Christmas!
Love the pop-up spots on the cookie board display. This is a great idea!
Happy holidays to you and fam :)
Glad to hear that Stacie!
Happy holidays to you and your family as well. :)
I love the new feature! This is fantastic because helps me both figure out what the name is for what I’m looking at plus attracts my eye to notice other things I hadn’t paid attention to. Yes, keep and use more in future!
Thank you so much for your feedback on the new photo feature…I really didn’t know if anyone would care, but I’m glad to see so many of you guys love it!