Easy, Yummy, Cheap Cookies!

The Topic: Homemade cookies that make amazing (and affordable!) gifts with Associate Publisher Colleen Holland

The Dish: I love to bake, but rarely do much of it anymore. Having an entire cake or a couple dozen cookies around the house is, frankly, a recipe for disaster. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Well, most of the time.

The other night, I got a hankering for homemade chocolate chip cookies. We must have been talking about them at the office that day, or maybe it was an ad for vegan cookie dough I had seen. Whatever it was, I could not stop thinking about spoonfuls of fresh, chip-and-nut-filled dough (my weakness) and hot-out-of-the-oven cookies. I had to have them! So I pulled out Claire Gosse's 2010 cookbook Are  you sure that's Vegan? and got baking.

When I find a great cookie recipe, I always want to share it. And this was no exception. Claire's Nutty Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies are sinfully delicious, and make a wonderful gift for co-workers, friend's birthdays, or anytime you want say "thanks" to someone special. Hey, anything you can do to get them out of the house, right? This recipe makes a ton of cookies, so each one ends up to cost just pennies. So for not much dough (the green kind), you can share great vegan desserts (always a crowd-pleaser) while saving money on something you would have bought from the store.

Nutty Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
I absolutely adore any cookie with oatmeal, chocolate chips, and nuts—and this recipe has them all. Since I am recipe-challenged and always have to change something, I added white chocolate chips (purchased at Food Fight! vegan grocery in Portland), slivered almonds, and extra vanilla. Yum.

What You Need:

2-1/2 cups oatmeal

1 cup vegan margarine

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

Egg replacer for 2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda
12 ounces chocolate chips
4 ounces grated dark chocolate

1-1/2 cups chopped pecans

What You Do:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Blend oatmeal in blender to a fine powder.
2. Cream the margarine and both sugars. Add egg replacer and vanilla; mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, grated chocolate, and nuts.
3. Roll into balls and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes and transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

The Final Word: Homemade cookies always make the day a little better, and these were no exception. Pick up a copy of Claire's Are you sure that's Vegan? for excellent renditions of everything from red velvet cupcakes and pineapple upside down cake to vanilla fudge and peanut butter cups. You won't be disappointed.

I am a sucker for raw cookie dough. I love it and eat by the spoonful! But then I don't feel so hot.

Top 5 DIY Vegan Holiday Gifts

The Topic: DIY holiday gifts, by guest blogger Colleen Holland

The Dish: In my family, there's no question as to who inherited the crafty gene. For as long as I can remember, my gift-giving style has always been more Martha then Macy's—that is, my sister is much more likely to receive a set of handmade note cards than a brand-new handbag (although for the super crafty, this can be made, too). My mom loves to tell the story of me at five years old on Valentine's Day. I had made heart-shaped cards for the entire neighborhood and then set off down the street to give them out. When I returned, my basket was filled with wads of cash; I had sold the cards instead of giving them away. That phase has thankfully passed, but I still love nothing more than turning my kitchen and dining room into an around-the-clock workshop this time of year. Need some inspiration for your own homemade gifts? Read on for my top 5 favorites:

1. Boxes of Vegan Cookies

Okay, so this isn't totally original, but it tops my list every year. I pick up a few dozen colorful Chinese take-out containers, line with tissue paper, and fill with fudge, Mexican wedding cookies, and peppermint bark. I then give them out to fellow VN staffers, my hair dresser, my yoga instructor, my postal gal, my neighbors (free of charge), and whoever else has touched my life this year. Cookies also look great in metal tins or white boxes tied with brightly colored ribbon.

2. Note Card Sets

I could spend hours in paper and art stores, especially when I am on a mission. I always keep my eye open for really interesting wrapping paper that I can use in my signature note cards. I can't tell you how many friends have received these over the years! I start with a heavy stock of paper (corrugated or flat) and cut into note card size (I prefer smaller note cards at 5.5 x 4, folded). Using some spray adhesive, I affix a cut-out of wrapping paper (say an old French luggage tag) against a slightly larger cut-out of heavier, colored paper, and then affix the entire piece to the front of the note card. Purchase some recycled envelopes to go with the cards, tie a ribbon around the entire batch, and voila! Gifts for all.

3. Note Pads

Back when Kinko's first hit the scene, I was in absolute heaven. Not only did they have loads of crafting supplies all available in one handy spot, they had oversized work tables and binding/mounting services that opened up a world of possibility for homemade gifts. As long as I made a few copies here and there, I felt comfortable staying all night long. So I would rent their computers (didn't have my own back then) and create a 4.25 x 11 template in Pagemaker (this was pre-Quark and InDesign) using really cool fonts and clip art. I would then make copies on quality paper and have Kinko's bind the top of the note pad so it looked like the real deal. One year, my dad got a note pad with his name in block letters at the bottom and an old-fashioned type writer at the top. Looking back, I have no idea why I chose the type writer, but I liked it at the time.

4. Bath Salts & Sugar Scrubs

I am no expert in either of these crafts, but tubs of sweet-smelling bath salts and sugar scrubs make wonderful gifts. Last year, I made Savvy Abby's family recipe for lavender-rosemary scrub, purchased a few glass jars, and designed my own custom labels. Place in a pretty bag or tie with a bow, and you have gifts for all the spa-treatment lovers in your life.

5. Fresh Herb Bouquets

Are you a gardener, or have access to some overgrown rosemary or thyme? A bundle of fresh herbs makes a lovely gift for neighbors or the host of a party you're attending. Simply cut long stems of your favorite herbs, wrap in parchment or kraft paper, and tie with a pretty bow. I always like to include a gift tag that lists the herbs I'm giving, and you could even write a vegan recipe on the back that uses one of the herbs.

The Final Word: Do-it-yourself holiday gifts is not only way more fun than navigating insane malls and crowded parking lots, but you'll also save a small fortune. Plus, I like to think that people appreciate the thoughtfulness that goes along with anything made from scratch, especially during this age of mad consumption. Have more ideas for DIY vegan gifts? We want to know! Happy holidays to all.

Walgreens Wonders

Topic: Mainstream Snacking

The Dish: I've written about my favorite veg-friendly grocery stores before—Trader Joe's, Aldi, hidden-gem discount shops—and I'm still happily surprised at all of the new great products and deals they offer. But sometimes, I'm not within walking distance of one of these veg havens when hunger strikes, be it when I'm out in the city, in Missouri visiting family, or driving through a random town on a road trip. In those cases, I find a Walgreens.

In San Francisco, there's a Walgreens on pretty much every corner. I'm certain its numbers compete with Starbucks. At first glance, all of the edibles seem frustratingly not vegan, especially when I'm in dire need of a pick-me-up and bags after bags of "cheese"-flavored chips are staring me in the face. After careful perusal of the shelves, I've come up with my favorite snacks under $5. Are these healthy? Um, no. But they're for special occasions! Like, you know, when I'm hungry.

1. Deerfield Farms Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. ($3.49) Holy crap. This delightful off-brand replicates the chewy version of Chips Ahoy!, but leaves out the milk products. The result is a package of accidentally vegan cookies that must be hidden in a cabinet to prevent total annihilation upon opening. If you're not into chewy, the regular, crunchy variety is vegan, too.
2. Walgreens Peanut Butter Bars. ($0.99) These old-fashioned candies are little wrapped bites of happiness. They sort of remind me of the inside of a Butterfinger, but far less gross because they're just peanut butter and sugar. At less than a dollar a package, it's the perfect sweet purchase when you know friends are going to be mooching off of you.
3. Blue Diamond Wasabi and Soy Sauce Almonds. ($1.49) A single-serving of these roasted almonds will completely cure any savory craving you have, thanks to a generous dusting of wasabi powder and a little soy sauce flavoring. And of course almonds are good for you with all of their protein and good fats, et cetera et cetera. More importantly, they're delicious.
4. Original Chex Mix. ($2.49) I'm sorry, didn't Chex Mix used to have whey in it?! I recently discovered that the original party snack either removed the animal products, or I have been mistaken all along. Whatever happened, it's made it possible for me to revel in this childhood favorite.
5. Lindt Excellence 85 percent Cocoa Dark Chocolate. ($2.99) It's dark chocolate. What else can I say? Lindt makes a decent bar, and it's more affordable than a lot of frou-frou brands who ruin a perfectly good chocolate bar with some funky non-vegan filling. It's perfect for my daily 3pm, "Where is the chocolate?" moment.

The Final Word: If junk food isn't your forte, the big W also stocks some healthier veg standbys, such as Odwalla juices, Probars (I'll take a dozen), vegan Clif-brand bars, and fresh, nearly free fruit. Of course besides the snacking, it also has the necessities in life, including BioBag's biodegradable doggie bags, L'Oreal EverPure vegan hair care, and tons of products from the cruelty-free Yes to Carrots line. Keep an eye out for sales, do the vegan label-check, and you'll be good to go.