Christmas Cookies: Peanut Butter Thumbprints

Before you start making the cookies, you’ll need to either buy some vegan chocolates like Hu Kitchen’s Gems, or make your own “Hershey’s Kisses.” I used this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup sugar (+ 1/2 cup for rolling/dusting cookies later)

• 1/3 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

• 1 flax “egg” (1 Tbsp ground flax seed meal mixed with 2.5-3 Tbsp hot water. Let sit until goopy)

• 1/2 cup vegan butter (room temp; I used Earth Balance)

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1.5cups flour

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 3/4 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 tsp salt

• about 24 vegan chocolate candies (like Hu Kitchen Gems or make your own vegan kisses)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F and line some cookie sheets with parchment paper (I ended up needing 3 big cookie sheets)

2. In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat your sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, flax “egg,” vegan butter, and vanilla extract until well-combined and creamy.

3. Slowly mix in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined.

4. Using a cookie scoop, a spoon, or your hands, scoop out 1-2 inch lumps of dough and roll each into a little ball.

5. Roll each ball in your reserved 1/2 cup sugar, and place 2 inches apart on your prepared cookie sheets.

6. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the bottoms of each cookie are browned.

7. Remove from oven and let cookies cool for about 5 min on the cookie sheets.

8. Using your thumb, press into the top of each cookie and place one chocolate candy into the indentation. Let cool for about 2 more min and then transfer to a cooling rack.

9. Allow cookies to cool completely before serving, to avoid them crumbling.

10. Enjoy!