Italian Butter Cookies

Every year around Christmas time, I see these butter cookies everywhere. I have always wanted to make them, but could never find a good recipe. However, I stumbled across this one and just had to make them! Unfortunately it calls for a cookie press...which I do not own, but I made due. These cookies are crisp and sweet. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) non-dairy butter (I used Earth Balance sticks)

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups flour

(For decorating)

raspberry jam

semi-sweet or dark chocolate

sprinkles

powdered sugar

1.) Beat softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).

2.) Add applesauce and vanilla, beat until combined.

3.) Add dry ingredients slowly until well mixed in.

4.) Fill a piping or plastic bag with the dough and pipe shapes onto a greased cookies sheet.

Note: This is where the cookie press was supposed to come in. If you have one, by all means use that to make the shapes. However, I loaded the dough into a plastic bag and made it a piping bag by cutting one of the corner tips off. I then piped it into shapes.

5.) Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, rotating once.

6.) After baked, let cool slightly before moving the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

7.) After cookies have cooled, take jam and mix in a bowl until it has a smooth consistency.

8.) Spread jam on the inside of one cookie and place another on top of it, creating a "cookie sandwich" of sorts. Repeat for all cookies.

9.) After the jam has set (about 30 minutes or so), either dip in melted chocolate and cover with sprinkles, or sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Adapted from Obviously Sweet

Peppermint Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

I know that it's a mouthful to say, but that is exactly what you will get when you bite into one of these cookies: a mouth full of joy.

Since it is so close to Christmas, I thought I would adapt one of my favorite recipes from Becky Bakes and "vegan-ize" it with a holiday twist.

Ingredients:

2 sticks (1 cup) softened butter substitute (I used Earth Balance Buttery Sticks)

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (anything that says "natural" on it is unsweetened)

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

10 oz bag vegan chocolate chips (about 1 2/3 cup)- Ghiradelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate chips are already vegan!

1 pkg. peppermint oreos (I used Trader Joe's Peppermint Jo Jo's)

Yield: 22-24 cookies

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.) In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars together with mixer.

3.) Add applesauce and vanilla, continuing to mix until well combined.

4.) In a medium bowl, mix together flour, salt, and baking soda.

5.) Slowly add dry ingredients to wet until just combined.

6.) Add in chocolate chips and continue to mix with a wooden spoon until evenly distributed.

7.) Using a small spoon, scoop out balls of dough and place one ball on the top, and one on the bottom of the Oreo.

8.) Using your fingers, spread the dough around the Oreo and seal at the edges-- you should only be able to see the cookie dough at this point.

9.) Place onto a lightly greased cookie sheet, and continue until there is no more dough

10.) Cook time will depend on your oven and how much cookie dough you use per cookie. My cookies took about 16-18 minutes per batch. You want to cook them until they are golden brown, but be careful not to burn.

11.) When the cookies are done, let sit outside of the oven for 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.

12.) Enjoy with your favorite type of milk. Happy Holidays!

Welcome!

Hello Everyone!

I have wanted to start a blog for a while now, and what better time then before the start of a new year? A little about me:

My name is Sarah. I'm a senior at UC Davis. I love to bake.

I am creating this blog to share my recipes and life that seems to revolve around food. Most of the things I cook/bake are vegan. Now, I am in no way a vegan, but I am lactose-intolerant and it is sometimes easier to bake this way (because it already omits dairy). However, my boyfriend is vegan so he gets the benefit of always being my taste tester :) I love finding delicious recipes and making them vegan. I know that "vegan" food scares some people, but I promise I never use any strange ingredients and people really can't tell the difference!

I named my blog Mangia Dolce because it translates literally to "Eat Sweet." I believe that food should always be enjoyable, and what's better than sweets? I also have an unhealthy addiction to chocolate, so don't be surprised if it pops up frequently in my recipes. But really, who doesn't love chocolate?

Thanks for reading, whoever you might be, and be on the lookout for some delicious recipes! :)