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We're ready for Christmas! This year, Santa is going to be served vegan cookies.

This year brought a lot of changes in our home: one of them is a family member started having health-related issues and we had to change and be mindful of what we bring to the dinner table.

Because of this new change, I've learned to bake and cook with more vegan products. Notably, we are not a vegan family but we're just bringing in more vegan meals and focusing more on a plant-based diet to help with a health issue. I hope Santa will like our vegan gluten-free cookies this year!

Here's the recipe that I'm using to make vegan gluten-free sugar cookies: https://delightfuladventures.com/vegan-gluten-free-sugar-cookies/. The main thing that I am doing differently is I am using yeast instead of baking powder. You can see the exact list of the ingredients that I used below.

More About Using Active Dry Yeast

We had some active dry yeast in our drawer. This is the exact brand I used: Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast. We like the single packets kind which made is easier for measuring.

The tricky thing about using active dry yeast instead of baking powder is that you have to use your best judgment because as you activate the yeast, there's no knowing the exact amount that's needed. It is like a science and an art. When you are using active dry yeast, you have to mix it in 1/4 cup of very specific warm water within a temperature range with 1 teaspoon of sugar. It took my yeast 15 minutes to activate. It's fun watching it rise. Whatever foamed up from this one package amount mixture, I scooped about 75% of it and put it into my dough mix. 

I followed the recipe and let the dough rest in the fridge for 3 hours and used my cookie cutter with my sons to make different shapes today. 

Ingredients that I used:

• 1 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons of  Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, 22-ounce (I found this at California Fresh Market in Pismo Beach)
• 1 tablespoon of arrowroot starch and I used this exact brand that I found at California Fresh Market in Pismo Beach:  Bob's Red Mill Arrowroot Starch / Flour, 16 Ounce (Pack of 1)
• 75% of what was activated from the active dry yeast of 1 packet of 1/4 oz. This was the exact brand I used:  Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast,0.25 Ounce, 9 Count. Note that although I used 75% of what was produced from my mixture, maybe yours will need be 50% or even more than mine. It is not an exact science with this one and the end results will never be the same.
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 cup of vegan butter (I use Miyoko's Cultured Vegan Butter that I found at California Fresh Market in Pismo Beach)
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 4 teaspoons of unsweetened almond milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract