A Very Zombie Christmas

Hey all! I hope you've had many great holidays and a vacation! I'll miss being able to make so many yummy and fun treats at home but I can bring this to work with me and hopefully help sell a lot! While I do plan on making some stevia-cookies and showing off my stevia powdered sugar, I just wanted to do something a bit "rebellious". These cookies were excellent and the whole recipe makes about two dozen cookies so you can use anything you like. Also - a little tip, when someone suggests only a tiny amount of black food coloring gel...please believe them!

(Sugar Cookie Ingredients)

• 1 & 1/2 C. Powdered Sugar
• 3/4 C. of Coconut Oil
• 1 tsp. of Vanilla Extract
• 2 & 1/2 C. All-Purpose Flour or Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
• 2 tsp. Baking Powder
• A pinch of Salt
• A few dribbles of Non-Dairy Milk (I used flax)

(Directions)

• Cream your coconut oil with the powdered sugar then add in the baking powder and vanilla extract.
• Fold in your flour and knead until it is like a store-bought cookie dough.
• Refrigerate for about 10-15 minutes, cut in half then roll out your cookies.
• Preheat your oven to 350, cut your cookies out onto some greased parchment paper and bake for about 10 minutes or until sturdy but not browned.
• Allow to cool and then prep your vegan royal icing.

(Vegan Royal Icing Ingredients)

• 1 TBL. Cornstarch or Tapioca Starch
• 2 TBL. Non-dairy Milk
• 1/2 tsp. Clear Vanilla Extract
• 2 & 1/2 C. Powdered Sugar
• Preferred Food Coloring.

(Directions)

• My bowls were wet from washing each time I made the royal icing but just add in a few dribbles of milk to your cornstarch and mix. It should resist a bit.
• Alternate your powdered sugar and milk until you get a thick consistency. Lift a spoonful up, then drip it out of the bowl. It should take 10+ seconds to complete for an outline.
• Outline your cookies and let it take an hour or so to dry, then add more liquid to the icing to just barely thin it and then flood your cookie. Decorate with more outline/piping icing and allow to dry for 5+ more hours if you can wait.

Mexican Mazapan (Simple, Quick, Great for Kids)

I won't lie to you and say that these are healthy, but I remember when I was younger how I once to go down to the local Mexican supermarket (which was also a taqueria and all-around restaurant) and got one of these out of nervousness. It was the closest thing to the door and the cashier so that I could pay for it quickly without having a conversation, and then leave (...it was obvious that I was very social as a young child, of course). When I got back into the car with one of my sisters I found that these were absolutely delicious, we had a four-pack and I managed to eat three of the crumbly little things although a good bit of it landed everywhere but my mouth! I never thought of recreating these until recently, but with a few of staples on hand I knew how easy it is to make just about any Mexican dish in the house and I wanted to create this one.

What's a candy that you remember when you were younger?

(Ingredients)

• 1/4 cup of Skinned and Toasted Peanuts
• 1/4 cup of Confectioner's Sugar
• 1 tsp of Vanilla

(Directions)

• Blend the peanuts first, then slowly add your confectioner's sugar and vanilla. The main idea is to allow the peanuts to release their natural oils so that nothing can spoil too quickly and so you don't have to add a lot of moisture. If this is not working, however, you can spritz some veggie oil to help it combine - it should have a tiny bit of moisture to be put into small molds, but not enough to be near the consistency of any cookie dough or peanut butter.
• You can place these in the fridge, mark them with stamps and edible ink, wrap in parchment paper or eat as is!
• Enjoy!