A vegan version of chocolate Christmas crinkle cookies

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/12/2021 (1713 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For many people, cooking has become a newfound pandemic pastime. For Jessalyn Willems and Leah Brickwood, cooking together has been a highlight of the last two years.

During lockdowns, the future sisters-in-law would swap recipes via text or FaceTime and would get together for home cooked dinners when restrictions allowed.

“It was a great way to stay connected with something that we like to do,” Brickwood says. “And the ideas just kept pouring in and we thought we’d put it out there for everybody else to see.”

Earlier this year, the pair launched a food blog, Hint of Garlic, to share some of their experiments in the kitchen. Brickwood follows a plant-based diet and Willems is plant-curious, as such, the majority of their recipes are vegan or vegetarian, as well as being nut-free.

“We do have some traditional recipes that are close to our hearts that may have been passed down or learned from our parents or grandparents that aren’t (plant-based),” Willems says. “We are conscious of the choices we make, but still have some food freedom.”

Getting their loved ones on board with the lifestyle change was easier than expected.

“Everyone was so supportive,” Brickwood says. “Every Sunday, we do a big dinner with my family and my dad cooks this elaborate five course meal, so I was nervous to ask, ‘Can we make some plant-based options for us?’ And he just had so much fun with it.”

For the holidays, the women are sharing veganized versions of some of their favourite goodies — one of which is chocolate Christmas crinkle cookies.

“It’s a great way for us to stockpile for all our family gatherings,” Brickwood says of the recipe series with a laugh.

Between the two, Willems is the more avid baker and has had success adapting recipes that typically rely heavily on animal products. Butter, for example, can be easily swapped with a store bought vegan version, which she says is easy to find at most grocery stores these days. In addition to sharing their baking with family and friends, the pair have tested recipes on unsuspecting co-workers.

“I’ll ask, ‘Oh, did you like it? Did you know it was plant-based?’ And sometimes people are surprised,” Willems says. “It’s, I think, a gentle transition for people to realize that these things can taste just as good.”

Their crinkle cookies make use of vegan butter and dairy-free milk. The chocolate dough is rolled in powdered sugar before baking to give the cookies a signature crinkle look. The result is a sweet, photogenic cookie that is also, according to Willems, highly addictive.

“The first time I shared the recipe with my brother and his wife, they made it and ate the whole batch,” she says.

Post holidays, Willems and Brickwood will get back to sharing both sweet and savoury recipes on Instagram. Right now, the blog is a passion project, but the creators are open to growing it into something larger in the future.

“It’s just a fun way to be creative,” Brickwood says. “If something comes of it, then that’s amazing.”

“Someone once told me, what is learned is meant to be shared,” Willems adds. “And I think if anything, that’s our goal right now — let’s share more recipes, let’s try new things and keep it fun.”

Follow Hint of Garlic (@hintofgarlic) on Instagram for more recipes.

eva.wasney@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @evawasney

Chocolate Christmas Crinkle Cookies by Hint of Garlic

200 g (1 cup) sugar
120 g (1/2 cup) melted vegan butter
30 mL (2 tbsp) dairy free milk
10 mL (2 tsp) vanilla
120 g (1 cup) flour
60 g (1/2 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
5 mL (1 tsp) baking powder
5 mL (1 tsp) baking soda
2 1/2 mL (1/2 tsp) salt
Powdered sugar for rolling

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl, combine together sugar, melted butter, milk and vanilla.

Next, add in your flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir until completely combined.

Scoop roughly tablespoon-sized balls of dough. Roll each ball in powdered sugar.

Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart as they will spread while cooking.

Bake for 10 to 13 minutes. Do not overbake. They will stiffen up a bit as they cool. Try not to eat them all while they are warm — it’s nearly impossible!

Eva Wasney
Reporter

Eva Wasney has been a reporter with the Free Press Arts & Life department since 2019. Read more about Eva.

Every piece of reporting Eva produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.