Indulge yourself in these vegan sweet snacks, or gift wrap them for a friend. These are simple recipes with no more than five ingredients and take less than an hour. 

Russian Holiday Tea Cakes

Original recipe by Allyson Kramer on The Spruce Eats.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of confectioner’s sugar (set some extra aside for rolling later)
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 1 cup (2 sticks) non-dairy margarine OR 1 cup cold coconut oil with ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1cup finely chopped almonds

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Have an ungreased cookie sheet ready.

Step 2: In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, combine the confectioner’s sugar, vanilla extract, and margarine (or coconut oil) until creamy. 

Step 3: Add the almonds to the mixture, then gradually add the flour. The dough should be crumbly and easily formed into a ball with your hands.

Step 4: Form into about walnut sized balls and place on the ungreased baking sheet. 

Do not flatten! These are made to be round, resist the temptation.

Step 5: Bake on the middle rack for about 12 minutes, or until very lightly browned on edges. Then remove from the oven and cool for about 15 minutes.

Step 6: Take the extra confectioner’s sugar and roll them around for a nice coat. Enjoy!

Shortbread Cookies

Original recipe by Ashley Adams on The Spruce Eats.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) dairy-free soy margarine
• ½ cup of powdered sugar
• 1 ¾ cups of all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon of salt

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Step 2: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer (on high speed) to beat the dairy-free soy margarine for about 3 minutes, or until fluffy.  Then add the powdered sugar and mix until combined. Gradually add the flour. Afterwards the salt. Mix until a soft dough forms.

Step 3: Spread dough onto the baking sheet, about 1 inch thick (it’s okay if it doesn’t cover the entire baking sheet). Lightly poke holes on the top with a fork. Bake for about 17 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

Step 4: Cool on pan for about 10 minutes. While it’s cooling cut into bars. 1 inch wide and 2 inches long for 12 servings

Step 5: Let cool completely. Once cooled, carefully remove from pan. 

Step 6: Enjoy! Also feel free to add icing to make them festive for the holidays!