PAN COOKIE VARIATION: Grease 15 × 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Prepare dough as above. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Makes 4 dozen bars.

SLICE AND BAKE COOKIE VARIATION:
PREPARE dough as above. Divide in half; wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Shape each half into 15-inch log; wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.* Preheat oven to 375° F. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices; place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

• May be stored in refrigerator for up to 1 week or in freezer for up to 8 weeks.

so easy to make vegan

Clafoutis is a version of the French flan that is traditionally made with cherries (or other moist fruit such as plums, prunes, raspberries, or blackberries), enveloped by a simple cake batter. The fruit is polka- dotted in the cake, giving it a playful look that children love. Even the name is fun to say: kla-foo-TEE. Traditionally, this dish is cooked with the pits left inside the cherries (purists believe that this intensifies the flavor of the dish). I pit the cherries (or, when I’m in a rush, use small plums instead, which are easier to pit).

Vegan poppyseed and lemon cake is a great vegan cake for summer or anytime. It’s light and fluffy with a fresh lemon taste. If you need a vegan cake recipe, try this recipe for lemon poppyseed cake.

Makes about 2.5 dozen; the winner of best cookie is the Lemon Crinkle Cookie by Lauren Brennan from Hood River, Oregon.

(slightly adapted from Perry’s Plate); Makes about 30 2-inch cookies

companion to the Soft Sugar Cookies

Delicious! Supposed to be like those cookies at grocery stores. You know the ones: decorated in the colors of the upcoming season or holiday, glaring at you from behind their clear boxes in the bakery, deliciously fluffy and impossibly sweet…