Vanilla Cookie (Vegan) – No Butter

Vanilla cookie with no butter or margarine is not heard of if you want something delicious.

Like these vanilla whirls 🍥 …

That are healthy cookies (but you would never know it by taste).

Below is this healthy and delicious vanilla cookie recipe using affordable healthy ingredients (PLUS some budget-friendly grocery tips your wallet will love 🛒).

But first things first… what makes this cookie so special is it has NO BUTTER!

…And it tastes so buttery cookie decadent like a cookie should.

These little ones are made like the Stella D’Oro assortment cookies I grew up with. One of the assorted cookies had a fruit filling that look like these (like raspberry hearts  💌 in the middle).

They discontinued making this cookie, but you can make a similar copycat cookie with the recipe below 💕.

That btw is made from plant based (aka Vegan) ingredients. And I already hinted it has a buttery taste. 🌱

So you could use a Vegan butter….

But I found them pricey and they’re not the same butter tastes. Some common vegan butter brands out there are:

Trader Joe’s, Smart Balance, Country Crock, Earth Balance, and Miyoko’s.

So now that I gave you that option, now I can tell you what I used instead of any butter look-alike… 😊

Because who says for a vanilla cookie you need butt-ah (or margarine that I grew up with?) 🧈

Butter types is not what makes the cookie desirable.

For me, it’s more of a childhood fond memory I grew up with (and maybe you did too).

…And maybe you have a buttery tub that reminds you of childhood or home?

But…

BUT-ter memories can stay part of our butterfly journeys that we can change. 🦋

They don’t have to stay as our daily habits for a healthy future if we choose.

And switching to more daily healthy eating ways (to substitute our old ways) is so much easier to do these days.

Sourcing longevity ingredients in a Mediterranean diet is easy.

…Like finding daily olive oil that no one I knew cooked with when I was growing up.

TODAY it’s a norm and an easy switch into healthy tastes.

When you’re grocery shopping, olive oil prices can be even better than butter.

Mostly because you end up using less of the golden liquid.

For $7 you can get 4 sticks of butter or a healthy EVOO bottle.

And if used wisely, you get more out of the liquid gold.

And yes! it can be used for light (more fluffy) cookie dough with the cookie textures we all love!

Which btw, I consider myself a cookie connoisseur (a ‘lil Cookie Monster if you will 🥠).

These days, I only bake my own cookies. I would’ve never have dreamed that would be my grown up destiny.

…But a nice crunch is a nice crunch.

Crunchy cookies like that in commercial cookies are so easy to home bake.

…That and pairing with the perfect low sugar sweet taste (that’s not too sweet and doesn’t make your skin crawl).

So in my mind, it’s the best of both worlds in cookie enjoyment.

Oh and plus, the healthiest cookie on the grocery shelves is not easy to find.

…I used to look at a graham cracker and think it was healthy because it was made with whole wheat. 🌾

…And back then in those days, if I knew how easy cookies were and are to make and bake with 2-3 basic ingredients, I may have made the switch much sooner.

Today, you get to make that decision for yourself. And you can start with an easy vanilla cookie.

In this batch I made, I include basic ingredients like honey (or maple syrup) for the sweetness, non-gluten plant-based flours (like coconut or almond flour), and olive oil (yes, oil instead of butter!).

These ingredient choices cost no more money or time to make and bake than the less healthy ingredients.

So why not?

…And when those around you are complaining about how much grocery costs have gone up.

I look at my grocery receipt total amounts and they’ve gone down. So I’m scratching my head happy because I get everything I want.

So the change is ME and my sourcing shopping mindset and habits.

And that’s something you can easily adopt!…

First, all I do is look for healthier ingredients. Then I get a ‘lil creative resourceful on how to make a delicious taste, texture, and healthy bake!

I have a rough idea in my mind about the final good. But I’m not stuck on the idea. That came from my catering work where I learned to be flexible.

It’s like dreaming up desserts but detaching from the outcome.

And for that to come true, it starts with choosing one ingredient at a time. And then pairing foods that taste good together.

In this vanilla cookie, I chose an extra virgin olive oil and you can use a lighter version or one that is infused with vanilla enhancing sweet flavors for baking cookies.

And even better… come up with infusing your own sweet blend ingredients.

You can squeeze in a ‘lil lemon juice and a capful of flavor extract that you can easily home make.

…With citrus fruity flavors, everything is enhanced brighter. Or you can infuse in zest or tea flavors. 🍋

Lemon goes with vanilla and creates a zesty moment.

You don’t have to visit gourmet specialty food stores or pay a price that you have to think twice about.

That’s the way of the past.

Healthy, delicious and whole ingredients today are comparable in price AND often less pricey.

When I go to the healthy food chains that people nickname Whole Paycheck, I come out saving money.

Healthy foods are NOT for the wealthy.

Like if you use bananas as your mirror… they are often pennies.

So when I’m shopping, I buy what works for the grocery bill wallet while using a planned list loosely.

That works every time and has for years..

…So I’m 100% sure you don’t have to have deep wallets to eat more healthy.

I’m like you and most of us who want good value and ingredients.

You don’t have to feel the effects of grocery bill inflation.

The main mindset I use is that if I don’t like the price I see, I keep looking at other store shelve items… or source online and for substitutes that work (and sometimes turn out even better).

Plus, I do a little research in advance that pays off, but I never go chasing coupons.

And actually, I can only remember using a coupon less than a handful of times in my adult life.

Coupons to me is too much work when you can coupon shop at actual products and prices available… looking for the discount on the shelves.

And having a home pantry full of ingredients to fall back on helps do that too because then you don’t feel like you HAVE to bring back something.

You can use an alternative already in your home.

And you can wait for the nice-to-have food ingredients to go on sale.

And that includes shopping for fruits that often cost less in-season because they have a short perishable shelf-life and their yield is abundant.

The stores can’t sell them soon enough!

And while I may not be balancing your budget, these tips have worked well for me.

And if you’re a green thumb gardener, you have an even greater advantage, as you can grow your own produce grocery store!

Prepared foods are more expensive and they are the ones with less-healthy ingredients.

For healthy, making your own healthy vanilla cookie is one good example. A healthy ingredient like vanilla pods are relatively expensive where I shop, and vanilla extract can also be.

Instead of using either, maple syrup or an infused vanilla tea can be a good sweet flavor substitute.

Honey is another good alternative that’s good in so many ways.

With those substitutes, you can make one mean swirl shape vanilla cookie, like the kind you found in the Danish butter cookie tins (but without the butter and all the sugar).

The best part is you can make delicious cookies with gluten-free flours.

Even if you’re not gluten sensitive, your body is sensitive to the tainted processed gluten flours these days.

For gluten-free flours, you can choose from rice, tapioca, almond, or coconut flour… just to name a few.