sweet like...vegan cookies

I've been unbelievably emotional lately, and on top of that have been suffering from headaches again. It's not all doom and gloom though! To pierce some of the grey I have photo's of my latest cute creation to share with you.
 May I introduce you to Una, the handmade cuddly teddy/dog cross, who was lovingly made using a variety of knitting techniques (including crochet and french knit).

Perfect for those times when you just need something cute to cuddle to cheer yourself up.
If you'd like to adopt Una, you can find her here in my Folksy shop:
http://folksy.com/items/3544786-French-knit-cuddly-woolen-toy
Una even has her own fluffy scarf and boots (complete with dotty ribbons) to keep her nice and toasty. To finish off the cuteness, I attached a little pom pom tail.

This morning, whilst waiting for the day to begin, I decided to browse some other crafter's creations on DeviantArt and Folksy, and found a ton of wonderful work! I've even included a link to a folksy seller who's selling a pattern, just incase you're feeling adventurous and want to give making your own a go.
 Here are just some of my favourite's (be sure to check out the links!)

I've also been doing some baking lately. I love making delicious treats as a surprise for the people in my life.

Today, I was experimenting with vegan recipes, and am happy to say that I've come up with a yummy, and animal-friendly recipe! Try making these citrussy seed biscuits yourself, and see what you think.

Vegan Citrussy-seed biscuits

Makes approx.20

Ingredients:

12oz self-raising flour

8oz caster sugar

8oz dairy-free spread (EG 'Pure')

1tsp lemon extract

1oz mixed seeds (i used pumpkin and sunflower)

rind from 1 small orange

rind from 1 small lemon

light brown sugar (for sprinkling on top)

sesame seeds (for sprinkling on top)

Method:

1.Put the flour and 'butter' into a mixing bowl and rub with your finger tips until it resembles bread crumbs.

2.Add in the sugar and mix through well - the dough should begin forming into a ball

3.Grate the lemon/orange rind into the mixing bowl, and add the seeds and extract - work the mixture with your hands until all ingredients are combined

4.Grease your baking trays, and set them aside. Turn your oven to 180 degrees (C) or 170 for fan ovens

5.sprinkle a little flour onto your work surface and rolling pin, and begin rolling half of the mixture until even thickness is achieved (around 1cm should be thick enough, although you can choose how thin/thick you'd like them) Use a shaped cookie cutter.

6.Gently press a generous amount of sesame seeds onto the top of each biscuit, and transfer to the greased baking tray

7.Repeat steps 5/6 with the remainder of the dough, and sprinkle each biscuit with a little brown sugar

8.Bake for approx.15 minutes (note that the thicker the biscuit, the longer you'll need to bake)

9.Leave the biscuits to cool slightly before using a fish slice to move them to a large plate. They should be completely cooled before eating, as they gain their crunchy consistency once cool.

Hope you all enjoy making (and of course eating!) these crunchy, citrussy treats. I used 'Pure' dairy-free spread with soya, although the sunflower version would work just as well.

If your biscuits feel slightly cakey once they're out of the oven, do not panic! Once fully cooled they should harden up - the heat keeps them soft.

This recipe is so versatile! Try adding chopped dark chocolate, or even carob if you prefer a more chocolatey taste. You could even experiment with different extracts, and make these almond biscuits (simply replace the 1oz of seeds with 1oz of flaked almonds, and the lemon extract with almond extract) Get creative!

And on a final note, since my mum was so proud of her fancy mini victoria sponges, here's a photo of her (almost too pretty to eat) baking.

Peace & love

x