I’ve always thought vegans must have it rough.

No animal products at all? That’s no cheese, no butter, no milk, no eggs – I’ve always wondered how they did it.

In all of my sympathizing, however, I somehow overlooked cookies, which almost always contain eggs and butter. When I became aware of this, my admiration grew much deeper.

Cookies may not be the best for you, but few can contend with them as an occasional treat.

Do vegans ever eat cookies? I must confess I don’t really know. That is, I didn’t ask any vegans.

But I know they can if they want.

This discovery had its roots in wanting to invent a couple low-fat recipes following the advice of Judith Trumpy, a licensed and registered dietitian at Iowa State, who told me I could use applesauce instead of butter or shortening when baking. I’d heard this before and always wanted to try it.

Then I realized my carton of eggs had gone bad and was no longer usable. Now I had another excuse to be creative.

Before I knew it, I had flung myself headlong into a grand vegan experiment, looking up egg substitutes, whipping up some interesting-looking batter and finally congratulating myself for being so animal friendly.

Did it work? Yeah, I’d say so. The cookies came out with a scone-like consistency (but not as thick), with a kind of waxy finish. The recipes could probably still use a little tweaking, but all in all I would say I’m happy with the fruits of my labor.

I guess I should mention, however, that not all the batches turned out so hot. The cocoa-almond ones, for example, aren’t included in this article for a reason – let’s just say they bore an uncanny resemblance to cow pies.

Cranberry-pecan applesauce cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup flour (a generous scoop; don’t bother flattening off the top)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup pecan bits

1/4 cup dried, sweetened cranberries

1/4 cup applesauce

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 egg substitute (1 1/2 tablespoons water + 1 1/2 tablespoons oil + 1 teaspoon baking powder)

Prep time: 15 minutes

Bake time: 17 minutes

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine the ingredients for the egg substitute; mix well.

3. Combine flour, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and cinnamon.

4. Add applesauce, vanilla and egg substitute to dry ingredients; mix well.

5. Add pecan bits and sweetened cranberries. Stir.

6. Drop rounded teaspoons onto a greased cookie sheet.

7. Cook for 17 minutes. The cookies won’t turn as golden-brown as traditional cookies except for just around the edges.

Oatmeal raisin applesauce cookies

Ingredients

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons applesauce

1/2 cup oatmeal

1/4 cup raisins

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg substitute (1 1/2 tablespoons water + 1 1/2 tablespoons oil + 1 teaspoon baking powder)

Prep time: 15 minutes

Bake time: 17 minutes

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine the ingredients for the egg substitute; mix well.

3. Combine flour, sugar and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder.

4. Add applesauce, vanilla and egg substitute to dry ingredients; mix well.

5. Add oatmeal and raisins. Stir.

6. Drop rounded teaspoons onto a greased cookie sheet.

7. Cook for 17 minutes. These won’t turn very dark either, so be careful.

8. Serve to your favorite vegan – but don’t offer milk!