Sweet Sundays: Alisa Fleming ~ Lately, the contest temptation has become too great. When May Cookie Co. announced their “May I have a Cookie Contest” (open through November 9, 2011) with a $200 gift card prize, I headed straight to the kitchen. I mean seriously, cookies AND a grocery gift card – who could pass that up?

Plus, it gave me the opportunity to trial out some new cookie mixes for Go Dairy Free. On that note, I want to share a little bit about what I think makes these mixes worth recommending. The ingredients are fresh, and I mean really fresh. May Cookie Co. packs the core ingredients separately for that “as good as homemade” taste. The natural raw sugar is kept moist and soft in its own little pouch, the flour mixture in another, the plump cranberries in another, and finally, the oats on their own. Preparing the mixes is still as easy as one-two-three, but since the ingredients are kept separate, they are way, way, WAY fresher than a normal boxed mix. (See the picture at the end of this article to see how the ingredients are packaged.) They also use nice, wholesome ingredients, like whole wheat flour, whole rolled oats, and as mentioned, raw sugar ...

Though I usually bake from scratch myself, I could easily see myself including some May Cookie Mixes in a gift basket. They are several notches up from a normal baking mix, and definitely gift-worthy. 

Two of the May mixes are made without dairy or eggs (both do contain wheat), and the instructions for the Rich & Chewy Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix are even dairy-free and egg-free! Those are awesome, but since the directions for the Hearty & Wholesome Oatmeal Cranberry Cookie Mix calls for eggs and butter, I thought I would submit a recipe for a vegan version!

The recipe that I came up with incorporates some seasonal (just in time for using up those Halloween pumpkins!) flavors. But, once we pass the prime pumpkin months, I see no reason why applesauce wouldn’t work as the fruit in this recipe. The resultant dough would just be a bit softer and they might raise more. I’ll have to test that recipe out next. For now ….

Please note that one variety of the May Cookie Co. mixes does contain dairy, so there is a high risk of milk cross-contamination with this product. If you have concern, please contact the company directly. For more information, see their website: www.maycookie.com.

This is a third party review by Alisa Fleming, founder of GoDairyFree.org and author of Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living. Alisa is also a freelance writer for several publications, with an emphasis on creating recipes for various types of special diets.