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Recipe: Vegan Piñon Cookies (Feast Day Cookies)

By Taavi Moore

This is a traditional Southwest Indian Feast Day cookie with a soft and buttery shortbread texture embedded with chunks of pine (piñon) nuts. These cookies are a tradition included in Native American Feast Days that occur all over the United States throughout the year.

Native Feast days were introduced around the 1500s when the Spanish came to New Mexico and brought along their Roman Catholic faith. To date, feast days commemorate Native American heritage and traditions. Feast days are whole-day celebrations that include a wide variety of activities, such as traditional Native dances, food, arts, crafts, and more cultural traditions. Feast days are open to the public and all tribal members attend. They are a time to honor Native culture, thus community members’ presence must be respectful, and all attention should be devoted to the traditions and dances that take place.

Food is a large part of Feast Day. A typical dinner served to guests at Indian pueblo homes includes: Bean Salad, Red Chile Stew, Green Chile Stew, Posole, Pueblo bread or Indian Fry Bread, Feast Day Cookies, Pueblo Bread Pudding, and Coffee.

Native American Heritage values the ability of food to bring communities together. Feast Day allows individuals to celebrate their culture and spiritual ties with all the ingredients that were prepared for the meal. 

Have you ever enjoyed a traditional Native American recipe? If you are curious and would like to learn more about Native American Cuisine, check out these resources: 

Vegan Piñon Cookies (Feast Day Cookies)

Yield: 1 dozen cookies 

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 cup vegan butter, softened
  • ¾ cup cane sugar
  • ⅓ cup water
  • ½ cup chopped and shelled piñon nuts (or pine nuts)
  • Cinnamon
  • Cane sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a few baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt. In a separate large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add dry mixture a little at a time followed by the water. Fold in shelled piñon nuts. Mix until a soft dough forms. Form into a ball.
  3. Divide dough into two portions. Place one portion in the middle of a lightly floured piece of parchment and place another piece of parchment on top. Roll out the dough to a 1/2″ thickness. Cut into cookies with cookie cutters. Repeat with the second portion of dough. Place cookies on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle over cinnamon and sugar.
  4. Bake cookies for 15 minutes or until golden. Allow cooling on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. 

About the Author

Hey there! My name is Taavi Moore, and I am a recent graduate with my B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics. My passion for nutrition and feeding the body with nourishing foods has translated into my love for sharing healthy delicious recipes – found right here on my blog.