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It really isn’t the holiday season until you’ve eaten a ridiculous number of cookies. For vegans or those who don’t do dairy, conventional cookies aren’t so sweet a treat. Fortunately, these seven spots offer cookies completely free of eggs, butter and other dairy. Leave some for Santa — or keep them all for yourself!
EXPANDThe Gluten Escape
7255 South Havana Street, Centennial
303-694-9999
The Gluten Escape creates a variety of sweets made without gluten, dairy, eggs, soy protein or peanuts. Biscotti, granola bars, cupcakes, brownies and breads are all made fresh. For vegan cookies, varieties include agave oatmeal raisin, gingersnap, fruit thumbprint, pecan pie thumbprint and agave banana walnut.
Watercourse Foods
837 East 17th Avenue
303-832-7313
Watercourse Foods is best known for a completely vegan menu filled with hearty comfort foods, so a cookie for dessert fits right in. The scout cookie is a take on the classic Samoa filled with walnuts, sweet potatoes, coconut and chocolate. Wash it down with one of the creamy milkshakes — pumpkin spice, chocolate peppermint, matcha, or a classic vanilla or chocolate.
Make, Believe Bakery
206 East 13th Avenue
303-318-9843
Make, Believe Bakery is a 100 percent vegan bakery. While not all items are gluten-free, the bakery maintains a separate gluten-free room to avoid cross-contamination. The menu comprises breakfast pastries, cupcakes, cakes, pies, tarts, bars, breads and, of course, cookies. Dairy- and egg-free cookies include almond cookies, peanut butter cups, mini scout cookies, and chocolate chip, which are also available gluten-free.
Boulder Baked
1911 Broadway, Boulder
303-444-4999
Among the wide variety of traditional desserts at Boulder Baked, a vegan menu is offered as well. Vegan cakes and cupcakes, some also gluten-free, are made in addition to cookies. The selection of vegan, gluten-free cookies rotates daily and often includes peanut butter and coconut.
Native Foods Café
680 South Colorado Boulevard, Glendale
303-758-3440
Native Foods Café is a casual spot with an entirely plant-based menu that’s fast-food-inspired, with mock meats and cheese, such as a chicken and bacon club, double cheeseburger, nachos with seitan, and mac and cheese. There are three options for cookies: the Oatmeal Crème Pie, which takes two soft-baked oatmeal cookies and loads it with whipped vanilla crème; classic chocolate chip; and a salty caramel cashew.
EXPANDNooch Vegan Market
10 East Ellsworth Avenue
720-328-5324
While there are no cookies being baked at this vegan specialty market, it's a great spot to grab the latest and greatest in packaged cookies and cookie mixes. Currently, you’ll find Bakeology (Chocolate Chip, Snickerdoodle and Vanilla Chai); Maxine’s Heavenly (Cinnamon Oatmeal Raisin, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip and Chocolate Chocolate Chunk); Zhuzh (Double Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Cranberry and Gingerful Snap); and Cristina’s gluten-free Vegan Mexican Wedding Cookies.
Gluten Free Things
11651 West 64th Avenue, Suite A-6, Arvada
303-668-1663
This Arvada bakery targets those with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity, but the recipes are also formulated without eggs or dairy, so they're great for plant-based cookie cravers, too. Choose from oatmeal raisin, double chocolate chip or double chocolate brownie, all of which you can purchase at the bakery or order online. And in addition to cookies, Gluten Free Things has a wide range of vegan and gluten-free breads, crackers, pre-made doughs and flours.
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