Ombligos (Belly Button) Cookies

My son loves the Handy Manny episode called “Stretch’s Cookies” when Mrs. Portillo’s new oven doesn’t fit through her front door.  She needs to put her “ombligos” in the oven soon or they will be ruined.  Handy Manny’s tool Felipe wants to know why she is baking belly buttons?!   Manny says, “Ombligos are sugar cookies.  They are called ombligos, or belly buttons, because the jelly in the middle makes them look like belly buttons!”

I told Luke I would make him some.  These are basic vegan sugar cookies with strawberry fruity spread.  Perfect and easy!

2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder
1 cup Earth Balance
1 cup vegan cane sugar
1 flax egg = 1 tablespoon ground flax seed meal + 3 tablespoons water
Organic Strawberry Fruity Spread

Preheat the oven to 350.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Make the flax egg.

Cream the butter and sugar together in an electric mixer.  Sift the flour into a big bowl and add the baking powder and vanilla powder.  Mix lightly with a fork.

Add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar and mix until it is fully incorporated.  It will look crumbly.  Add the flax egg and mix.  It will come together into a ball of dough.

Turn out the dough onto a clean surface and roll out with a rolling pin so it is about 1/4″ thin.  Using a 3″ round cookie cutter, cut out cookie rounds.  Gather up the scraps and roll it out again and do this until there is no dough left.

Place the cookies on the baking sheet and using the back of the 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon, make a little dip in the middle of the cookies.  Spoon a drop of strawberry fruity spread in the dip.  Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the edges are brown.  Let the cookies cool.  Enjoy!