Taste of Home's Cherry Bon Bon cookies were a holiday and gift staple in my house--So imagine how I, now a vegan trying to inspire others to adopt a plant-based and cruelty free diet, felt daunted by the idea of not being able to continue my holiday traditions. So instead of giving it up, I put on my big girl pants and worked at that recipe until it was vegan, and not one of my non-vegan coworkers would be complaining that I deprived them of butter. It is important for a vegan recipe that you use VEGAN sugar-- most people don't know that standard granulated and powdered sugar is refined with animal bone char, therefore making it non-vegan. If you can't find vegan powdered sugar at your grocery store, opt for an equal amount of unrefined CANE sugar and pulverize it in your blender until it becomes a powder. (Worst comes to worst, order vegan powdered sugar online from a reputable source and have it sent to your doorstep.) When cooking for someone with a soy allergy, opt for almond milk. If allergic to almonds, you may also find rice and hemp milk work just as well.