“If I was going to make the world a better place, I’d do it with cookies.”

This is a quote from one of the characters in “Stranger Than Fiction.”

One of the things that made me love my husband more is our shared appreciation for this movie, so I made cookies to pair with it that I knew he’d love.

This vegan, gluten-free white chocolate cranberry walnut oatmeal cookie recipe makes approximately 20-24 cookies, and you can decide how many servings that is.

Ingredients
2 vegan, gluten-free egg whites
0.5 cups vegan butter or margarine, softened
0.5 cups brown sugar
0.75 cups 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour
0.5 teaspoons cinnamon
0.5 teaspoons nutmeg
0.25 teaspoons salt
1.5 cups oats (make sure they’re gluten-free)
1 teaspoon vanilla
0.5 cups dried cranberries
0.5 cups vegan mini white chocolate chips
0.25 cups walnuts, chopped

Instructions
Prepare the vegan egg whites according to your packaging instructions. We used a powdered egg replacer that gets hydrated with water.

Whisk the egg whites, butter and brown sugar together using a mixer.

In another bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together.

Pour the dry mixture into the wet so a dough starts to form.

Add in the oats and vanilla.

Once the dough is formed, slowly fold in the dried cranberries, white chocolate chips and chopped walnuts.

Chill the dough in the fridge for 30-45 minutes.

As the chilling time comes to an end, preheat your oven to 350°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Pull out the dough and scoop it onto the baking sheets, leaving space between each dough clump for the cookies to expand.

Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes at 350°F. The edges should be crispy with a slightly soft center.

To quote the same character who said the intro sentence: “Pick up the cookie, dip it in the milk, and eat it.” Milk (preferably in vegan form) is optional, but I hope you enjoy these cookies with “Stranger Than Fiction,” whether it’s your first time watching or your 50th.

The Easy Route
You might be able to find a basic vegan, gluten-free oatmeal cookie dough and add the mini white chocolate chips, cranberries and walnuts.

If you know of a bakery, restaurant or brand that makes vegan, gluten-free white chocolate cranberry walnut cookies, please share those details in the comments.

The Pairing
I have adored “Stranger Than Fiction” since the moment I first saw it in 2006.

Will Ferrell stars as Harold Crick, an IRS accountant assigned to audit Ana Pascal (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a baker who knowingly did not fully pay her taxes as a form of protest.

Things take a surreal turn when Harold starts to hear a woman’s voice (Emma Thompson) narrating his life, alluding to his impending death.

Truly freaked out by this, Harold quickly uses his analytical skills to deduce that it’s an author and recruits a college professor (Dustin Hoffman) to help him identify who it might be in an effort to escape the fate she is writing for him.

While this movie has its comedic moments, it is also very dramatic, allowing Ferrell to successfully drift away from his comedic roots alongside a stellar supporting cast, which also includes Queen Latifah and Tony Hale.

Ferrell and Gyllenhaal believably navigate their transition from animosity to romance without it at all feeling forced.

As an anarchist baker, I’d like to think Ana’s bakery was vegan, and Harold brings her a variety of “flours” in one memorable scene, including some gluten-free ones.

I recently watched this movie with my husband for the first time, and it was nice to be reminded of why we both love this movie so much.

One of the first gifts he ever got me was an ice cream maker along with all the ingredients to make dairy-free ice cream, a move I would like to believe was inspired by Harold’s romantic flours gesture.

If you decide to make these cookies and/or watch “Stranger Than Fiction,” let us know! Tag us in your Instagram posts & stories, threads, TikToks and/or tweets: @veg_out_recipes. We’re also on Bluesky as @vegoutrecipes.bsky.social.

This is part two of my third anniversary double feature, where I pair baked goods with favorite romcoms. The first part is pizza rolls paired with “Beginners.”