Vegan Sugar Cookies

Vegan sugar cookies are sure to become your favorite holiday cookie. Sweet, healthier, fun to decorate and eat, they are everything you could possibly want in a holiday cookie.

To me there is no other cookie that tastes more like Christmas than vegan sugar cookies. They are my offical holiday cookie and a must for any holiday baker. Iced sugar cookies are a bit time consuming but are worth it.

Every family has their own traditions in regard to decorating their cookies. Growing up we used basic buttercream as frosting and added food coloring and sprinkles. As a grown up I prefer royal icing even though it requires a little more skill. Either icing is fine, and can be piped or spread on. With royal icing you need to apply sprinkles right away as the icing hardens within seconds.

Making Sugar cookies

These are rolled dough cookies. Be sure to keep your rolling pin well floured. The dough is very sticky. I used a 2-1/2 inch cookie cutter as well as a Christmas star cookie cutter to make my cookies. The dough is soft so cutting them is very easy. Be sure to handle the dough gently and not roll it out to thinly. It should be about 3/8 inch in depth.

After icing, let icing completely harden. It will take up to 24 hours. Then you can store and stack them without ruining your cookie’s frosting and decorations.

These cookies really bring the holiday spirit to life. Perfect for eating, gifting and making with family and friends they are a treat at anytime. Enjoy!

Our favourite holidays treats are what makes and keeps the holiday special. The good news is they can all be easily veganized and taste as yummy as the ones you grew up with. Here are some of my favorites:

Shortbread Cookies

Cherry Peppermint Rice Crispy Treats

Vegan Christmas Trifle

Vegan Butter Tarts

Candy Cane Marshmallow Cookies

A whole foods vegan diet is healthy, kind to animals, and kind to the planet. It is also delicious and affordable. If you like this recipe, please share! ~Una

Vegan Sugar Cookies

Course: Dessert, Holiday
Cuisine: Holiday
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 38 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies
Author: Una Rose
Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 cup vegan butter softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3 cups all purpose or gluten-free flour
  • 4-6 tablespoons unsweetened plant based milk
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened plant milk

Icing:

  • 5 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Sprinkles of your choice optional

Instructions

Cookie:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Line a cookie sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
  • In a medium-size bowl, add the butter and sugar. Cream until they are well mixed.
  • Add the vanilla. Mix well.
  • Add the baking powder and mix. Mix in the flour one cup at a time. The dough will be crumbly.
  • Press the dough together until a firm yet soft dough is formed.
  • Roll out half of the dough out on a prepared surface until it’s about 1/6″ thick.
  • Cut out shapes with a cookie cutter.
  • Place cookies on the prepared cookie sheet. Roll out and cut remaining dough.
  • Bake cookies for 6-8 minutes. They are done when the bottoms have slightly browned and cookies are white and soft to the touch (they harden when cooling). Do not over-bake. Set a timer for 6 monutes and check bottoms to see if done. If cookies are too cooked underneath, place cookie sheet in a higher rung.
  • Let cookies cool on a baking rack. Once completely cool, ice and add decoration.

Icing:

  • In a medium-size bowl, stir together confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and 4 tablespoons milk. Mix very well until smooth and glossy. Add up to 2 tablespoons plant milk if it's too hard. (You want a consistency that when you take a spoonful of icing, it doesn't run at all and has a soft but solid consistency.)
  • Take a half tablespoon full of icing and spread it on each cookie. You can also pipe the icing onto the cookie in an outline and then fill with more icing.
  • Once each cookie is iced, immediately sprinkle or dip cookie into sprinkles, as icing will harden quickly. Repeat until all cookies are iced and decorated.
  • Place cookies on a cookie sheet, singley layered between parchment paper and refrigerate until icing is fully hardened, about 30 minutes.
  • After icing is hardened, store refrigerated in covered containers. Eat within 3-4 days. They can also be frozen for up to a month.

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