These vegan sugar cookies are perfect for Christmas and Valentine’s Day! They’re soft, perfectly sweet, and super easy to make. And it’s so much fun to decorate them!
Why This Recipe Works
Oh, how I love Christmas baking! These vegan sugar cookies are the perfect proof that plant-based treats can be just as irresistible as their non-vegan counterparts.
When I first became vegan, I thought making Christmas cookies without butter, milk, and eggs would be super complicated if not impossible. But it’s definitely not. On the contrary, it’s so easy!
It’s all about the clever substitutions. We’ve swapped out traditional butter and milk for plant-based alternatives, and the results are amazing. A hint of vanilla and almond create a flavor that’s nostalgic and comforting.
The preparation of these vegan sugar cookies is pretty easy and quick! Just keep in mind that the dough needs 30 minutes of resting time in the fridge, so make sure you have enough time.
And decorating these cookies is so much fun, especially with kids! You can cut them into different shapes, decorate them with colorful icing, melted dark chocolate, and colorful sprinkles. Or keep things simple with a sprinkle of sugar.
Whether you’re making them for a special occasion, a holiday gathering, Valentine’s Day, a birthday party, or just a cozy night in, these vegan sugar cookies are perfect for every occasion.
They have been my go-to recipe for cookies for a long time and and the recipe always works like a charm. Plus, they’re a wonderful way to introduce non-vegans to the delicious world of plant-based baking.
So, grab your mixing bowl, preheat your oven, and make a large batch of these delicious vegan sugar cookies! Trust me, you will love them.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Flour – all-purpose flour
- Vegan Butter – The butter should be rather soft, so store it at room temperature for a while before you start with the recipe.
- Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Natural Vanilla Extract
- Almond Extract
- Plant-based Milk – soy or almond milk.
How To Make This Recipe
1. Step: In a mixing bowl, add softened vegan butter and sugar. Beat with a handheld or stand mixer for about 3-4 minutes on high speed until the butter sugar mixture is light and fluffy.
2. Step: Add the vanilla extract, the almond extract, and the soy or almond milk. Beat again on high speed until well combined. This should take about a minute
3. Step: Now add the dry ingredients. Mix again on high until everything is well combined. Do not overmix the batter. Form a ball and cover it with plastic wrap. Place it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
4. Step: Lightly cover your kitchen counter with flour and roll out the dough with a rolling pin.
5. Step: Cut out the cookies with cookie cutters. I used star, heart, and Christmas tree shaped cookie cutters. Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
6. Step: Line a baking tray with parchment paper and place the cookies on top. Bake for 8 minutes. As every oven is a bit different, check regularly, so they don’t get too dark.
Tips & Tricks
- The rolled out dough shouldn’t be too thick (see pictures for reference). Otherwise the cookies will take longer in the oven, so you might have to adjust the baking time.
- It’s important to pay close attention to the measurements of this recipe. You don’t want to end up with too much flour, which will make the dough too dry. So I recommend leveling the cup off with a knife to scrape off the excess flour.
- I love adding a bit of almond extract to my sugar cookies along with vanilla extract. It gives them such a nice flavor! But don’t use too much or otherwise your cookies will taste like marzipan. You could also leave it out completely.
Decorating
You could of course enjoy the sugar cookies plain, but there are many fun ways to decorate them!
Make sure the sprinkles and the food coloring you use are vegan. Most brands are not vegan as they use carmine or beeswax. Check your local health food store or order them online. Here’s a helpful list of vegan sprinkles and other decoration for baking.
I used:
- melted dark chocolate
- vegan sprinkles
- homemade sugar glaze with powdered sugar and plant-based milk (I like to either add a bit of lemon juice or vanilla extract)
- food coloring (you can either use store-bought or homemade food coloring)
Storing
Properly stored in an airtight container at room temperate, the decorated cookies will last up to 2 weeks.
Freezing
They freeze really well. However, make sure to freeze them before frosting them. Then you can just store them in the fridge and frost them the next day.
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I Love To Hear From You!
I hope you like these vegan sugar cookies as much as we do around here.
If you give them a try, I’d love to know what you think about them. Just leave me a comment and a star rating below. Your comments really make my day!
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Sina
Vegan Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- handheld mixer
- mixing bowl
- baking tray with parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup vegan butter such as Earth Balance
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 tablespoons soy or almond milk
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add softened vegan butter and sugar. Beat with a handheld or stand mixer for about 3-4 minutes on high speed until the butter sugar mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla extract, the almond extract, and the soy or almond milk. Beat again on high speed until well combined. This should take about a minute.
- Now add the dry ingredients. Mix again on high until everything is well combined. Do not overmix the batter. Form a ball and cover it with plastic wrap. Place it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Lightly cover your kitchen counter with flour and roll out the dough with a rolling pin.
- Cut out the cookies with cookie cutters. I used star, heart, and Christmas tree shaped cookie cutters. Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper and place the cookies on top. Bake for 8 minutes. As every oven is a bit different, check regularly, so they don't get too dark.
Notes
- The rolled out dough shouldn’t be too thick (see pictures for reference). Otherwise the cookies will take longer in the oven, so you might have to adjust the baking time.
- Make sure the sprinkles and the food coloring you use are vegan. Most brands are not vegan as they use carmine or beeswax. Check your local health food store or order them online. Here’s a helpful list of vegan sprinkles and other decoration for baking.
- When it comes to vegan butter, I recommend using earth balance sticks. The recipes works really well with this brand. The butter should be rather soft, so store it at room temperature for a while before you start with the recipe.
- It’s important that you pay close attention to the measurements of this recipe. You don’t want to end up with too much flour, which will make the dough too dry. So I recommend leveling the cup off with a knife to scrape off the excess flour.
- I love adding a bit of almond extract to my sugar cookies along with vanilla extract. It gives them such a nice flavor! But don’t use too much or otherwise your cookies will taste like marzipan. You could also leave it out completely.
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