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Vegan Sugar Cookies with Icing for Easy Decorating
These Vegan Sugar Cookies with Icing have one helpful trick up their sleeve: chilling the dough helps keep those shapes neat. Have you ever had a batch of cutout cookies spread in the oven, and what fixed the problem for you?
No eggs or dairy are needed for a batch of pretty cutout cookies. Vegan Sugar Cookies with Icing are ready for your favourite shapes, so what would you bake first?
Why You Will Love and Enjoy These Vegan Sugar Cookies with Icing
- These cookies are made for anyone who loves a good cutout cookie and a little time spent decorating. The dough is easy to work with, and a quick chill helps your favourite shapes stay neat in the oven. Finish them with vanilla icing, add a few vegan sprinkles, and make each batch your own.
- Easy to decorate: Cut the dough into stars, hearts, flowers, or whatever shapes you fancy.
- Plant-based ingredients: Enjoy a cookie recipe made without dairy butter or eggs.
- Lovely vanilla flavour: Vanilla paste in the dough and vanilla extract in the icing give every bite a sweet, familiar taste.
- Make-ahead friendly: Prepare the dough in advance or freeze the baked cookies for another day.
- Great for sharing: Dress them up for birthdays, holidays, bake sales, or a simple afternoon treat.
Vegan Sugar Cookies with Icing
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Refrigerate: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 20 depending on size 1x
- Category: Cake Cupcakes Cookies and Tarts
- Method: Easy baking
- Diet: VeganDiet
Description
These cutout vegan sugar cookies are buttery, tender, and just right for decorating with a smooth vanilla icing. They’re easy to shape, hold their designs beautifully when chilled, and make a lovely little treat for holidays, birthdays, or an afternoon of baking.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Cookies
- 113 g room temperature
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 45 ml almond milk
- 5 ml vanilla paste (if you do not have paste, regular vanilla will also work)
- 250 g all-purpose flour, + more for rolling out.
- 25 ml cornstarch
- 2.5 ml baking powder
- 1.25 ml salt
Icing
- 120 g vegan powdered sugar
- 20 ml almond milk
- 5 ml vanilla extract
- Optional: vegan gel food dye
- Vegan gel food colouring, optional
Instructions
- Whisk together 250 g all-purpose flour, 25 ml cornstarch, 2.5 ml baking powder, and 1.25 ml salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Beat 113 g softened vegan butter and 100 g granulated sugar with a handheld electric mixer for about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat for another minute until the mixture looks light and fluffy.
- Add 45 ml almond milk and 5 ml vanilla paste to the butter mixture. Beat until everything is well combined.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes, just until a soft dough forms. Don’t keep mixing once the dough comes together.
- Place the finished dough in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to settle, as it will help with the shaping of the dough and cutting.
- On your work surface, place a large enough piece of parchment paper and lightly flour the surface. Take half of the dough, place it on the parchment paper and lightly dust with some extra flour to prevent it from sticking, and lightly press with your palm to about 1/4 inch thick.
- Cut out your favourite shapes and carefully transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between cookies.
- Gather the scraps, gently press them together, and reshape the dough. Continue cutting shapes until you’ve used it all. If the dough becomes too soft or sticky, pop it into the fridge for a few minutes before shaping it again.
- Refrigerate the cutout cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Bake them immediately, directly from the fridge, as this helps them keep their shape and gives you cleaner edges after baking.
- While the cookies chill, preheat your oven to 350⁰F (175⁰C). Bake the chilled cookies for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to turn lightly golden. The centres should still look fairly pale.
- Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Let them cool completely before icing; otherwise, the icing may melt and slide off.
- Whisk 120 g vegan powdered sugar, 20 ml almond milk, and 5 ml vanilla extract in a small bowl until smooth. If the icing is too thick, add almond milk a few drops at a time. If it’s too thin, whisk in a little more powdered sugar.
- Divide the icing between small bowls if you’d like different colours. Stir in a little vegan gel food colouring, then dip the cooled cookies into the icing or spread it over the tops with a small spoon. Add vegan sprinkles while the icing is still wet.
- Leave the decorated cookies on a wire rack until the icing has set.
Notes
Prepared, tried, and tested by Esme’s Granddaughter K
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 101
- Sugar: 11.1 g
- Sodium: 40.7 mg
- Fat: 0.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 21.4 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 21 mg
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Additional Information and Tips
- Can these cookies be frozen? Yes. Freeze cooled, undecorated cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months, with parchment paper between layers. Thaw before icing.
- How should the cookies be stored? Store iced cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 to 7 days. Allow icing to set before stacking.
- Can the dough be made ahead? Yes. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Soften slightly before rolling if needed.
- What vegan butter works best? Use firm, block-style vegan butter rather than soft tub spreads to prevent sticky dough and spreading.
- Can almond milk be substituted? Yes. Unsweetened oat milk or soy milk works well in both the dough and icing.
- Can vanilla paste be replaced? Yes. Substitute 1 tsp vanilla extract for 1 tsp vanilla paste.
- Why do the cookies spread? Warm dough and overly soft butter are common causes. Chill the cutout cookies for 10 minutes before baking.
- How do I know when they’re baked? Bake at 350⁰F (175⁰C) for 12-15 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the centres remain pale.
- Why must cookies cool before icing? Cool completely on a wire rack to prevent the icing from melting and running.
- How do I adjust the icing consistency? Add almond milk a few drops at a time if too thick, or powdered sugar if too thin.
- Are these cookies vegan? The recipe contains no dairy butter or eggs. Check ingredient labels, including sugar, vegan butter, icing sugar and decorations, to ensure they meet vegan requirements.
Vegan Sugar Cookies with Icing are ideal for anyone who enjoys tender homemade cookies with pretty shapes and a sweet vanilla finish. The simple plant-based dough is easy to cut, the chilling step helps preserve each design, and the icing makes decorating fun. Choose your favourite cutters, add colourful vegan decorations, and enjoy a fresh batch made just the way you like it.
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