Vegan Sugar Cookies

Delicious Vegan Sugar Cookies that are easy to make, soft and crispy on the edges, and that keep their shape beautifully after baking.

They’re not overly sweet, which makes them perfect to eat plain, spread butter and jam on them, or, if you feel fancy, decorated with Vegan Royal Icing (recipe bellow) and turn them into a heavenly work of art.

Looking for a recipe with minimal effort and mess but lots of fun? This is it! You will be amazed by the few and basic ingredients you need to prepare those cute sugar cookies. They are made with just 3 main ingredients: butter, sugar and flour. The rest of the ingredients, salt and vanilla, are used to basically enhance the taste and flavour of the cookies.

Ingredients

This recipe makes 40 cookies. Bellow you’ll find the details regarding shapes and measurements.

Vegan butter. I use margarine straight from the fridge. Margarine has a softer consistency than dairy butter, so, it’s much better to keep it in the fridge just until you are going to use it.

Sugar. Organic cane sugar works great here. Not something you normally have in your pantry? Don’t worry, white granulated sugar is a good substitute here.

Flour. All purpose flour is the best for this recipe. Use gluten-free all purpose flour if you’d like to make these cookies gluten-free, at a ratio of 1:1.

Salt. Used to enhance the taste of baked goods.

Vanilla. That’s the usual flavour for this type of cookies. I’ve also flavored them with almond flavour sometimes and, although I don’t dislike it, I find that vanilla suits much better here.

How to Make Vegan Sugar Cookies

Full instructions and measurements can always be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is just a summary of the process. 

1. First, beat butter and sugar until just combined. Add vanilla and stir again. Then, add the flour and beat until everything is well mixed.
2. Place the dough on a parchment paper, flatten and wrap it. Place int the fridge for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 350ºF / 175º C.
4. Once refrigerated, cut out the cookies and place them onto the prepared cookie sheets. Place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
5. Bake cookies for 13 minutes or until the edges are brown.
6. Let cool in the baking sheet. Transfer to a cooling rack when almost at room temperature and let cool completely before storing or decorating.

Tips for the Best Vanilla Cookies

Use cold butter. The butter will soften when you mix it with the sugar but the dough will be a bit cooler, which makes it easier to work with.

Refrigerate the dough Although this dough can be used straight of the mixing bowl, it’s advisable to refrigerate it before and after cutting out the cookies.

Baking time. Every oven is different. Baking time is quite accurate but keep in mind that cookies are done when the edges are slightly brown although the center may look a bit underdone. So keep an eye on your cookies while baking.

One batch at a time. Unless you’ve got a professional oven, it’s much better to place just one tray in the center of the oven.

Shapes and Measurements

Yield: with this recipe you’ll get:

• 15 heart shaped cookies, 2.5 inch (6.5 cm) diameter
• 15 round cookies, 2.5 inch (6.5 cm) diameter
• 10 round slightly bigger cookies, 3 inch (7.5 cm) diameter

Cookie Cutters Measurements: I’ve used: 

• a 2.3 inch (6 cm) heart shaped cutter
• a 2.5 inch (6.5 cm) round cutter
• a 3 inch (7.5 cm) round cutter

Vegan Sugar Cookies

Yield: 20 or 40 cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 13 minutes

Total Time: 33 minutes

Delicious Vegan Sugar Cookies that are easy to make, soft and crispy on the edges and that keep their shape beautifully after baking.

Print

Ingredients

Makes 40 cookies: 2.5 - 3 inch (6.5 - 7.5 cm)

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (250 grams) vegan butter
• 1 ¼ cups sugar (250 grams) white sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour (470 grams)

Makes 20 cookies: 2.5 - 3 inch (6.5 - 7.5 cm)

• ½ cup plus 1 tablespoons (125 grams) vegan butter
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (125 grams) sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (235 grams)

Ingredients for the Vegan Royal Icing (to decorate 20 cookies)

• 1 ¾ cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons light golden syrup

Instructions

Instructions for the Cookies

1. First, line or lightly grease two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla until just incorporated and a bit creamy. Don’t over work or the cookies will spread while baking. 
3. Add the flour and salt. Mix until the dough comes together and clumps around the paddle attachment. Your dough is ready. 
4. Transfer the dough to a floured surface, divide in two and flat them to make discs. Wrap with cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 
5. Preheat oven to 350ºF / 175 ºC.
6. Place the dough on a parchment paper, cover with another sheet of parchment paper and roll out ¼ inch (6mm) thick. 
7. Use cookie cutters to cut out the shapes, place on the lined cookie sheets and bake for 13-15 minutes until golden brown at the edges.
8. Let cool on the cookie sheet to firm up and then transfer to a cooling rack. You can eat them as they are or decorate with royal icing.

Instructions for the Royal Icing

1. In a medium bowl, mix all the icing ingredients. Beat until they are incorporated and the mixture starts getting glossy. You can use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, a hand mixer or simply do it by hand with a whisk. 
2. If using an electric mixer, mix on low speed to until smooth and then switch to medium speed for a few seconds. If it’s too thick, add some water, one teaspoon at a time. 
3. Color the icing with food coloring. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip. I use Wilton round piping tip #4 for outlining and flooding the cookie. 

Notes

USE COLD BUTTER. The butter will soften when you mix it with the sugar but the dough will be a bit cooler, which makes it easier to work with. 

REFRIGERATE THE DOUGH. Although this dough can be used straight of the mixing bowl, it’s advisable to refrigerate.

BAKING TIME. Every oven is different. Baking time is quite accurate but keep in mind that cookies are done when the edges are slightly brown although the center may look a bit underdone.

ONE BATCH AT A TIME. Unless you’ve got a professional oven, it’s much better to place just one tray in the center of the oven.

NUTRITION INFORMATION

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice. 

See our full nutrition disclosure. 

Nutrition Information

Yield 60 Serving Size 20 grams
Amount Per Serving Calories 76Total Fat 1gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 2mgSodium 14mgCarbohydrates 16gFiber 0gSugar 8gProtein 1g

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