Day 11: Sugar Cookies
The 12 Days of Vegan Christmas Cookies
Another classic holiday cookie is the sugar cookie. Not overly sweet, and delicate they’re a staple on my holiday cookie platter. I’ve made these a bunch of different ways, including rolling and cutting into shapes with holiday cookie cutters. My favorite though is rolling the scooped dough into balls and the dipping the tops of these little sugar cookie clouds in vibrantly colored icing. They give a fun pop of color to your holiday platter, and they’re just plain fun to make. Top them with sprinkles for a little extra sparkle. You can using traditional holiday colors, but I like to mix it up a little with these greenish-blue and bright red colored frostings. This is also a great recipe to have up your sleeve all year round. Use whatever cookie cutter shape is appropriate and decorate to your heart’s content. Get the kiddos involved too and let them have some fun with the decorating. You can place the frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip, or just spoon it over the cookies letting it drip down the sides.
- ½ cup (1 stick) vegan butter, such as Earth Balance, at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds, mixed with 3 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk, or other non-dairy milk
- ¼ cup applesauce
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk, or other non-dairy milk
- Food coloring (optional)
- Candies or Sprinkles (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- In a small bowl or mug, mix together the flax seeds and water, and set aside to thicken.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the vegan butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add in the flax seed mixture, vanilla, applesauce, and almond milk and mix until smooth. Scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as required.
- With the mixer on low speed, mix in the flour, salt, baking powder, and cornstarch until just combined. Taking care not to over mix.
- If scooping into balls you can use the dough right away. If rolling and cutting into shapes chill the dough for 1 hour.
- To make cut outs, roll out the dough on a well floured surface to approximately ¼-inch thick. Cut out shapes as desired and transfer to the prepared baking sheets.
- Alternatively scoop the dough using a small cookie scoop and roll into balls. Place them on the prepared baking sheets and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand.
- Bake for 12 minutes until lightly golden around the edges and slightly puffed.
- Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cookie rack to cool completely.
- In a small bowl whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and almond milk until smooth. Add food coloring if using. Adjust the thickness by adding confectioners’ sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. If spooning over or dipping the cookies you’ll want a softer frosting. If using a piping bag, add a little more sugar for a firmer frosting. If drizzled on a piece of wax or parchment paper, the frosting should hold its shape without running. You may also wish to add ¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar.
- Frost the cookies as desired and decorate with candies or sprinkles if using.
- Allow the frosting to set completely before transferring to an airtight container.
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