This Vegan Holiday Cookies Recipe is easy, only requires 7 ingredients and the cookies are so fun to decorate.
Its almost that time of year! And by that "time of year" I obviously mean holiday cookie season. This Vegan Holiday Cookie recipe is a blank canvas to decorate however you like.
Ingredients
Vegan Butter: I always recommend Soy-Free Earth Balance. I think the flavor is better than the Original variety.
Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens and lends structure.
Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar keeps these cookies light and crisp.
Non Dairy Milk: For moisture.
Vanilla: For flavor.
Flour: Regular All purpose flour here. I always recommend King Arthur.
Baking Powder: A bit of baking powder. We want a little lift but no spredding.
Instructions
This Vegan Holiday Cookies recipe is super simple.
First, cream the butter and sugar.
Next, add the powdered sugar.
Then, add the non dairy milk and vanilla and mix well.
Now, add the flour and baking powder and mix until just combined.
Next, scrape the dough out of the mixer and form it into a disc, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
This is important! If you roll the dough out immediately, you will need a lot of flour to keep it from sticking to your counter top. Then, the cookies will be tough from all the added flour.
Finally, just roll them out and bake!
How to Decorate
These cookies are truly a blank canvas.
Decorate them with a sprinkle of sugar before baking.
Or, as we used to do, a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg.
Today, I whipped up some royal icing to decorate. This is more time consuming, but if you like baking projects, I'll drop a royal icing recipe card at the bottom of this recipe.
Storage
The dough for this Vegan Holiday Cookies recipe can be made ahead of time. Up to 3 days!
Prepping the dough streamlines the process, especially if you are decorating with kids. As a former kid baker, I can tell you that the hour chill time feels like an eternity.
Once the cookies are baked and decorated, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Important Recipe Tip
These Vegan Cut-Out Holiday Cookies are meant to be thin and crispy, so be sure to roll them out to approximately ⅛ of an inch.
If they are too thick they don't turn into a nice soft cookie. Rather, they get a chewy. But not a good chewy- a chewy that tells you that you should have baked them longer.
Don't substitute the powdered sugar for granulated sugar. The powdered sugar helps keep these cookies light tender and crisp which is crucial here. No one wants a hard cookie!
Looking for More Holiday Cookies?
Vegan Candy Cake Cookies by: Vegan Yack Attack
📖 Recipe
Vegan Cut-Out Holiday Cookies
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer or Large Mixing Bowl
- 1 Wooden Spoon
- 1 Cookie Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- 1 Rolling Pin
- Various Cookie Cutters
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoon Non-Dairy Butter
- ⅓ Cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 tablespoon Powdered Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Plant Milk
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1 ¼ Cup All Purpose Flour
- ¼ teaspoon Baking Powder
To decorate (optional)
- 1 Recipe Royal Icing Recipe is below
- Turbinado Sugar
- Cinnamon or Nutmeg
- Colored Sugar
Instructions
- In a the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment OR in a large mixing bowl with a wooden spoon, cream the butter and granulated sugar.8 tablespoon Non-Dairy Butter, ⅓ Cup Granulated Sugar
- Add the powdered sugar and mix well. Then, add the vanilla and plant milk and mix well to combine.2 tablespoon Powdered Sugar, 1 tablespoon Plant Milk, 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- Now add the flour and baking powder and mix until it forms a dough. If you need a teaspoon or 2 more plant milk to form a dough, add it here.1 ¼ Cup All Purpose Flour, ¼ teaspoon Baking Powder
- Form the dough into a flat disc, wrap with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour, but it can chill for up to 3 days.
- Preheat oven to 375* F. Line a baking tray with parchment.
- Remove dough from the refrigerator. Lightly flour your work surface as well as a rolling pin.
- Roll dough out to about ⅛ of an inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut cookies out and transfer the cookies to the baking sheet leaving about 1 inch of space between each cookie.
- Press the cookie dough scraps back into a disc, wrap with plastic wrap and place back into the refrigerator.
- If you want to decorate with colored sugar, cinnamon or turbinado sugar, sprinkle the cookies with them now. If you want to ice the cookies with royal icing, leave them plain. Bake the cookies in a 375* oven for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.Turbinado Sugar, Cinnamon or Nutmeg
- Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Repeat with remaining cookie dough.
- Cool completely before decorating.1 Recipe Royal Icing, Colored Sugar
Here is the royal icing recipe for your holiday baking fun. The trick to this recipe is the texture.
It needs to be loose enough to pipe but stiff enough to hold its shape when piped. This recipe should be enough to frost all of your cookies.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Royal Icing
Equipment
- 1 Medium Bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Sifter
- 1 Whisk
Ingredients
- 3 Cups Powdered Sugar Sifted
- ¾ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 3 tablespoon Plant Milk
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk all ingredients together until a smooth but thick icing forms. If it looks too thick to pipe, add ½ teaspoon more plant milk at a time until the desired consistency is reached.3 Cups Powdered Sugar, ¾ teaspoon Vanilla Extract, 3 tablespoon Plant Milk
- Color as desired with food coloring.
- Pipe or spread onto completely cool cookies.
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