I never planned on becoming a cookier (someone who makes cookies for a living), and I certainly never planned on becoming a vegan cookier – but life has a funny way of throwing you into the unexpected.
My daughters were both diagnosed with food allergies, and I had to learn to make things without eggs, without milk, without butter or cream, without bananas or peanuts, and without wheat (for the youngest, at least. If you need a wheat-free recipe, check mine out here).
That means an awful lot of experimenting happened, and I took a “don’t tell me what I can’t do” attitude to the kitchen. I decided to break down barriers of what people told me was impossible to make and make well, and blow their minds.
This is one of my first major successes on that front: vegan sugar cookies that not only taste amazing, but that are easier to make and less expensive than any non-vegan recipe I had ever used. And everyone loves them – so much so that they asked me to start selling them. So now I make and sell vegan cookies! And I want to share the wonderful recipe I use with you.
Free of eggs, milk, butter, cream, and precious time wasted to chill the dough, these rich, delicious cookies will wow everyone who tries them and have you being hailed as a vegan cookie master.
They’re soft but study enough to top with royal icing, buttercream, glaze, sprinkles, jimmies, sugar pearls, more cookies, or whatever else your heart desires. Or even eat them plain! Who am I to tell you what you can’t do?
So here you go:
No-Chill, No-Spread, Vegan Rolled Sugar Cookies
By Cooking on Caffeine
Vegan sugar cookies that not only taste amazing, but that are easier to make and less expensive than any non-vegan recipe I have ever used.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 9-11 minutes
Ingredients:
1 c granulated sugar (if you are vegan, make sure to use a sugar that is bone-char free like Zulka)
1/2 c vegan margarine, room temperature (I use Country Crock plant butter)
1/2 c vegetable shortening
1 1/2 tsp vanilla (use pure vanilla extract if vegan)
3 tbsp aquafaba or 1 flax egg
3 1/4 c all-purpose flour
Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350° F.
2. Mix sugar, margarine, and shortening just until combined.
3. While the sugar and fats mix, sift your flour into a medium-sized bowl. This step is optional, but some may find it helpful.
4. Add vanilla and aquafaba (or flax egg). Mix until combined.
5. Add flour. Mix until combined and the dough pulls away from the bowl. You should be able to press your finger into it, leaving a perfect impression, without it sticking to you.
6. Lightly flour your rolling surface.
7. Take half of the dough, form it into a disk and set it on your floured surface; cover the other half with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.
8. Lightly flour the top of your dough, and roll it out to about 3/8” thick. Cut out your cookies with whatever cutters you desire and transfer them to a parchment paper or silicone mat lined baking sheet.
9. Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until the tops of the cookies no longer appear wet.
10. Remove the pan from the oven, and allow the cookies to rest on the pan for ten minutes before moving them to a cooling rack to come to room temperature.
11. Add your leftover scraps of dough to the half you covered with plastic and repeat steps 6, and 8-10.
After the cookies are cool, store them between layers of paper towel in a sealed storage container at room temperature. You may also freeze them this way – just be sure to allow them to thaw completely in the sealed container without opening it.
Decorate with my vegan royal icing or enjoy plain.
No-Chill, No-Spread, Vegan Rolled Sugar Cookies
Vegan sugar cookies that not only taste amazing, but that are easier to make and less expensive than any non-vegan recipe I have ever used.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 c granulated sugar vegan
- 1/2 c margarine vegan, room temperature
- 1/2 c vegetable shortening
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract not imitation
- 3 tbsp aquafaba or 1 flax egg
- 3 1/4 c all-purpose flour
Instructions
Directions
-
Preheat your oven to 350° F.
-
Mix sugar, margarine, and shortening just until combined.
-
While sugar and fats mix, sift your flour into a medium-sized bowl (optional, but helpful).
-
Add vanilla and aquafaba (or flax egg). Mix until combined.
-
Add flour. Mix until combined and the dough pulls away from the bowl. You should be able to press your finger into it, leaving a perfect impression, without it sticking to you.
-
Lightly flour your rolling surface.
-
Take half of the dough, form it into a disk and set it on your floured surface; cover the other half with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.
-
Lightly flour the top of your dough, and roll it out to about 3/8” thick. Cut out your cookies with whatever cutters you desire and transfer them to a parchment paper or silicone mat lined baking sheet.
-
Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until the tops of the cookies no longer appear wet.
-
Remove the pan from the oven, and allow the cookies to rest on the pan for ten minutes before moving them to a cooling rack to come to room temperature.
-
Add your leftover scraps of dough to the half you covered with plastic and repeat steps 6, and 8-10.
Recipe Notes
After the cookies are cool, store them between layers of paper towel in a sealed storage container at room temperature. You may also freeze them this way - just be sure to allow them to thaw completely in the sealed container without opening it. Decorate with your icing of choice or enjoy plain.
Looks great! What brand of shortening do you use?
I actually use whatever store brand is available where I’m shopping. As long as it’s all vegetable and no animal products, I’m all about saving money!
Wowie, these are so good and just as described. You can load up the cookie sheet because there is zero spreading. Like the other poster, the dough was too dry so I tried 2 T of almond milk. Nope, 3 T was exactly what it needed. Also, I use flax meal 1 T with 3 T water equals 1 egg, but you let that sit for 5 minutes before incorporating. I had fun with these. Thanks for the great recipe. Now time to go decorate 🙂
How long would these keep for if I ice them?
It really depends on what kind of icing you use and how you store them. Using the aquafaba royal icing and storing in an airtight container on paper towels, I’m still eating on some cookies from November and they taste great! If stored in a heat sealed bag, they should last pretty indefinitely.
Hoping to try these with gf flour today.
If you’re going for gluten-free, try my gluten-free recipe!
https://www.cookingoncaffeine.com/gluten-free-sugar-cookies
Do you have an allergy free royal icing recipe? Thanks for this! My goddaughter has all these allergies.
Hi, Sondra! So sorry I never responded to you, I didn’t see your comment until now!
I make my icing by mixing about 1/8c of aquafaba until frothy, then slowly add in powdered sugar until it’s glue-like consistency. Then I add a splash of vanilla and white gel color. Then I mix it all on high for about 7-8 minutes until thick like toothpaste. I thin it out as I need it to the appropriate consistency with fresh lemon juice. 🙂
I’ll be getting a post up soon with the full recipe and photo guide!
I made this and they were perfect! Tasted great too! I’m so relieved to fine a good vegan recipe that doesn’t spread. Growing up our Christmas cookies always looked sad and bloated lol totally lost their shapes. This is going to make christmas cutter cookies so fun with my daughter!
I’m so, so happy to hear this, thank you for sharing! Merry Christmas to you and your family!
About to make these minis for a whole crew of kindergarten classes. Thanks for making a PUBLIC SCHOOL safe recipe. Can’t wait to report back!
Do we have to use shortening or can we just use more vegan butter?
It depends on what butter you use. If it’s a high fat butter (>78%) you’ll do fine using just that. If not, you’ll need to cut it with shortening or it will be too soft.
Easy to make biscuits. Mine did not come together after adding flour until I added around 2 to 3 tabs warm Almond Milk. Keeping in mind that US cups is different to the Australian cups. But if same cups used for all ingredients it should work out…but mine was just crumbly till I added more liquid. Next time I will add my flour slower. I made my biscuits in the shape of a Wombat and a Kangaroo:) Cheers.
I’m glad to hear they came together for you!
Depending on the weather and the brand of flour/sugar I use, sometimes I have to add a little liquid to get it to the right consistency. Usually I use aquafaba since I’ve got it on hand – but I really like the idea of almond milk, too!
Can I make the dough ahead? How far ahead?
Hi, Jennifer! Yes, you can!
You can wrap it well in Saran Wrap and keep it in the freezer for up to six months. 🙂
Hi, I can’t wait to try these. I’d like to make them as hanging ornaments, do you know whether they would stand being hung up? And how long they would stay fresh out in the open? Thank you ☺️
Hi there! They might be a little bit too soft as hanging ornaments, and tend to get softer as they are in the open rather than harder. If you dipped them in royal icing they would definitely have a bit more strength and stay fresh longer, though! Naked cookies stay fresh for about a day out in the open.
What is bone-char when it comes to sugar? And how is artificial vanilla not vegan? I’m asking only because I have a friend who is vegan as well as a family filled with allergies and now I’m worried I may be inadvertently giving them things they can’t have. 😣😣
Hi, Tegan!
That’s a great question and awesome of you to care enough about your friends to investigate it!
In the United States, most commercial cane sugar is filtered through charcoal to give it a bright white appearance. In other countries, they use coconut or bamboo charcoal to do this usually. Here in the States, most companies still prefer to do it using incinerated animal bones instead.
And artificial vanilla with the natural flavor “castoreum” is milked from the anal glands of beavers. 🤷🏼♀️
Not ALL artificial vanilla is flavored with it, but if it’s made with “natural flavors” it’s worth avoiding.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castoreum
I’ve tried this recipe several times and my cookies seem to bubble on top. Am I doing something wrong?
Hi, Kelly!
If they’re bubbling on top, you’re likely working the dough for just a smidge too long. You end up developing the gluten, and it creates layers in the cookie and tries to ‘croissant’, getting steam building up between them and bubbling up.
The cookies will still taste great, and if you’re quick enough you can quickly run a rolling pin over the top to smush the bubbles back down.
Hi! Quick question. Do you reduce your aquafaba in this recipe and your vegan royal icing ?
Thank!
Hi, Kristen!
No, I don’t reduce it for these recipes. Only for my macarons. 🙂
Hi! Do you think that I can adapt this recipe to make chocolate sugar cookies by substituting part of the flour with cocoa powder?
I tried just swapping a little cocoa and they turned out very dry. I’m working on perfecting a chocolate version now though, and will hopefully have the recipe done soon!