You know those pillowy soft, cakey, frosted cookies you can buy at grocery stores that are oh so good? They are almost like the top of a cupcake that got smushed into a cookie. They always come with a generous amount of frosting and sprinkles, because who doesn't love sprinkles. I had a sudden craving for these cookies, I wanted them, I needed them, I must have them, and so I veganized them. It took a lot of recipe testing, but I finally cracked the code and satisfied my craving with my new favourite treat: Vegan Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies.
...and now I almost regret it as my diet has suddenly consisted of four cookies a day. So soft, so sweet, so fluffy amazing!!!
These are so much more than just a plain old sugar cookie. They are like funfetti turned into a cookie. The cakey texture is amazing, but I also made sure they tasted great as well. The combo of lemon juice, vanilla extract, and almond extract make for the perfect subtle, sugar cookie flavour.
I think the classic pink frosting is my favourite, but you can always change the frosting and sprinkle colours...
- Orange for Halloween or autumn.
- Green or red for Christmas, you could even sprinkle on crushed candy canes!
- Pink, blue, or yellow for baby showers.
- Classic white for a wedding.
- Gold for New Years.
- Pink or red for valentines day.
You get the idea. These cookies are perfect all year round and for any occasion.
Vegan Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies do require a few steps to make them, but it's actually pretty easy. The fussiest part is spooning out the cookie dough which can be a little sticky. The cookies are of course, great fresh, but they also freeze well making them a great make-ahead treat. (I now have a freezer full of them).
To make Vegan Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies:
In a medium bowl whisk together the dry ingredients.
In a large bowl, use a stand mixer or hand mixer to beat the vegan butter and white sugar together until fluffy. Add the remaining wet ingredients and combine. The mixture won't combine well and will look curdled and that's totally fine. (I didn't show a picture of that because it's not pretty)!
Now add the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet, and mix together. The dough will be very soft, like a thick cake batter.
You can either use the cookie batter right away or you can let it chill in the fridge for 1 hour. Chilling makes it a little easier to work with but does not affect the final cookie. Lightly spray a cookie scoop or large spoon with oil, and scoop 2 tablespoons of cookie dough and drop it onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Repeat to fill your tray, evenly spacing the cookies. Wet your fingers so they don't stick to the cookies, then lightly pat the balls down into flatter shapes.
Bake 11 - 14 minutes until lightly golden on the bottom. Let cool completely before frosting.
To Make the Frosting:
Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat together the vegan butter, vegetable shortening, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. If needed add 1 tablespoon of plant-based milk at a time until desired frosting consistency is reached. Mix in food colour if desired. I divided my frosting into two to make multiple colours.
I like the combination of vegetable shortening and vegan butter for the best frosting that holds well and tastes great. If you prefer you can use all vegan butter, but note that it will make the frosting softer, so you may need less plant-based milk, and be sure to store the cookies in a cool place.
To Assemble the Cookies:
Smear frosting on the cooled cookies then decorate with sprinkles if desired. Store cookies in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, for about 1 week in the fridge, or they also freeze well.
And there you have it! Soft, fluffy, slightly chewy and cake-y, and oh-so-sweet! My Vegan Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies are the perfect vegan treat for whenever your sweet tooth comes calling. Be sure to share!
Common Questions:
Can I freeze sugar cookies?
These cookies freeze perfectly. Just be sure to wait until they have cooled and then place them in an air-tight container or wrap them tightly in plastic wrap. If stored properly, they should last for about 3 months in your freezer.
Do I need to refrigerate sugar cookies?
It is not recommended to refrigerate these cookies as it will dry them out fairly quickly. Instead, keep them out at room temperature in an air-tight container tightly wrapped in plastic wrap. If kept as such, they should last for about a week. If you want to keep them longer, follow the freezing instructions above.
Vegan Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Wet ingredients:
- 1 ¼ cups vegan butter
- 1 ½ cups white sugar
- 1 cup plant-based milk (such as soy or almond)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
For the frosting:
- ½ cup vegan butter
- ½ cup vegetable shortening *see notes
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 - 4 tablespoons plant-based milk (such as soy or almond)
- vegan food colouring (optional)
- sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
- To make the cookies: preheat your oven to 350F (180C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the dry ingredients.
- In a large bowl, use a stand mixer or hand mixer to beat the vegan butter and white sugar together until fluffy. Add the remaining wet ingredients and combine. The mixture won't combine well and will look curdled and that's totally fine. Now add the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet, and mix together. The dough will be very soft, like a thick cake batter.
- You can either use the cookie batter right away or you can let it chill in the fridge for 1 hour. Chilling makes it a little easier to work with but does not affect the final cookie. Lightly spray a cookie scoop or large spoon with oil, and scoop 2 tablespoons of cookie dough and drop it onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Repeat to fill your tray, evenly spacing the cookies. Wet your fingers so they don't stick to the cookies, then lightly pat the balls down into flatter shapes. Bake 11 - 14 minutes until lightly golden on the bottom. Let cool completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting: using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat together the vegan butter, vegetable shortening, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. If needed add 1 tablespoon of plant-based milk at a time until desired frosting consistency is reached. Mix in food colour if desired.
- To assemble the cookies: smear frosting on the cooled cookies then decorate with sprinkles if desired. Store cookies in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, for about 1 week in the fridge, or they also freeze well.
Notes
Nutrition
Bon apptegan!
Sam.
Mason says
Hands down the best sugar cookies I have ever eaten. I am not vegan or gluten-free, and this recipe outcompetes even no-constraint sugar cookies.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful!!
Faith Williams says
Recipe did not work. Mine where really flat and look nothing like the one on the actual recipe. That taste good but do not have the texture or taste of the one form the store either.
Theresa says
I think warm kitchen make the dough softer. I’d try again and refrigerate the dough first.
Stacey says
These are absolutely divine. Yes, they're thin, but the flavor and texture? It's as if a sugar cookie and a vanilla cake had a baby together. An exquisite union. Made a half batch of both regular and gluten-free (used Bob's 1-to1). My GF husband called these a "hit." Converted everything to grams in order to get precise. Sam, you're amazing. The taste, in my opinion, comes from the brilliance of combining lemon juice, vanilla, and almond extract. I'm curious how many batches of these you made to get to this one, perfect recipe. Thank you for your generosity; these are keepers. They're the kind of cookies that you think about coming home to, the kind of cookies that are irresistible.
Jamie says
Could I use coconut milk for this?
Emily says
I've made these cookies many many times since the recipe was posted and they always turn out perfectly! Just made some festive Halloween cookies last night. Thanks for the recipe!!
Katie Paterson says
Hi! I'm a first time browser but cannot wait to try out your recipes! I was wondering, if I wanted to use coconut sugar or a sweetener instead of regular sugar, would it be the same amount? Thanks.
Kate says
Could I replace the butter with applesauce or oil? Thanks
Ashlee says
Can you give tips on creating colored frosting? I’ve been trying to make it orange but i can’t get it bright and i feel like I’m over working the frosting.
Sam Turnbull says
I use gel based food coloring. 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Sorry you didn't enjoy Aurora. I recommend reading about the recipe before making it as the cookies are described as pillowy soft and cakey. They are not intended to be dense.
gabrielle says
Hi! I also had the spreading issue. I’m wondering if it’s happening to people who used vegan sticks of butter. I watched your video and see you used the earth balance spreadable, but I used earth balance sticks. 1 1/4 cups= 2 1/2 sticks of butter. Seems like a lot and maybe really thinned this cookies out.
Jessica says
Delicious but I guess I wasn't expecting how much to uh spread them out had to cut them out in squares cuz they all squished together oop
Sam Turnbull says
Hi A. These are soft frosted sugar cookies and are meant to be fluffy and cakey as described in the post, video, and recipe. See this sugar cookie recipe for a firm cookie-cutter friendly recipe.
Bailey Johnston says
I followed the recipe exactly and they cookies came out flat and crispy...? I’m so confused!! Please help!!
Sam Turnbull says
It's difficult to know what went wrong without being in the kitchen with you, but I recommend watching the video in this post to help guide you through each step.
Sue Stover says
Hi Sam, do you use unsweetened plant milk?
Sam Turnbull says
Yep!
Kayla says
This recipe truly reminded me and my non vegan family members of the Pillsbury box cake we always made when I was growing up! Absolutely loved this recipe, even made small cupcakes out of the batter! I wanted to know if this would work for a cake?
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed it!! These are really intended to be cookies, so I have no idea if they would turn out as cake. I would instead recommend trying one of my cake recipes 🙂
Sam Mandalin says
Hi, Sam! (Funny, we’re both Sams!) I’m making this with my sons tonight for New Year’s Eve. They’re in the oven right now. I didn’t have vegan butter, so I used oil. Would it still turn out all right?
Sam Turnbull says
As vegan butter is solid at room temperature, and oil is liquid it will affect the consistency of the cookies. It also won't have the buttery flavour. Hopefully, it still turns out for you tho!
Avery says
Hi Sam! Two things: 1) What method do you use to measure your flour? (E.g. Scoop straight out of the bag, or the more traditional method of sifting, spooning the flour into the cup and leveling off, etc.) Just want to make sure I have the right weight of flour since scooping out of the bag puts a lot more flour in the cookie!
2) Do you find that the cookies are a bit crispy on the bottom? Mine turned out this way and I was hoping for soft through-and-through.
Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Avery! I scoop from the jar and scrape the top of the cup clean with my finer. They shouldn't be crispy. If yours were you just likely overbaked them a little. Try taking them out a few minutes early next time. Enjoy!
Frizzle says
Hi Sam I feel like this is a silly question but when you say they freeze well, do you mean already frosted or just the cookies themselves? thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
I freeze them with the frosting and all! 🙂
Janette Argueta says
Came out great! Easy to follow. Bookmarking the site ❤️
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome! So happy you're a fan 🙂
LeeAnne Holloway says
You can also use any type of frosting and it will still be really good, I used lemon frosting.