These super simple healthy sugar cookies are made without oil and are the best cutout vegan cookies. The perfect vegan sugar cookies for holidays!
I’m a super lucky gal. For almost every occasion, birthday, Christmas, anything, my husband tends to know exactly what to get me. This, of course, is anything for the kitchen.
He just knows that if he ventures to the kitchen store and picks out a kitchen accouterment I don’t already own, 9 times out of 10 he is going to be spot on with something I’ve been thinking about getting or coveting for a while. What a keeper!
One of the gifts he got me for my birthday this year was a few cute cookie cutters. One of my favorites is a cat, because of course.
The only problem with all these cutters had to do with the sugar cookie dough. Last year, I tried to make a vegan sugar cookie dough without all the butter and oil normally called for in a traditional sugar cookie dough.
The result was gross, hard, and not something I would like to revisit again, blegh. I started having a fear that I would never be able to make simple sugar cookies at home without buying an industrial size tub of vegan butter. Say it ain’t so!
Creating these simple sugar cookies
I found the magic ingredient to replace the usual ton of butter, cashew cream! My love for cashew cream only recently came to a height, but I figured it was worth a try for subbing it in for butter in cookies.
Nuts? Blended into a sweet cream? That can’t even be possible, can it? Bam, yes it can!
Mixing pre-prepared cashew cream into sugar cookie dough makes everything dreamy and lovely. My favorite part about this vegan sugar cookie dough is that it is really easy to pull out the amount you want, roll out a few cookies and have them at the ready.
The cashew cream makes for a healthy sugar cookie that is still 100% delicious, easy to make and has no added oil. Perfection! Who knew oil-free sugar cookies could still be SO GOOD?!
In years past, it seemed like every time I made cutout cookies with my dad we were rolling and cutting endless amounts of cookies until the end of time, which made me not want to look at another cookie for at least three days. Not here!
Roll em’ out when you need them, stick the dough in the fridge when you don’t.
How to make vegan sugar cookies
To make these healthy sugar cookies, you’re going to follow the usual cookie making breakdown. Cream together the cashew cream, sugar, and vanilla, and then add the dry ingredients after they’ve been whisked together.
Big reminder: Never forget to whisk together your dry ingredients before adding! If you don’t you could end up adding chunks of cornstarch or baking powder that don’t get mixed in entirely and the result will be less than delicious.
The other reason for whisking together dry ingredients before adding to a recipe is to make sure the flour gets aerated before it’s added to your cookie dough. This allows for the fluffiest cookie dough that bakes up just perfectly!
The last step after mixing up this vegan sugar cookie dough is to roll out! For this version, you’re going to roll out the cookies to 1/2 inch thick, which is thicker than the average cutout sugar cookie recipe. The reason for this is because the addition of cashew cream causes the cookies to crisp up in the oven a little bit quicker, making them thicker ensures they are still crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
Another word to the wise on these cookies, watch them closely! They aren’t going to seem done after baking, but that’s just because they don’t get as golden brown as other sugar cookies. After the allotted 8-10 minutes of baking, they are going to be slightly golden brown on the bottom and that’s PERFECT! Don’t bake them any longer because they will end up being way too hard and crispy. Trust your baking gut, pull them out at 10 minutes max.
How do you store decorated sugar cookies?
Very carefully! But really, after you decorate your sugar cookies with powdered sugar frosting, let them dry at room temperature for at least an hour or two. This will allow the frosting to set up easily and make it much easier to store your cookies.
When you’re ready to store your sugar cookies, lay down a layer of cookies, place a small sheet of wax paper on top and then another layer of cookies. Keep layering until they are all in the container! Store at room temperature for up to a week.
What can I use in place of eggs in sugar cookies?
Great news, these are naturally egg-free! In these vegan sugar cookies, the combo of cashew cream and baking powder causes the cookies to still hold together and also puff up. The result is still the perfect healthy sugar cookie, without the added eggs or butter.
More vegan cookie recipes:
- Vegan Russian Tea Cakes
- Vegan Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
- Vegan Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Vanilla Spritz Cookies with Chocolate Ganache Filling
- The BEST Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
- Funfetti Vegan Sugar Cookies
Simple Sugar Cookies
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 24 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
These super simple healthy sugar cookies are made without oil and are the best cutout vegan cookies. The perfect vegan sugar cookies for holidays!
Ingredients
For the cashew cream:
- 1 cup cashews
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1–2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave nectar
For the sugar cookies:
- 1 cup granulated or cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
For the frosting:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1–2 tablespoons almond milk
Instructions
- To make the cashew cream: Soak the cashews in the 4 cups of water for at least 4 hours or overnight. Drain the cashews from the water. Place the soaked cashews in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, along with the vanilla, maple syrup or agave nectar and 1/2 cup of water. Process until smooth (this could take up to 3-5 minutes, just keep going!). You may have to stop the processor a few times in the process to scrape down the sides during the blending. Once the cashews are smooth, transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
- For the sugar cookies: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease 2 cookie sheets or line with Silpat or parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, salt, baking powder, and cornstarch.
- In the bowl of a stand or hand mixer, mix together the prepared cashew cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla. While the mixer is still beating on low to medium, add in the flour mixture, mixing until dough is blended throughout.
- To shape the cookies, either roll out the dough to 1/2 inch thick onto a well floured surface and cut out into desired shapes. Transfer cookies to lined baking sheets, spaced at least an inch apart.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, watching them closely to ensure they don’t get too crispy. They will get very lightly golden brown on the bottom.
- To frost and decorate: Make the frosting by whisking together the powdered sugar and almond milk in a small bowl. Only use just as much milk as necessary to reach a thick, spreadable frosting. Frost cookies and top with sprinkles. Allow frosting to dry before storing (see tips above).
Notes
- The cashew cream can be made up to 5 days or a week in advance. Just make the cream and store in the refrigerator until ready to make the sugar cookie dough.
- One reader reported that replacing the AP flour with a gluten-free flour blend worked well!
Keywords: simple sugar cookies, vegan sugar cookies
Erin says
I love this recipe, Abby. Using cashew cream instead of an oil/margarine is brilliant. I’ll definitely be making these this holiday season 🙂
The Frosted Vegan says
Thanks Erin! Enjoy!
Karis says
Eating out on Thanksgiving?! I did gasp, but going straight to Christmas sugar cookies is cool with me 🙂
The Frosted Vegan says
I know! Our family is super small and spread out, so it just makes more sense : )
Megan - The Emotional Baker says
I also have problems making vegan sugar cookies. Every time they are flavorless and a pain to roll out and cut. I can’t wait to give these a try! PS: Those cookie cutters are awesome!
The Frosted Vegan says
Thank you! I’m glad I wasn’t the only one with that problem!
Alissa N (Girl Makes Food) says
This may be the most brilliant thing to ever happen!! Your boyfriend sounds wonderful, my hubby is the same way, they are surely keepers!! But the whole cashew thing is so smart!! I always have such a hard time with vegan baking, these cookies are the perfect thing for Christmas though!! I can’t wait to share them on pinterest and twitter!! 🙂
The Frosted Vegan says
Thanks Alissa! It was an experiment gone right, and I am sure glad it did : )
Mary says
Um, these are not OIL FREE with all the nuts in it.
Heart of a Baker says
There is no added oil.
Andrea says
Have you received any feedback from anyone who’s made this gluten and/or grain free?
Sky says
I made these using gluten-free flour and they turned out great! Had plenty of moisture and rose just like standard sugar cookies!
I used Pamela’s Artisan and Whole Grain gf flour just cause that’s what’s at my grocery story, but I’d imagine any 1-for-1 gf flour would work. Didn’t have to make any other changes!
Heart of a Baker says
So glad to hear that, thank you for letting me know!
jassica says
I made these using gluten-free flour and they turned out great! Had plenty of moisture and rose just like standard sugar cookies!
I used Pamela’s Artisan and Whole Grain gf flour just cause that’s what’s at my grocery story, but I’d imagine any 1-for-1 gf flour would work. Didn’t have to make any other changes!
★★★★★