Vegan Sugar Cookies

• Flour - Simple all-purpose flour. Use plain flour in the UK. Don't use cake flour in this recipe.
• Sugar - This must be cane sugar or white granulated sugar. Wondering about vegan sugar brands? See the FAQs! The sugar sweetens the cookies and adds structure and texture. Darker sugars won't work in this recipe.
• Cornstarch - This is the egg substitute in this eggless sugar cookie recipe. It's a key ingredient and gives the cookies a really great texture and helps stop them spreading. I don't recommend omitting it or using anything else.
• Vegan butter - Important for great buttery flavour. Harder dairy-free butter will give you better cookies than soft margarine-style ones. I use the tub Earth Balance for my recipe testing.
• Dairy-free milk - Any such as cashew milk, soy milk, oat milk, or almond milk will do. I do recommend using unsweetened if possible.
• Vanilla - I like just vanilla in my sugar cookies. If you like to use some almond extract you can safely add up to ½ teaspoon of almond extract in addition to the vanilla.
• Baking powder - This is for leavening and lightness. Don't worry they won't rise, spread, or get puffy and they will be perfectly flat for decorating.

For the icing

• Powdered sugar- This is for the sugar cookie icing. I love Wholesome Sweeteners brand BUT for this recipe, I don't use it. I find that it makes a very off-white dirty-looking white icing, so I use cheaper grocery store powdered sugar which is much whiter. That's ok here (in Canada) as it's vegan but if you are in the US you might need to use the Wholesome Sweeteners brand if you struggle to find another. If it is a little off-white you could use brilliant white gel food colouring to brighten it up.
• Brown rice syrup or light corn syrup - This gives the icing a better texture and some shine which is important when you want them to look pretty. I think agave syrup would also work well but I haven't personally tried it. Don't use maple syrup. It does not work in the same way.
• Vanilla - I don't find the small amount used affects the colour of white icing much at all but omit it if you want it absolutely brilliant white.

OPTIONAL

• Food colouring - I recommend using gel food colouring because liquid food colouring will alter the consistency of the icing too much. Don't forget to check it's vegan. I used Satin Ice Food colour Gel which I purchased at Michaels. Amazon also sells it.
• Sprinkles - You can use coloured coarse/sanding sugar, sprinkles, or any other decorations. Don't forget to check they are vegan though! I use coloured coarse sugar and sprinkles from Luxe Cake Store on Amazon. Sweetapolita also sells lots of different vegan sprinkles (and food colouring) and ships to Canada and the US.

To make vegan sugar cookies you will need:

• Electric mixer/handheld mixer
• Rolling pin ( I love this Joseph Joseph one for getting a really even rollout.)
• Baking sheets
• Parchment paper
• Cookie cutters
• Piping bags/tips or squeeze bottles. Couplers too if you only have one tip and want to switch between icing colours easily. I really like using squeeze bottles. They are less intimidating than piping bags/tips and very easy to use, especially for children. I learned through trial and error that #4 piping tips work best for flooding cookies. #2 is good for finer detail.

Can't wait to make them? The full printable recipe is below, but first, let me walk you through the steps to set you up for success in your kitchen. I recommend watching my recipe video if you're more of a visual learner:

1 - Beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy then add the vanilla and almond extract (if using), cornstarch, milk, and sea salt. Mix again to combine.

2 - Mix in the flour and baking powder to form a crumbly-looking cookie dough. It will look dry but as long as you have measured the flour accurately it will come together when you squeeze it. The dry dough is what makes the cookies great! Note that if your butter is particularly soft or you beat the sugar and butter together for a long time then your dough could look softer, moister, and less crumbly. That's fine too. Don't worry.

3 - Knead the crumbles together into a smooth ball. Don't be tempted to add more milk. For the best texture, it is important to limit the moisture.

4 - Roll the dough out right after mixing. Doing this while the dough is warm means it is much easier to roll (it gets really hard when chilled). I like to place a piece of parchment paper on top and roll over it as then you don't need to worry about sticking. Once rolled slide onto a baking sheet and put in the freezer for 10 minutes, or refrigerate for half an hour (or longer but cover first). These cookies won't spread even if you don't chill the dough, but for nice clean, well-defined cuts the chilling is important.

5 - Cut out the cookies and place them on lined baking sheets. Re-roll any scraps. Bake the cookies until they are just starting to become golden on the bottom and still pale on top, then cool.

5 - Whisk together the easy sugar cookie icing. Divide it and add gel food colouring as needed.

6 - Decorate the cookies and allow them to dry completely before storing. They dry pretty quickly.

Getting a vegan cut-out cookie to be absolutely perfect can be difficult but I've done all of the experimenting and testing for you. If followed exactly (that means no changes to ingredients or steps) you can be confident that this recipe will produce the best vegan sugar cookies every single time! Some more tips to ensure success:

• Weigh your ingredients. If ratios are off it could cause your cookies to spread, or your dough to be too dry. Weighing is the only way to be accurate and get consistent results.
• Bake on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.  Don't bake them with no liner, or even worse on a greased baking sheet because they could spread.
• Use light-coloured baking sheets so your sugar cookies stay nice and pale. Darker pans absorb more heat and will make your cookies get darker on the bottom and sides.
• Check your oven temperature is accurate. Cookies can spread if the oven temperature is too low. The reason these cut-out cookies are baked at a relatively high temperature (for cookies) is to help stop them from spreading.

Making Ahead

This recipe is a very convenient one, and the process can be broken up over days or even months. You can:

• Make the dough, roll it out between parchment paper, and leave it in the fridge for up to 3 days before cutting or baking (cover with cling wrap or foil so it doesn't dry out).
• Make the dough, cut the cookies, place them on a baking tray then keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days before baking (cover them so they don't dry out).
• Roll and cut the cookies then freeze them for up to 3 months before baking.
• Bake and store at room temperature or in the fridge for a few days before decorating.
• Or bake and decorate then store for up to 12 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.

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