Many, many years ago I found a basic butter cookie recipe that quickly became a holiday favorite. When I went vegan, I adapted the recipe and continued on. Then, when I met my boyfriend, I once again made changes to the recipe… this time getting it to be the perfect in-between of a butter cookie and a sugar cookie (his favorite). When looks matter, or when I’m craving those pink-frosted grocery store cookies that are sadly not vegan, I frost them with “buttercream” frosting. It should be known however, that you can eat these without frosting and they’re quite delicious all on their own. For Christmas or not, frosted or not, you’re sure to love these cookies!
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Vegan Cut Out Cookies with 'Buttercream' Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 sticks of vegan “butter” (1 cup), softened + 2 additional sticks for the “buttercream”, softened
- 1/4 cup oil
- Ener-G Egg Replacer for 2 eggs (follow directions on package)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla + 1 additional teaspoon for the “buttercream”
- 1/2 cup regular sugar
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar + 4 additional cups for the “buttercream”
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt + an additional pinch for the “buttercream”
- Optional food coloring for the “buttercream” and sprinkles for decorating
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare 2 sheet pans by lining them with parchment paper ensuring the parchment sits squarely in the bottom of each and doesn’t get hung up on the sides or your cookies will not bake up flat. Set aside. If you haven’t already done so, prepare the Ener-G Egg Replacer for 2 eggs following the instructions on the package. Set aside.
- In a medium or large bowl, combine 2 sticks softened vegan “butter” with the oil, the egg replacer you prepared earlier, 1 tsp. vanilla, the regular sugar, and the 1/2 c. powdered sugar and whisk until smooth. Add in the flour and the 1/2 tsp. of salt and stir until dough forms and no unincorporated flour remains.
- Lay some plastic wrap on your counter and roll the dough up in the plastic wrap. For an extra layer of protection from fridge odors you can then wrap it with aluminum foil. Place wrapped dough into the fridge for 1 hour.
- After 1 hour, remove the dough from the fridge and place it onto a lightly floured surface and lightly dust the dough with flour too. Form the dough into a ball then roll it out to about a half and inch thick using a rolling pin, adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking. Cut out cookies and place onto prepared baking sheet. When first batch is ready to bake, place them into the oven for 10-15 minutes – the bake time varies because of actual cookie thickness and shape but I found mine were done at around the 13-14 minute mark. You’ll know they’re done because they’ll be lighter in color (not dark in the middle especially) and dry looking on the top, and they’ll be very lightly brown on the bottom. As the first batch is baking, rework the dough and cut out the second batch, again adding flour to prevent sticking as needed. When first batch is done, transfer them to a cooling rack and then put the second batch in the oven. When the second batch is done, transfer them to a cooling rack as well.
- While the cookies are cooling, make the “buttercream” frosting in either a medium or large bowl (if using a hand mixer) or in the bowl of a stand mixer. First, combine 2 sticks of softened vegan “butter” with 1 tsp. vanilla and a pinch of salt and beat just until combined. Next, add in 4 cups of powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, again beating just until combined. If adding in food coloring, add it in with the last cup of powdered sugar you add./li>
- When the cookies have cooled, frost with the “buttercream” adding sprinkles if desired. Cookies will keep in an airtight container on the counter for up to a week. Alternatively, cookies can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months – freeze on a sheet pan then you can transfer to an airtight container, stacking as needed without messing up decoration.
Compassion is the Secret Ingredient 