I’m not a negative person, but I do often expect the worst in order to safeguard myself from less than ideal outcomes.
For example, say we’re planning to hang out with friends. I think, “This may go terribly wrong. I’ll say something stupid. I’ll spill wine on their couch. There will be lots of awkward silence. They’ll never invite us over again.”
That way, if the evening goes at all OK, it was way better than I expected! Success! It’s like some twisted way of guaranteeing a “successful outcome” in any circumstance. Aren’t I smart? (Cheeky grin.)
Does anyone else do this? Because it kind of makes me feel like some bizarre form of a control freak and I need some more people in this boat with me. Either that or send 18 dozen of these sugar cookies to help me cope, STAT.
While I’m not able to predict many (read: any) things that will happen in life, I can predict this: Make these cookies and you will fall in love.
They are the classic, quintessential sugar cookie all veganized and tender and perfect, just dying to be frosted and brought to all of your holiday gatherings. Your friends and family will forget all about the gifts and nose dive into these bad boys, guaranteed.
These cookies are simple, as always. Just 1 bowl and no fancy methods or equipment required. Just good old fashioned cookies at your fingertips in less than 1 hour.
And when it comes time to frost, get festive – naturally!
I tried my hand at DIY natural food coloring using beet juice and it worked beautifully! Look at that hot pink like WHOA.
I also tried parsley for “green” but it was less successful. Has anyone else tried beets or other foods for dying? Do share. I’d love to know.
As far as the cookies go, you can cut them into shapes or just roll them into balls that bake into perfect, beautiful, fluffy discs. I want them all.
The shapes are a little more time intensive, but definitely worth it if you really want to get into the holiday spirit. But let’s be real, when it comes time to pick which cookie(s) to eat, we choose based on size and amount of frosting (the more of both, the better).
You’re going to LOVE these cookies. They’re:
Perfectly tender
Simple to make
Not too sweet
Vanilla-infused
Amazing with frosting
& Undetectably vegan
These cookies are definitely my new go-to for holiday gifting.
What are your favorite cookies to bake during the holidays? Growing up, I tried many different kinds, but always came back to the classic sugar cookie as my favorite. You really can’t go wrong.
Friends, if you try this recipe, show us! Take a picture and tag it #minimalistbaker on Instagram (or your preferred social media). We’d love to see what you come up with. Cheers and happy baking!
1-Bowl Vegan Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
COOKIES
- 1/2 cup vegan butter (such as Earth Balance // softened* // 1 stick equals 1/2 cup)
- 1/2 cup organic cane sugar (plus more for topping)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree* (acts as an egg substitute // sub with unsweetened applesauce with varied results)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (plus more for rolling into shapes)
- 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot powder (for thickening/binding)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1-2 tsp non-dairy milk
FROSTING
- 1/2 cup vegan butter (softened // 1 stick equals 1/2 cup)
- 2 1/2 – 3 cups powdered sugar
- Splash non-dairy milk
Instructions
- Add softened butter to a large mixing bowl and cream with a mixer.
- Add sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, pumpkin puree, and beat for 1 minute.
- Set your sifter over something that will catch fall out and add dry ingredients (flour, cornstarch, salt, baking soda and baking powder). Use a spoon to briefly stir, then sift over butter and sugar mixture.
- Mix until until incorporated, being careful not to over mix. Then add almond milk and mix until a soft dough is formed. Switch to a wooden spoon if it gets too thick. If it appears to wet, mix in a bit more flour.
- Cover and freeze dough for 15 minutes, or refrigerate for 30-45 minutes (up to overnight).
- Five minutes before baking, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and position a rack in the center of the oven.
- Scoop out heaping 1 Tbsp amounts of chilled dough and roll into balls. Alternatively, roll out between two pieces of wax paper, lightly flouring the bottom layer, remove top layer, and cut out shapes. (NOTE: For shapes, to ensure they keep their form while baking, freeze them on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before baking.)
- Arrange cookies on a clean baking sheet 2 inches apart to allow for spreading. If you’ve rolled the dough into balls, dip a glass into cane sugar and gently smash down into a disc to help them cook more evenly.
- Bake on the center rack for 10-12 minutes for (8-10 for cutout shapes // amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size), or very slightly golden brown.
- Remove from oven and let rest on pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Prepare frosting in the meantime.
- FOR FROSTING: Wipe/rinse your mixing bowl clean and add softened butter. Beat until light and fluffy. Then add vanilla (optional) and mix once more.
- Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time and continue mixing until thick and creamy. Drizzle in a little non-dairy milk to thin. You want this frosting to be pretty thick so it will hold its shape once on the cookies, so only add a little milk and add more powdered sugar if it gets too thin.
- To add natural food coloring, finely grate a raw beet into a clean dish towel and then squeeze it over the frosting and whisk.
- Once cooled, frost cookies and top with sprinkles (optional – vegan ones can be difficult to find). Store leftovers covered at room temperature for up to a few days. Freeze for longer-term storage (up to several weeks).
Video
Notes
*I tested Miyokos vegan butter and Earth Balance soy-free buttery sticks. Both work, but I found Earth Balance gives them a slightly better texture.
*To speed-soften your butter, simply cut it into thin slices from the stick and it will soften much quicker.
*I have a hunch you could also use other purees, such as butternut squash, beet and banana. If you try it out, let me know! I think it would create fun color/flavor variations.
*Loosely adapted from my Vegan Funfetti Cupcakes and Vegan Pumpkin Sugar Cookies.
*For alternative frosting options, try my macadamia-coconut frosting, or cashew frosting! Adjust with whatever spices/flavors you prefer. Just try and keep it on the thicker side for icing.
*We tested these cookies with our 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend in place of all-purpose flour and it worked well! Results will vary depending on the gluten-free blend used. We also have a GF sugar cookie recipe.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
K Muller says
Also, used a glass and pressed with raw sugar.
K Muller says
These were excellent. We wanted a coconut taste, so here’s what we changed-
Halved vegan butter with coconut oil-solid
Doubled salt to 1/2 tsp
Added 1 c shredded coconut.
We didn’t frost. We just wanted a simple cookie and they were perfect! Chewy, crunchier, salty, sweet! Thank you for something delicious!
Katelyn says
This recipe turned out great! I used it to make a vegan dessert “pizza” with a sugar cookie crust, and this made the perfect amount of dough for it! Great taste and texture, too. Definitely saving this recipe.
Martha says
These are wonderful! I rolled them smaller, a teaspoon size, flattened them but left them about a half inch thick, baked 10 minutes, and they came out nice and soft. The best taste and consistency of any vegan cookie I’ve made. I even used the tub margarine without a problem. Thanks!
Giant Squid says
These are nothing like sugar cookies.
Linda says
These were so so good! My son is vegan and I made them for him for Christmas. I couldn’t even take a picture of them, he ate them all even before Santa came :) I am making them again so maybe I will just do hearts or something ha ha. Thanks for the great recipe!
Lydia says
these look great, but i don’t have pumpkin ): can I sub 1/3 cup banana?
That should work, but it will make them taste like banana.
Debra says
I made these for a family Christmas party today. I have family members who are “scared” of the vegan food I bring. These were a GIANT hit. Everyone loved them – especially the kids! Thank you for an awesome and easy recipe!
Becky says
We made these with 1 c rice flour, 1/4 c tapioca starch, 1/2 c oat flour, and 1/2 tsp xanthan gum. We alos used shortening in place of the Earth Balance sticks. A bit crumbly, but they definitely worked! My kids were thrilled. Thank you!
Cha says
These taste amazing!!! I used applesauce, vegan tub butter, cane sugar only, and it was DELICIOUS!!
Kate says
I’m having trouble with the frosting. It keeps separating no matter how long I’ve been beating it. Suggestions?
Sounds like you might’ve added too much liquid. Compensate by adding more softened butter and more powdered sugar!
Jen says
I made these with Namaste gluten free flour. (left out the arrowroot powder given the flour blend already contained it.) I also used a 1/4 of a tub of the soy free earth balance. I had to add a little more flour at the end. These came out great! SO HAPPY!! My son is GF, dairy free, soy free and dye free. These are so yummy! Thank you!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed them. Thanks for sharing, Jen!
Akito says
Do you think I can use the tub EB? I sent you an email a few days of you and haven’t herd back.
I didn’t get your email, sorry for the delay! I think tub EB would work!
Alysia says
Hi! I’m not around my normal grocery store at the moment and the one I went to didn’t have Earth Balance buttery sticks, only the tub (like spreadable ‘butter’). Do I need to make any changes to the recipe if I use that instead?
Yes, that should work! It’s not as ideal because some water is added, but it should work!
Akito says
Christmas!!!! Yay! This year my mum is letting me make the cookies, it is a tradition for our family to decorate cookies EVERY YEAR. She is skeptical about this “vegan” nonsense. Although I am not vegan, I wanted a alternative to the one with eggs. (Cousins are allergic) May I use the tub EB? I really want it to work, as we are snowed in and it’s very hard to hit the shops. :(
Yes! Let me know how it goes, Akito!
Jenny says
Thank you so much for this easy & delicious recipe! My son’s preschool class was decorating (non-vegan) cookies for Christmas, and I made these to send a few with him to ensure he’d have something to decorate too. He loved them and so do my husband and I! So yummy and like you said, undetectably vegan ;)
Thanks again!
Oh yay! Thanks for sharing!!
Darcy says
I’m living in Turkey and haven’t found vegan butter, yet. Any suggestions for a good substitute? Thanks!
Coconut oil! See this post for tips on texture.
Mikayla says
Just finished making these. They’re good, but not quite sugar cookies. They’re a little more…puffy?
Maybe I put in too much baking soda or something.
Either that, or you didn’t roll them thin enough. Hope you still liked them!
Danielle says
I wish I could post a pic- I infused caffeine free blue berry tea to give my frosting a nice pink color. The flavor was a little sting of blueberry so I added vanilla extract and the more powdered sugar I added the better it tasted. The final outcome Was absolutely perfectly fluffy and lovely. Thanks for the recipe!!
Cristina says
I made these about 2 weeks ago and they are fantastic. I have some leftover dough in the fridge – how long do you think it lasts in the fridge? I’ve kept regular cookie dough in the fridge for a couple weeks. I imagine it’s fine, but wondering if you have a recommendation?
Vic says
I raised my kids vegan and we rarely get to bake sweets, but since its around the holidays I figured Id look for a great vegan cookie recipe. When I found this I was like WHOA I needed to try this! and when I made these it was a success! My kids love them!! Thanks so soo much for this recipe Dana, they were absolutely AMAZING!! :)
So great! Thanks for sharing, Vic!
Rebecca says
We made these today, and they are perfect! First time trying sugar cookies with my dairy-allergic 3 year old. Thanks for helping us make sweet holiday memories. So delicious!
So wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Rebecca!
charlotte says
Hi,
I just made these for my daughter’s preschool Christmas party. They taste great! I have yet to frost them. I made them gluten-free and with apple sauce and subbed most of the sugar with coconut sugar and they are delicious.
Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Aleah says
Just got finishes mixing all the ingredient’s together! waiting for it in the freezer right now! But just a question. My dough is um well, orange and I’m wondering if its supposed to be that color since in your pictures they are not. I think it may be the pumpkin, but did I do something wrong? and also before I put it in the freezer the dough was pretty liquidy, well not liquidy but more like gooey-ish, lets just say not a dough you want to roll out at the moment unless your in the mood for a mess! so is it going to harden into a dough after in the freezer for some time? if not should I add something such as more flour? As you can already see, I’m not the best… baker-that’s for sure! well when it comes to your recipes its simple as that! but I’m new at the whole “baking” thing..
Welp! that’s all I wanted to know! but thanks so much for the amazing-FABULISTIC recipes! There definitely a winner! Love you and your recipes! Definitely an inspiration that’s for sure! :)
Erica Marie says
I’m really in the Christmas Spirit at this time and I want to make these tonight for a bake sale this week because of how A-MAZE-ING they look! You said you’d prefer/use the Earth Balance butter sticks, but is it OK if I use the tub of it because that’s all I have *sigh*
Mindy says
We made these last night and they are PERFECT!! I am not an accomplished baker, and even I was able to pull this off. My (non-vegan) cutouts are usually brittle and dry and the icing is usually too sweet. THESE cookies are fluffy and delicious, and the icing is AMAZING! My very skeptical hubby still has no clue they are vegan and this recipe will be my go to from now on. THANK YOU DANA!!
J says
These are excellent!! My non-vegan, non- gluten free friends even commented on how great they were! So that’s saying something!!! I made these gluten free using the Robin Hood pre-mixed flour blend. I also didn’t have pumpkin purée so I put some chopped apple and water in the microwave and made my own applesauce. I used melted chocolate in a ziplock with a little hole to decorate these and put them in the fridge to set the chocolate. So gooood!!
Amanda says
Great recipe!!! I HAD to make it the minute I read it!! I didn’t have pumpkin or almond milk. So I used a Chia seed substitute (1 tbsp ground chia seed 3 tbsp water, let sit for 15 min.) and used lemon juice with some zest for the almond milk!! amazing!! Thank you so much!! (I didn’t make the icing)
Shannon Lara says
Cookies are baking right now! I used gluten-free flour bend, subbed chia “egg” for applesauce, and added dairy-free chocolate chips. #WISHmeLUCK I’ll report back!
Lindsey says
I just made these last night and they were so yummy! My 7 YO son and husband both loved them. They taste like the round fluffy sugar cookies that you get at the store with the bright inch of fluffy icing on top! We will definitely make these for christmas and I will try it with GF flour too! Thank you for the awesome recipe!!! My son has officially eaten pumpkin now;)!
Danielle says
Unsalted or salted butter?
I’m making these now and I only have salted. If I use that should I obmit the extra salt added?
Vanya says
Just made these for Halloween in the shape of a finger with an almond for fingernail. Decided to experiment with beet juice to make blood and they came out very successful and yummy. Boiled the beet juice with some sugar until it started thickening. Looks just like real blood :)
How smart! Glad you enjoyed these!
Tiffany says
I have these in the oven right now. The dough was delicious and easy to work with. I got 20-3 inch pumpkin shaped cookies. I made a quick pumpkin frosting for them since I needed orange frosting. Just powdered sugar, pumpkin purée, and vanilla. Such a fun Halloween cookie! My little boys had great fun cutting them out. This is my first experience with vegan sugar cookies. We just found out about milk and egg allergies at our house, and I was grateful to find your blog!
Rebecca says
Ive made a non vegan version of this like a hundred times now – literally! Thank you so much for being my go to good recipe lady! In this post and oooh so many more!
Ah, thanks Rebecca! So glad you enjoy these!
Julie says
Just have to say how much I love your recipes. Thanks.
Thanks Julie!
ID says
I use turmeric for yellow.
Allison says
I tried this and used GF all purpose flour! Works great
Lillian says
I don’t have pumpkin puree on hand. Do you think I could sub aquafaba for the pumpkin, and if so, how much? Thanks
lillian says
i was too anxious to make the cookies, so i used 4 1/2 tbs of aquafaba and thankfully the cookies came out great. thanks for the recipe!!
Karen says
I was wondering if this recipe could be freeze and used to make the cut and bake technique? Thank you~
I think that would work great, actually! Let me know if you try it!
Jess says
How long do you think this should bake for if I was using it as a crust for a fruit pizza??
Hmm, not sure – maybe 20 minutes? Check every few minutes thereafter to check for doneness.
Alex Beaty says
Help me! My frosting came out very thin and watery. I need to ice the cookies and have them dry. Any idea on what do to?
Pam says
Substituted 1cup quick oats (gluten free), 1/4 cup coconut flour, 1/4 cup tapioca flour, 1/2 tsp xanthan gum and used a chia egg. Makes a perfectly delicious soft pumpkin cookie. My kids LOVED them!
Thanks for the recipe
Betty says
These cookies were amazing! I made these for my daughter’s class and everyone loved it. My daughter has egg and milk allergies so I wanted to give this a try. I used mashed sweet potato instead if pumpkin puree and it turned out great. Excellent recipe! Thanks for sharing.
Bekki says
If I wanted to make these chocolate sugar cookies, how much cocoa powder would you recommend adding to the dough? And should I ease up on the flour?
1/3 cup, then scale back on the flour a little by 1/4 cup?
Sara says
Our new favorite sugar cookies! They are chewy, not too crunchy, and very good with frosting and sprinkles. I also bake vegan due to a child with food allergies, and my kids love these. Thanks!
Kendell says
These sound yummy!!! :)
Do you think rice milk might work in this recipe?
Many thanks!! I am very excited to try them.
~Kendell
Brian says
I used rice milk… Works fine.
Brian says
These came out perfect.
Left out the arrowroot and added extra sugar on top when pressing!
Baked at 400 for 8 minutes.
No frosting… Delicious!
Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Brian says
Also used homemade cinnamon applesauce instead of pumpkin.
Hippychickee says
These look and sound amazing. I wish I had seen these before Christmas. I love making sugar cookies during the holidays, but am vegan now for nearly a year and didn’t have a recipe, so I skipped the cookies. I will be trying these real soon! Thanks for the recipe.
Madalyn Friedrich says
My family has a tradition to make sugar cookies for Christmas and when I went gluten- and dairy-free I thought it was over for me. Especially since I’ve failed at other GF cookie recipes. But not these! Wow they were amazing and I can’t tell you how happy I was to have this recipe. My family said they were even better than the traditional recipe!!!
My gluten-free mix is homemade since I am sensitive to xantham gum, and tapioca and potato starch.
1 1/3 c Quinoa flour
1/2 c Coconut flour
1 1/4 c Whit rice flour
1 1/4 Arrowroot starch
Then add 1T Ground flax in 2T hot water to the cookie mix.
Thanks for saving my Christmas!
heidi says
Hello Dana
I love love love your recipes and I’m vegan and pregnant, being pregnant and vegan, I somehow recently became allergic to pumpkin. This is a tragedy in itself because I LOVE PUMPKIN… So i guess you can say i hope it doesn’t last. Now when i bake i normally use a tablespoon of applesauce for every egg needed but i only used it for cake and brownies. (brownies i actually use 1 1/2 tablespoon of applesauce, makes it super duper fudge-licous) so anyway would apple sauce be good for cookies?? If not what would your prefer other than pumpkin.
Thanks for posting, your the best!!
Danique says
Wow, I really like the pictures you make! It gives me the motivation to make the recipe.
Nice.
Jen Braga says
I made these for Christmas with a couple tweaks and they were FANTASTIC. I still have a few left (5 days later) and they are moist as ever.
I really wanted an orange iced cookie, so I did 4 T of OJ instead of milk, and used applesauce in place of pumpkin. I also ad a GF eater coming to dinner, so I made with Oat flour instead. Those changes ended up making the batter pretty wet, so I did end up using about an extra cup of flour than instructed.
Added orange to the icing, the cookies ended up perfect!
Carrie says
This recipe turned out great. Used it to make cut outs for Santa for the kids to decorate…I live at high altitude and was not expecting good results but they actually came out perfect! Great texture, taste, AND they held their shape. Best vegan sugar cookie recipe I have tried by far!
Jess says
These are perfect vegan sugar cookies! I followed the recipe exactly and baked cut out shapes for 8 minutes. When I first removed them from the cookie sheet and onto the cooling rack, I though they were going to be on the crunchy side (I live at high altitude so I always assume when they don’t turn out as expected, it’s due to that), however once cooled and frosted, they were exactly as I had hoped! Soft and chewy. Five stars all the way! A heads up to the vegans out there, make sure your sprinkles/decorating sugar doesn’t contain confectioners glaze!
Thanks for sharing, Jess! So glad you liked them!
Sarah Rustad says
These are excellent cookies! I followed the recipe exactly for cut-out shape cookies and they came out perfectly. I was a little worried when I read about them spreading out, but mine didn’t seem to do that. Possibly because I chilled my dough for about 14 hours in the fridge and I chilled the cookie shapes in the freezer for 10 minutes as directed. Thank you for the great recipe!
Angela Walley says
I love this Sugar Cookie recipe! I’ve made a few batches already. The best ones I made had colorful sprinkles baked into them, so no frosting is needed.
Ah, thanks Angela! So glad you’re enjoying them.
Sarah says
Thank you for your wonderful recipes. I’ve made several things from your site and they’ve all been so good! Makes baking for my kiddos with food allergies so much tastier than before. I feel like these recipes are giving the term “vegan” baking a whole new standard, especially in my little circle.
Ah yay! Thanks for sharing, Sarah! made my day.
Katie M says
I made these cookies these morning, and they were unbelievably delicious! Everyone in my family loves them, and I’m planning to bake another batch tomorrow to give away to friends.
I did make some slight adjustments – I used virgin coconut oil instead of vegan butter, replaced half the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour to give it an extra nutrition boost, organic coconut sugar instead of white/brown sugar, and used an egg instead of pumpkin puree. Although there was definitely a coconut flavour, it wasn’t overwhelming and the texture was still wonderful. I actually made around 35 smaller gingerbread-man-cutout cookies instead of 20.
Thank you so so much for this recipe! It’s definitely going to be a classic Christmas cookie recipe in my family from now on.
So glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for sharing your changes, Katie!
Monique G says
Could these be made ahead of time??
I mean, could i make the dough ahead of time and a few days later roll it out and make the cookies??
Yes! I think so. Just let the dough sit at room temp for about 20-30 minutes until pliable. Hope that helps!
Breanna says
How long can the dough be saved for? And in the fridge or freezer?
In the fridge for a few days, in the freezer for I think up to 1 month. Though, best when fresh!
Yuna- greemhealthygirl.com says
Thanks for sharing! I’ll be baking these with my 5 and 2 year old today!
So great! Have fun!!
Morgan C. says
I would like to try this recipe. I did just make some vegan sugar cookies (for my three year old’s preschool class) and used natural food dyes for the frosting. I used powdered fruits and veggies I got off amazon.com. I used spinach powder for green, beet powder for red, carrot powder for orange/yellow, cocoa powder for brown, and blueberry powder for purplish blue. My favorite flavor was the blueberry! So yummy! :)
susan says
I just got a new cookie press/shooter. Do you think this dough would work with a cookie press?
Chelsa says
Thank you very much for this recipe! supper yummy and I got to use my new Christmas cookie cutters. I once used the juice from raspberries to make my pink icing, its quite sweet but the colour was lovely – no need for those horrible artificial colours!
thanks again :)
Jessie Snyder says
Goodness lady do these look amazing. Sooooo wishing I wasn’t sick so I could make a batch. These drool worthy photos will have to do for now. And you can spill wine on my couch anytime, I’ll invite you back, promise ;)
Charlie Hills says
I’ve scanned this post a few times but I’m failing to find the yield. How many cookies does one batch produce?
Charlie Hills says
After searching several vegan sugar cookie recipes, I came back and tried this one. So I can answer my own question: rolling into balls weighing 0.7 oz each, I got 23 cookies out of this recipe. I probably could have gotten one or two more out of it, but, hey, you know: it’s cookie dough. That stuff doesn’t eat itself.
Celia M says
Hi I used both butternut squash and a bobs red mill gluten free baking blend and they turned out moist and delish!
xx
Leslie says
Great cookies, I sprinkled mine with cinnamon and sugar. Do you have a cutout cookie recipe using almond flour that you would be willing to share. I want to make cutout cookies with my 1 year old (first) grand daughter. Trying to keep her diet healthy and minimalist! I don’t always have access to a computer, but when I do, your sight is the first I go to. Love the recipes. Thank you
Mariana says
Hello!
I just tried this recipe with banana puree and it worked out great! I didn’t have much luck with the frosting, because I don’t have any sugar in hand and tried it with muscovado. Obviously I didn’t get the texture, but the flavor is still too sweet for my taste. I’ll have to try the cashew frosting next time :)
They are delicious, thanks for sharing this recipe!
Maria G. says
That pink frosting is beautiful! I new about natural food dyes before, but I don’t think I have tried them. . . .
Yanic says
Fantastic… so wonderfully unsweet! We were all set to make icing, but they were just so perfect that all we did was drizzle a bit of melted vegan dark chocolate…
Sophie says
I like to use matcha powder for natural green frosting. Maybe a tiny bit of spirulina or chorella would work too?
Lisa @ Healthy Nibbles & Bits says
Wow, that pop of color from the frosting looks fantastic! Can’t wait to try that out at home!
Laura O says
Traditionally my family has always made Scottish shortbread for our Christmas cookies, with a few festive sprinkles on top. However, I do love frosting so these cookies might be a substitute this year :)
Gaby says
Just the pictures made me fall in love!!
Nancy says
Gorgeous pictures!! (as always!) Love. I will definitely be making these this weekend! :-)
Ariel says
Sugar cookie crisis averted! I made these with bobs red mill GF Flour, substituted cane sugar for coconut sugar, used a combo of palm oil shortening & coconut butter instead of vegan butter sticks (it’s 11pm and the store is closed so I’m using what’s around) and I ran out of GF flour so I used 1/2 cup of almond flour. They are freakin delicious!!
Thank you for this amazing recipe! -Ariel
Oh good! Glad you enjoyed them. Thanks for sharing your changes!
Anna says
Did you add xantham gum to the recipe??
Thanks for sharing your success with GF!!!
Claudia @Breakfast Drama Queen says
Oh my goodness, I’m exactly the same! I always assume everything will go as badly as possible, so I won’t be disappointed. Just like I always asssumed I’d fail every class at university (but didn’t!!).
And these cookies look and sound amazing :)
Ha! Just like me! Thanks goodness. Congrats on NOT failing! haha
Teresa says
I just made these today, and they turned out really well! I used applesauce, rather than pumpkin, and Earth Balance straight from the tub, rather than sticks, and was very pleased with the results. Thanks for an awesome, relatively easy cookie recipe that my non-vegan family enjoyed.
Nice!! Thanks for sharing, Teresa!! So glad you enjoyed them.
Melanie | Melanie Makes says
Always love reading your posts – you could probably chat about watching paint dry and I’d be enteratined. ;)
ha! Best compliment ever! I’ll dry the paint dry chat – stay tuned! ;D
Robyn @realfoodwholelife says
Love all your one-bowl recipes. I think I’ll make these with my daughter this weekend. I’ve also used tumeric as a natural food dye. I wonder if matcha green tea would work for green? Maybe we’ll do a frosting experiment. :)
Avra says
Expecting the worst to avoid disappointment is SO normal. A lot of people behave that way. Unfortunately this means you are not as uniquely clever as you thought, but on the plus side it means you are not alone and you are not a bizarre control freak. :D
Thanks Avra! It’s at minimum good to know I’m not alone ;D
Tori says
Ahh! These look wonderful :) I can’t wait to try them. I’ll be subbing the flour for a gluten free version.
I am the exact same way about expecting the worst sometimes. It was like you were speaking from my brain! Love your site.
Let me know how it goes, Tori! And glad you’re with me on expectations! We’re all a work in progress!
Ashley Morgan says
OMG! SO curious how these turned out gluten free… four years later LOL!
Heather Mason says
yummy! Do these cookies come out chewy are hard? every time I make sugar cookies they are always hard and not that good!
Soft! I hope you love them, Heather! Just don’t overbake :D
hippymomelizabeth says
Dana, I bet the people who invite you over don’t expect low expectations of you or John… They probably think lets invite over Minimalist baker and join energies a have a kick ass night. Hope that came out right, it is a positive comment. –And the dye you made here, I have a idea, you make beets chips, right? You have that posted here somewhere Ive seen it. Dry out the beet chips(no flavor) a little more and grind it into powder. Beet powder dye. You probably already know that. Have a good day! :) Commune Approved.
haha! I hope so :D People do think we’re going to judge their food but we never do! We’re such simpletons and will eat just about anything!! Thanks for the kind words, Elizabeth!
Cece Leskova says
Yum, these look great!
For green I’ve used matcha or spirulina, for red pomegrante, and for yellow turmeric. :)
LOVELY ideas! Thanks for sharing! Why didn’t I think of spirulina – of course!
Corinne says
I’m with you in expecting the worst outcome but have been working to be positive. These look amazing! :)
The funny thing is I still consider myself a positive person! But I am trying to be better about not manipulating outcomes in any circumstance. I hate to admit it, but I still like control even if I’d rather be spontaneous and more “go with the flow”!
Melissa says
These look amazing! Do you think it would be possible to substitute earth balance for coconut oil?
I think so but I haven’t tried it. Let me know how it goes if you do!
Annie says
I’ve substituted coconut oil in a number of Dana’s recipes, and the cookies turned out a little more crumbly, but overall just as good.
Emily says
how did using coconut oil turn out?
Rebecca says
These look wondeful! One question – would it be one or how many eggs instead of the pumpkin puree?
Thank you for the tasty natural dye frosting too!
One large egg!
Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy says
I was going to make sugar cookies today, but now I might have to make these instead…incredible! :)
TheDreadedWoodenSpoon says
Word: Set your timer. :-) I had to wait for the smoke to dissipate before trying a second batch of cookies just now…
bummer! Yeah, watch them close! Only 8-10 minutes (and I kinda prefer them slightly underbaked :)
TheDreadedWoodenSpoon says
Oh, don’t get me wrong…I still ate them. :-) My dog was like, but, Mom, they’re burnt!!! Aren’t they for me?????
Alissa says
Ohhhhh nice! I’m going to use beets next time I need pink frosting! I’ve had success with matcha for green and turmeric for yellow.
Ooh, yay! Great tips!! Thanks for sharing, Alissa :D
colleen says
These look amazing! Could I use pumpkin butter instead of pumpkin puree? Or would the flavor be too strong? I can’t wait to make these! ! I recently made the pumpkin sugar cookies and my husband said they were the best cookies I’ve ever made!
I suspect the flavor would be a bit too strong, but if you’re OK with that, then go for it! Thanks for the kind words, Colleen – good luck!
Lina says
I totally feel you on the lowest-expectations-possible-to-not-get-disappointed-thing. I used to do that with my grades. If the outcome is out of my control I try to let go of it (easier said than done). If it is within my control I will commit to being in the moment and open about my journey. Also easier said than done, but we will always have sugar cookies to the rescue :D
haha, amen! Glad you agree Lina. It’s comforting knowing we’re all a work in progress (and that cookies are always there to help).
Vanessa says
Nice! I love the idea of making as little mess as possible when baking!
Kathryn says
I have a cookie exchange to go to tomorrow and I was going to make your vegan and gluten free Gingerbread cookies! BUT now I can’t decide. Maybe both?
Thanks so much for sharing Dana! As a vegan with a serious sweet tooth, I often don’t know where I’d be without your blog!
Ha! What a toss up. Which did you decide on?
Thanks for the kind words! Love that I can satisfy that sweet tooth (yours and mine!).
Noreen Warnock says
Hi,
Are these a soft or crispy/somewhat hard sugar cookie?
Thank you for your help.
Noreen
soft! but if you overbake them, crispy :D
Mina says
Do they have a pumpkin flavor because of the puree? We loved your pumpkin sugar cookies!
Mina
Nope! It was the pumpkin spices that gave the pumpkin sugar cookies their flavor. It’s undetectable here!
Shelli says
Just to clarify- Do I need to use both the pumpkin puree and unsweetened apple sauce? How much of the applesauce?
Nope! Just the pumpkin puree. Use at least 3 Tbsp, no more than 1/4 cup. The more you use, the fluffier they tend to be.
Stacey says
Is it OK to use canned pumpkin for the pumpkin puree? Or how do you make the pumpkin puree? Thanks!
Yes! I usually use organic canned pumpkin puree.
Chris says
Do you have favorite brand of canned pumpkin puree?
Sovay says
Hi! I personally dont eat palm oil due to environmental concerns, can coconut oil or something similar be used?
Ceara @ Ceara's Kitchen says
These 1 bowl vegan sugar cookies look absolutely perfect! And I LOVE the naturally coloured dye! Can’t wait to make these for Christmas :D
Caitlin Cress says
These look awesome. Where did you find Earth Balance sticks in KC? I don’t always have the best luck.
Ah! I find them at Hyvee in the Health Food section, or Nature’s Own!
Markus says
You don’t actually need the vegan butter sticks! I used vegan butter from a tub, and it came out the same as last time when I made it with sticks.
You can scoop the veg. butter out of the tub with a tablespoon measurer; you’ll need 8 tbs. for half a cup (one stick).
J. says
I’ve used a few different vegan tub margarine brands for baking (including 1/2 and 1/2 with vegetable shortening in pie crusts) instead of the buttery sticks and they have turned out great. These cookies are perfect. I used to have heart disease so l haven’t used eggs for 7 years. I Had never used it before but loved the pumpkin instead of eggs in these cookies. I’ve always used ground flax or commercial egg replacer. Thanks so much for sharing this great tip and recipe.
Easy, Healthy and Yummy says
gorgeous! the last picture is the best! amazing
ah thanks! It was the best bite, too ;D
Mikaela says
Trying these tonight ! Cherries are a great food dye :)