Soft and buttery sugar cookies that melt in your mouth. This recipe makes best sweet sugar cookies that are eggless, dairy-free and gluten-free. They are super easy to make and use all basic baking ingredients. It is easy to customize to your liking too.
Homemade sugar cookies can be decorated to celebrate several different holidays including Christmas. They make excellent edible gifts similar to Chocolate Peanut Clusters, Peppermint Bark and Chocolate Dipped Pretzels.
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Classic Holiday Cookies
In my family, the weekend of Thanksgiving is reserved for setting up the Christmas tree, decorating the house for the holidays and making delicious food.
You can shape these cookies two ways. Either as a drop cookies or as a cut out cookies. Typically we make couple batches of just round cookies and couple batches of cut out cookies with different Christmas and Holiday shapes.
I prefer to decorate them with simple sugar icing and some colorful sprinkles. You can however add any food grade coloring to make them more festive.
I am sure you will love this easy sugar cookie recipe to have a perfect kick off the holiday season! Make a warm drink to sip along be it. Homemade Hot Chocolate or Mulled Apple Cider pairs very well.
This recipe makes soft and rich cookies with crispy edges and thick bite. The lemon sugar icing adds a slight tangy taste with a bit of freshness that is so subtle yet intriguing.
Ingredients
Exact ingredients are listed in the recipe card below.
For the Sugar Cookies : We use All purpose flour as a base. I used certified gluten free version. Granulated sugar is for the sweetness. You can also use brown sugar, raw sugar or coconut palm sugar instead.
I use coconut oil as a egg replacement. You can use plant based butter as well. Almond milk or any other milk including plant milk helps moisten the cookies. Baking powder, vanilla extract, salt and corn starch are rest of the ingredients.
For Icing : I mix in superfine powdered sugar with almond milk. A dash of lemon juice brings a wonderful flavor to the icing. You can also add vanilla, almond or peppermint extract in the icing mixture for extra flavor.
Instructions
To Make the cookie dough
- Use a handheld or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to beat the vegan butter or coconut oil for 1 minute. It should become smooth and creamy. Add sugar and beat further on high speed for 2-3 minutes until fluffy and light.
- Add in the almond milk, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and vanilla extract. Beat on high until it is all fully combined, about 1 minute.
- Add 1 cup of the flour to the wet mixture. Mix on low speed, until just combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl. Add rest of the cup of the flour and continue to mix on low until just combined. Do NOT over mix.
- Scoop all of the dough out of the bowl on a clean working surface. Gently roll the dough to make a smooth round. Put it in an airtight container and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Once the dough has been chilled, take it out on the counter for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a cookie scoop, drop the dough on the baking sheet. Keep them 2″ apart.
- ( If you want to make cutout cookies, dust the working surface with some flour, roll the dough with a rolling pin about ½ inch thick and press the cookie cutter. Place them on the prepared baking sheets. You can re-roll the edges of the dough until it is all used.)
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, in the middle rack of the oven. The cookies expand and look lightly colored on top and around the edges.
- Remove from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes on the counter. Then transfer to a wire rack to let cool completely before icing.
Helpful Hint : When you remove the cookie baking sheet from the oven, cookies will appear underdone. They will firm up considerably as they cool down. So do NOT over bake them.
Simple Sugar Lemon Icing
- Whisk all icing ingredients in a bowl. Pick up the cookie and dip in the icing and put it back on a wire rack to cool down. Alternatively, use brushes, spoons or a piping bag to put icing on each cookie.
- Sprinklers can be put on when icing is wet. The icing will take roughly 2-3 hours to harden completely.
Pro Tips
- Measure the flour correctly : Use spoon and level by scooping the flour into the measuring cup with a spoon and level it off with the back of a knife. Too much flour will make the dough dry and cookies will become crumbly.
- Chill The Dough : Chill the dough for at least 2 hours. You can keep it for overnight if you want to prep ahead. It helps in getting a good rise and they absorb the flavors well too.
- Let the Chilled Dough Rest : When the dough comes out of the fridge, it may be too stiff to roll, then let it rest for 5 minutes at room temperature.
- For evenly cooked cookies, bake one sheet at a time. Inside the oven, temperatures are different at different levels. Don’t overcrowd the space.
- Important : Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes after they come out of the oven. If you move them too early, they will crumble. Let the cookies cool down before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.
- Another Cooling : Before putting on icing and decorations, cookies need to be completely cool. So you have to be patient and let them chill for at least an hour.
How To Air Fry Sugar Cookies?
You can air fry these cookies. Make and arrange the cookies on the air fryer basket instead of baking sheet as described above.
Air Fry at 375 degree Fahrenheit for 7 minutes. Check the doneness and continue for 2 additional minutes if needed. Follow to the same procedures for icing and decorating as above.
Storage
The cookies will stay soft for about 5 days at room temperature. Store in an airtight container away from direct sunlight and other heat sources.
Baked sugar cookies freeze well. If you plan to freeze them, do not add sugar icing.
To keep the cookies soft and moist and prevent them from getting hard, I love a simple trick. When you pack up those cookies in a container, add half a slice of bread before you seal them up. Cookies will absorb moisture from the bread, which keeps them soft.
Recipe FAQs
It is easy to veganize classic sugar cookies. Corn starch replaces egg in binding the dough. Use plant based butter or coconut oil to replace butter and almond milk instead of dairy.
Yes they are. If you use all the ingredients that are certified gluten free including all purpose flour, this recipe is suitable for gluten free eating.
More Cookie Recipes
★ If you make these Dairy-Free Sugar Cookies , do let us know how you like it by ★ star rating it and leaving a comment below.
Dairy-free Sugar Cookies ( Gluten Free )
Ingredients
For Vegan Sugar Cookies
- 2 cups all purpose flour – I used certified gluten-free flour
- ¾ cup vegan butter or coconut oil at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons almond milk
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For Lemon Sugar Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice – optional but recommended
- 2 Tablespoons almond milk
Optional
- Sprinkles crushed candies for garnishes
Instructions
To Make Sugar Cookies:
- Use a handheld or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to beat the vegan butter or coconut oil for 1 minute. It should become smooth and creamy. Add sugar and beat further on high speed for 2-3 minutes until fluffy and light.
- Add in the almond milk, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and vanilla extract. Beat on high until it is all fully combined, about 1 minute.
- Add 1 cup of the flour to the wet mixture. Mix on low speed, until just combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl. Add the rest of the cup of the flour and continue to mix on low until just combined. Do NOT over mix.
- Scoop all of the dough out of the bowl on a clean working surface. Gently roll the dough to make a smooth round. Put it in an airtight container and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Once the dough has been chilled, take it out on the counter for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a cookie scoop, drop the dough on the baking sheet. Keep them 2" apart.
- ( If you want to make cutout cookies, dust the working surface with some flour, roll the dough with a rolling pin about ½ inch thick and press the cookie cutter. Place them on the prepared baking sheets. You can re-roll the edges of the dough until it is all used.)
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, in the middle rack of the oven. The cookies expand and look lightly colored on top and around the edges.
- Remove from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes on the counter. Then transfer to a wire rack to let cool completely before icing.
- Note : When you remove the cookie baking sheet from the oven, cookies will appear underdone. They will firm up considerably as they cool down. So do NOT over bake them.
Simple Sugar Lemon Icing
- Whisk all icing ingredients in a bowl. Pick up the cookie and dip in the icing and put it back on a wire rack to cool down. Alternatively, use brushes, spoons or a piping bag to put icing on each cookie.
- Sprinklers can be put on when icing is wet. The icing will take roughly 2-3 hours to harden completely.
If You want To Use Air Fryer
- You can air fry these cookies. Make and arrange the cookies on the air fryer basket instead of baking sheet as described above.
- Air Fry at 375 degree Fahrenheit for 7 minutes. Check the doneness and continue for 2 additional minutes if needed.
Notes
Nutrition
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