Cookies are one of my favorite late night snacks. These plant-based sugar cookies are dead easy to make and lots of fun to decorate with the little ones. You can find plant based dyes in the natural food section of most grocery stores. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
* 3/4 cup (1 stick) vegan butter (such as Earth Balance), softened*
* 1/2 cup organic cane sugar + more for topping
* 1/4 cup brown sugar
* 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
* 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour + 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 (1 stick) vegan butter, softened
* 2 1/2 - 3 cups powdered sugar
* Splash non-dairy milk
Directions:
1. Add softened butter to a large mixing bowl and cream with a mixer.
2. Add sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and beat for 1 minute.
3. Sift dry ingredients (flour, cornstarch, salt, baking soda and baking powder) over butter and sugar mixture.
4. 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 too wet, mix in a bit more flour.
5. Cover and freeze dough for 15 minutes, or refrigerate for 30-45 minutes (up to overnight).
6. Five minutes before baking, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and position a rack in the center of the oven.
7. 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.)
8. 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.
9. Bake on the center rack for 10-12 minutes for (8-10 for cutout shapes), or very slightly golden brown.
10. 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.
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. To add natural food coloring, finely grate a raw beet into a clean dish towel and then squeeze it over the frosting and whisk.
4. 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).
