Nothing says Christmas like SUGAR COOKIES. These are the perfect ones to ring in the holidays!!
Santa has probably had about a rough 2020 as you, so he deserves a good cookie this year!
Go ahead and make a batch (or two) of these delicious cookies, and make it a family activity! The icing part is a bit of work but it can be fun!
If you don’t feel like going through the hassle of icing the cookies, you can alternatively sprinkle granulated sugar over them before baking and they will be equally delicious!
I recommend using a stand-up mixer for this recipe since you will have to add ingredients while your mixing. But, if you don’t have one, a regular handheld electric mixer will work fine.
I do recommend, however, using a silicone mat for baking. These will help your cookies to come out perfectly baked without the slight burn on the bottom that may result when placing them on parchment paper.
Anyway! I’m sure you want to get started with these, so enough chatter!
Let’s get baking!
VEGAN CHRISTMAS SUGAR COOKIES
WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
For the cookies:
3 Cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 Cup vegan butter
1 Cup granulated cane sugar
1/4 Cup applesauce
2 tsp vanilla extract
For the icing:
1 1/2 Cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp vegan butter, melted
2 Tbsp non-dairy milk*
*If you are using color for your icing, substitute the milk for the liquid coloring. I made my own colors using spinach for green and beets for red. This coloring is very liquid, so you don’t need the milk.
HOW TO MAKE IT:
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Place the butter in the bowl of your stand-up mixer and beat for about a minute or until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and start your mixer again. Begin adding the granulated sugar slowly. Mix for a couple of minutes until incorporated. Stop to scrape down the sides as needed.
Add the applesauce and vanilla. Mix until well incorporated.
Start your mixer again on low and gradually begin to add the flour mixture until the dough comes together. Avoid over-mixing the dough. Mix until it just starts to come together. At that point, stop the mixer.
Place a bit of flour on a flat surface and, using your hands, finish mixing the dough together.
Place the ball of dough on a sheet pf parchment paper and sprinkle some powdered sugar on top. Place another sheet of parchment paper over it and roll out the dough with a rolling pin until it is about 1/4 inch thick.
Place the dough in the refrigerator for one hour.
Once chilled, use your cookie cutters to cut out the shapes of your cookies. Cut out the shapes as close to each other as possible to use up as much of the dough as you can. Rolling out the dough too many times will cause it to crack and become dense.
Place the cut-out cookies back in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes for the dough to harden again. You want your cookies to be really cold when they go in the oven so they keep their shape.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and, when ready, bake the cookies for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until slightly golden on the edges. Pro tip: using a silicone mat for baking will prevent your cookies from burning a bit on the bottom as they would if you baked them on parchment paper.
Take out of the oven. After 5 minutes, transfer to a cooling rack to completely cool off.
Prepare your icing by mixing together the ingredients in a bowl. You are looking for a thick consistency that won’t drip off easily. If it’s too liquid, add more powdered sugar.
The icing will be white. If you want to use color, you can add food coloring to the mixture. Mind the fact that coloring may make the icing more liquid, so you will need to add more sugar. Pro tip: most food coloring in supermarkets is not vegan. I made my own with beets and spinach.
For red, process a small can of beets (including the liquid) then strain the mixture and use the remaining liquid as dye.
For green, place one cup of spinach and 1/2 cup of water in a small sauce pan. Bring the water to a boil then lower the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. After it cools down, process the spinach and water, then strain the mixture and reserve the liquid to use as green coloring.
Once your cookies are completely cool, ice them with your favorite designs. Leave icing to set for at least 8 hours.
Enjoy!
Let me know if you make this! Tag me by using @mindfulgrub or the hashtag #mindfulgrub when you share your creations on social media. I‘d love to hear how it went for you!
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Recipe adapted from
www.mydarlingvegan.com