Vegan Sugar Cookies

As a food blogger, I cook and bake a lot. As much as we try, my wife and I have trouble keeping up with the continual flow of food, so we often bring leftovers to work. My most recent workplace food experiment: vegan sugar cookies. And so was born the Tale of Two Cookies.

Recently, Shae brought leftover salted vegan chocolate chip cookies to work and didn’t disclose that they were vegan. All fifteen were snatched up by teammates before noon and Shae was thrilled to roll out one of her favorite punch lines when receiving a compliment for the chef: “Right? And they’re vegan!”.  Like clockwork–eyes get wide, lips part, and someone usually gets borderline creeped out: “How can they be vegan?!? They’re so good!” Never gets old.

I, on the other hand, recently took a batch of these vegan snickerdoodle cookies into the office and happily proclaimed their vegan status so any plant-based folks could partake in the cookie joy. Everybody knows how this story ends. Only the vegans showed up to feast which barely left a dent in my overflowing tupperware. As the baker, I felt bummed but understood the impact of leading with the vegan descriptor. But that doesn’t mean I accept it!

Clearly, the world needs more delicious vegan cookies, and this recipe delivers a some soft and chewy little ambassadors. We brought a few with us on a camping trip this weekend to replace graham crackers for some delightfully gluttonous s’mores.  If you’re feeling like less of a dessert beast, we suggest letting the warmth of the campfire mimic that fresh out-of-the oven experience. If you want to turn up the dessert volume and want to make cookies galore, try these vegan snickerdoodles.

vegan sugar cookies and wine

Sugar cookies are sweet (no brainer there) but the right wine pairing takes a little more thought. The cookie’s sweetness requires the right match to avoid making the wine taste bitter. Check out these selections for the right balance:

• Gewürztraminer: fruity white wine bursting with aromatic nose, giving flavors of rose, grapefruit, and lychee. If you’re looking for a really sweet version, try a bottle labeled Vendanges Tardives for late harvest sweetness.
  • Recommended Regions: Alsace, France or Mosel, Germany
• Prosecco: fruity, light-bodied sparkling wine from northern Italy with flavors of honeydew melon, pear, honeysuckle, and green apple. The bursting bubbles provide a nice refreshing accompaniment to the vegan sugar cookies. I recommend dry, which has slightly more sugar than brut or extra-dry.
  • Suggested Regions: Veneto or Fruili, Italy
• Moscato: Look for sweet and slightly sparkling here. They key is to getting a sweet enough bottle to pair nicely with the cookies, while layering in orange blossom, pear, and honeysuckle flavors. Moscatos can range from sweet to dry so ask someone at the store if you’re not sure where to start.
  • Suggested Regions: Piedmont, Italy

Vegan Sugar Cookies

Vegan sugar cookies perfection. Soft, chewy, and bursting with homemade goodness.

• Author: Plant & Vine
• Prep Time: 65 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 75 minutes
• Yield: 16 cookies
• Category: Vegan, Vegetarian, Dessert, Cookies
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American, Vegan, Sweet

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup cane sugar
• 1/2 cup neutral oil (I used canola oil)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used Bourbon vanilla extract)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together sugar with oil, water, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract until smooth.
4. Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture. Stir until well combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for 30 – 60 minutes (not required but helps cookies retain their shape while baking).
5. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Remove dough from the refrigerator and scoop around 2 tablespoons per cookie. Press the mounds down with your palm to flatten slightly. Fill one sheet with 12 cookies and use remaining dough on second sheet.
6. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. The cookies should be puffed up and very lightly browned on the bottom (but not on the edges or tops).
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool on the pan for 2 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.
8. Great straight out of the the oven. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Notes

*Recipe is a guide. Adapt as desired. Inspired by The Mostly Vegan.

Keywords: vegan sugar cookies, vegan cookies, sugar cookies