Easy Dairy Free Sugar Cookies

These dairy free sugar cookies are soft on the inside and slightly crunchy on the outside. They also make great cut out cookies, as they're easy to roll out and they hold their shape beautifully.

I love making cookies! The smell in the kitchen is heavenly! Like my luscious chocolate chunk cookies, my ladokouloura Greek olive oil cookies, or my healthy tahini breakfast cookies!

Sugar cookies, though, usually remind me of Christmas, but they are so versatile that I often make them all year round! Sometimes I'll ice them and sometimes I'll just leave them plain.

These dairy free sugar cookies are incredibly simple to make. If you don't want to decorate them, they're really good plain, too, since they're not overly sweet - just perfect paired with coffee in the morning or as a snack.

Why this recipe works

The dough is a dream to work with! It comes together really easily. It rolls out nicely and it doesn't crack. The cookies also hold their shape well since they don't really spread in the oven.
It's suitable for anyone who's lactose intolerant or allergic to eggs. There are no dairy products or eggs in these cookies.
You only need a few ingredients. The ingredients are simple and basic, most of which you probably already have in your pantry!
It's really simple. My picture tutorial below will help you along the way, even if you're new to baking!

What do these dairy free sugar cookies taste like?

These cookies have a lovely vanilla flavor. They are soft on the inside and slightly crunchy on the outside. To me, they have the perfect texture and sweetness, with or without the icing.

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE DAIRY FREE SUGAR COOKIES

Margarine: I use block margarine, because I think it has the right moisture.
Sugar: I use regular white sugar for the cookies and some powdered sugar for the icing.
Cornstarch: Cornstarch is really important because it helps make the cookies nice and chewy.
Flour: I use all-purpose flour for this recipe. Although I've never made them with gluten free flour, I don't see why it couldn't be used to make these cookies gluten free.
Baking powder: I use a small amount to help the cookies rise.
Almond milk: I use almond milk, but any plant-based milk will also work.
Vanilla: I use pure vanilla extract.
Honey: I use a little bit of honey for the icing, but this is optional. If you want, you can use maple syrup, instead, or leave it out.
Salt: I always use some salt to boost all the other flavors.
Nonpareils/Rainbow Sprinkles & Food coloring: I used nonpareils for these cookies, but you could use your favorite sprinkles to decorate them. I also used some green gel food coloring to ice some of the cookies. Both are optional, of course!

ADD-INS & VARIATIONS

Although I love the vanilla flavor, you can play around with lots of other flavor combinations to make these dairy free sugar cookies fancy! Here are a few ideas:

• Add some lemon or orange zest to the dough for a nice citrus overtone.
• Add half (or all of) the sugar with one of my flavored sugar recipes! This would also be great if you don't want to frost the cookies. For example, you could make cinnamon sugar for cinnamon sugar cookies.
• Add dairy free mini chocolate chips to the dough for dairy free chocolate chip sugar cookies!

Vegan Option

To make these sugar cookies vegan, just replace the honey in the icing with maple syrup or omit it.

HOW TO MAKE DAIRY FREE SUGAR COOKIES

First, make the cookie dough.

STEP 1

Mix the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.

STEP 2

In another bowl, cream the sugar, vanilla, and margarine/vegan butter for about 5 minutes, until it's fluffy.

STEP 3

Slowly add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until it all comes together, but don't overmix.

STEPS 4-5

Add the milk and then use your hands to gather everything together. Form a ball with your hands.

STEP 6

Then place the dough on parchment paper and shape into a rectangle.

STEP 7

Place another sheet of parchment paper on top and roll out the dough to about ¼ inch thick (about 0.5 cm). I like using rolling guides for consistent, uniform thickness.

Then place the dough in the freezer for about 15 minutes (I slide the parchment paper on a pizza pan and then put it in the freezer).

STEP 8

When the time's up, take the dough out of the freezer, remove the top parchment paper and cut out as many shapes as you can with your favorite cookie cutter.

After the cookies are baked and completely cooled, make the icing.

HOW TO MAKE DAIRY FREE ICING FOR SUGAR COOKIES

STEP 1
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.

STEP 2
Whisk everything together until combined. If it's too runny, add some more powdered sugar. If it's too thick, add a tiny amount of milk, half a teaspoon at a time, until you get the right consistency as shown. At this point, if you don't want to color the icing, you can skip steps 3 - 5.

STEP 3
Add a bit of gel food coloring, if desired. I like to swirl it in with a toothpick.

STEP 4
After that, mix everything well to blend the color throughout.

STEP 5
Then, frost the cookies. I like using the back of a spoon, but you could use a piping bag, too.

STEP 6
Finally, add some nonpareils or sprinkles and then let the cookies dry.

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

• Rolling out the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper avoids the need for adding more flour, which can make the cookies tough. It also helps with easier cleanup since there's no flour on your work surface or rolling pin.
• Rolling guides really help to get an even thickness every time!
• Putting the rolled out dough in the freezer for a few minutes really helps the cookies hold their shape in the oven.
• The number of cookies depends on the size of your cookie cutters. This recipe makes about 23 cookies that are about 2½ inches (about 6 cm).
• These cookies don't brown much. You might think they're not done, but I wouldn't bake them longer than the stated time as they could get hard. If, however, you want crunchier cookies, bake them about 3 minutes more.

Storage
Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to about 5 days.

Freezing the dough
This dough freezes really well! All you have to do is flatten it into a square disk and wrap it well in plastic wrap. Then put it in a freezer bag, label it, and freeze it for up to a month.

Happy Baking!

~Voula

MORE DAIRY FREE COOKIE RECIPES!

Let me know how these dairy free sugar cookies turn out for you in the comments below! I'd love to hear from you!

Recipe

Easy Dairy Free Sugar Cookies

These dairy free sugar cookies are soft on the inside and slightly crunchy on the outside. They also make great cut out cookies, as they're easy to roll out and they hold their shape beautifully.

4.34 from 3 votes

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Course: Cookies, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 22 , approximately

Author: Voula

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Ingredients

For the dairy free sugar cookies

• ▢ ½ cup (125g / 4 oz) block margarine/vegan butter, cubed
• ▢ ½ cup (100g / 3.5 oz) sugar
• ▢ 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ▢ 1 ½ cups (187g / 6.7 oz) all-purpose flour
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 3 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk (or other plant-based milk)
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla
• ▢ a pinch of salt
• ▢ nonpareils or sprinkles for decor on top of icing (optional)

For the dairy free icing

• ▢ 2 cups powdered sugar, plus more if needed (240g)
• ▢ 2-4 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk (or other plant-based milk)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
• ▢ gel food coloring (optional)

Note:

For best results, please read through the full post before beginning the recipe.

Instructions

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Make the cookies

• Mix the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
• In another bowl, cream the sugar, vanilla, and margarine/vegan butter with a mixer for about 5 minutes, until it's fluffy.
• Slowly add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until it all comes together, but don't overmix.
• Add the milk and then use your hands to gather everything together. Form a ball with your hands.
• Place the dough on parchment paper and shape into a rectangle.
• Place another sheet of parchment paper on top and roll out the dough to about ¼ inch thick (about 0.5 cm). (I like using rolling guides for consistent, uniform thickness.)
• Place the dough in the freezer for about 15 minutes (I slide the parchment paper on a pizza pan and then put it in the freezer).
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C.
• After 15 minutes, take the dough out of the freezer, remove the top parchment paper and cut out as many shapes as you can with your favorite cookie cutter. Gather the dough scraps, roll it out again, and cut out a few more cookies.
• Place the cutouts onto the prepared baking sheet, each about an inch (about 2.5 cm) apart and bake for 10-15 minutes.
• Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. (The cookies will be soft when they come out of the oven and they'll slightly harden when they cool.)

Make the icing

• Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.
• If it's too runny, add some more powdered sugar. If it's too thick, add a tiny amount of milk, half a teaspoon at a time, until you get the desired consistency (see the pictures in the post).
• Add a bit of gel food coloring (if using). I like to swirl it in with a toothpick.
• Mix everything well to blend the color throughout.
• Frost the cooled cookies (I like using the back of a spoon to spread it on).
• Add some nonpareils or sprinkles (if using) and then let the cookies dry.

Notes

These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to about 5 days.

Freezing the dough

This dough freezes really well! All you have to do is flatten it into a square disk and wrap it well in plastic wrap. Then put it in a freezer bag, label it, and freeze it for up to a month.

Freezing baked cookies

I freeze these cookies plain, without the icing. I stack a few cookies together and place a piece of parchment paper in between each cookie so that they don’t stick together. Then I put them in a freezer-safe container and freeze them for up to 3 months.

Picture Tutorial & Tips:

I have a detailed picture tutorial in my post to help you out with each step of the recipe as well as lots of tips to ensure success.

©Pastry Wishes

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