Sugar cookies are to Christmas as pumpkin pie is to Thanksgiving–that is, something totally traditional, nostalgic, and quite frankly irreplaceable. They’re also something that everyone and their mother claims to have “the best” recipe for. However, not many of these traditional, tried-and-true recipes accommodate those with gluten allergies or religious quandaries with the use of animal products. This recipe will ensure that no one misses out on the pure holiday joy of the simple sugar cookie. So try out these quick and easy Vegan Sugar Cookies–gluten and dairy-free to boot, no one will go without this holiday season.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups raw cashews
6 tbsp. coconut sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. extra-virgin coconut oil
1 1/2 tbsp. coconut nectar
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. baking soda
Vegan Royal Icing, optional, for decoration
Preheat your oven to 250 degrees.
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the raw cashews until they have entirely broken down into small pieces, about 1-2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients to the cashews and continue to pulse until the mixture begins to form a ball.
Using a spoon, take a scoop of dough and roll it into a ball, then press lightly onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Do this until you have used up all the dough. Bake for 14-16 minutes, until the bottoms of the cookies have turned golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then transfer from the sheet to a rack and let cool completely. These cookies will stay fresh in the fridge for 5 days, or in the freezer for a whole month. Feel free to jazz them up by decorating with some Vegan Royal Icing like the Hanukkah cookies above!
