The Best Vegan Shortbread Cookies

For a lot of people–myself included–the holidays are the time of year when baking is at an all-time high. And perhaps one of the most classic recipes in my family is that for shortbread cookies.

This is a very special recipe to me, because it’s based on my mother’s shortbread cookie recipe. The original will probably remain a carefully-guarded secret forever, but fortunately I can share my veganized version with you! Just make sure to use it responsibly 😉

This is a recipe that takes me right back to my childhood. I still remember, in many years past, decorating shortbread cookies with my mom and sister. It was buckets of fun, and even more fun was eating them!

These are delicious and buttery, and have the potential to be a beautiful gift or centerpiece when you decorate them. I recently tried this recipe for Eggless Royal Icing from Wallflower Kitchen, and I would definitely recommend it!

As far as food coloring for your icing, there are probably many vegan options out there. The ones that I used, Americolor, mention on their FAQ page that their food colors contain no animal products. However, you can still make some beautiful snowflake cookies with just plain white icing and some sparkly sprinkles!

Also: as far as vegan butter goes, I tried this with a few different kinds (pictured above). I’m sure it would also work with Earth Balance, as it is similar to the brands pictured. I tried it once with this Shoprite brand vegetable oil spread, but the dough was too wet to form into a disk (though perfect for a cookie press).

The Best Vegan Shortbread Cookies

These cookies are buttery and delicious! Serve them as-is, or decorate them with vegan royal icing. The amount of cookies you get out of this recipe will depend on what size cutters you use.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 16 minutes mins

Total Time 46 minutes mins

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 11 cookies

Equipment

• Stand mixer (optional but recommended)
• Cookie cutters

Ingredients

  

• 3/4 cup vegan butter, softened see recipe notes
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
• 2 tbsp vegan egg replacer such as Just Egg or aquafaba
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions

 

• In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together the vegan butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar.
• On low speed, add in the vegan egg, vanilla extract, baking powder and salt. Mix until combined.
• Gradually add the flour until the dough comes together nicely–it should start to form into a ball and pull away from the sides of the bowl. Form your dough into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour until slightly hardened, but optimally overnight.
• After you refrigerate your dough, you can roll it into cookies! I usually do this by putting the unwrapped dough disk between two sheets of wax paper, and rolling it with a rolling pin until the dough is 1/3-1/2 inch thick. Cut the dough with your desired cookie cutters, and place them on a baking sheet.
• Bake your cookies at 350F for 14-16 minutes, until the edges of the cookies start to become golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool on the tray for a minute or two (but not too long!) before transferring them to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before decorating with desired icing.

Notes

As far as vegan butter goes, I tried this with a few different kinds (pictured in post). I’m sure it would also work with Earth Balance, as it is similar to the Land O’ Lakes pictured. I tried it once with this Shoprite brand vegetable oil spread, but the dough was too wet to form into a disk (though perfect for a cookie press).

Keyword aquafaba, baking, brown sugar, cookies, dairy-free, seasonal, special occasions

I hope that you and your loved ones have a safe and happy holiday. Until next time, peace! 🙂