Remember those Lofthouse boxed sugar cookies that we all grew up eating? Well, we made a completely vegan, much tastier version. And we’re sharing the recipe with you!
These babies are so soft, so flavorful, and kid-approved!
Ingredients
For the cloud-like sugar cookies you’ll need:
- Flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt
- Sugar
- Vegan buttery sticks (we always use these!)
- Vegan sour cream (the secret to making these so soft!!)
- Nondairy milk (any will do, but a thick soy milk works best!)
- Vanilla extract (we always get Whole Foods brand because it’s a good deal)
And for the buttercream frosting:
- Vegan buttery sticks
- Powdered sugar
- Nondairy milk
Top these off with some rainbow sprinkles and you’ll be taken back to your elementary school picnic, fighting off classmates for the last of these cookies.
Frosted Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour, + extra for rolling out dough
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick [113 g]) vegan butter
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (113 g) vegan sour cream
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) nondairy milk
- 2 tsp (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
For the frosting:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick [113 g]) vegan butter
- 3 cups (375 g) powdered sugar
- 2+ tbsp (30+ ml) nondairy milk
For topping:
- Vegan sprinkles
Instructions
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate, large bowl add the butter and sugar and beat until well creamed.
- Add the sour cream, milk, and vanilla. Beat again until smooth and creamy.
- Pour about half of the dry mixture into the wet and fold in. Add the rest and combine.
- Cover the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Lightly flour a flat surface and place the chilled dough on top. Knead the dough a bit to incorporate more flour. It is ready once the dough no longer sticks to your hands.
- Roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thick. Using a circle cookie cutter or an upside down cup, cut out circles of the dough and place them on a lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 8-12 minutes (time varies on size and thickness of cookies) until they are no longer doughy and are golden.
- Make the frosting by beating the butter until it is creamy. Add in the powdered sugar and beat until combined. Mix in the milk, adding more to your preferred consistency.
- Once the cookies are cool, frost them and immediately top with sprinkles. Dig in!
Notes
These cookies keep best in a cool area.
These taste the same as the frosted sugar cookies at the food store but they are better because they are ethically made! Absolute amazing recipe and more amazing cookie. I make them for work around the holidays for the vegan folks but all the nonvegan staff enjoy them just as much it not more.
I can’t wait to try these, they remind me of the loft house cookies!
I want to make these but I’m pretty sure I’ll eat the batter before they even make it in the oven.
Does the frosting crust or garden on these? Thanks!
the best cookies ever!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Haven’t ever been a fan of the original cookies because of all the extra sugar but these look delicious! I want to make them with my boyfriend! ?
Haven’t ever been a fan of the original Lofthouse cookies because of all the extra sugar but, these look DELICIOUS. I want to make them with my boyfriend ?
I’ve been looking for a recipe for these and can’t wait to make them this weekend!
I’ve made this recipe before and it was so heavenly! Cannot wait to make it and try your chocolate chip cookies! @chlowithdafro
I made these for my birthday and they were really really good. My fam loves loft house and they even said these were better!
These were great, I made them for a friend and she loved them. The closest vegan equivalent to the grocery store Lofthouse cookies.
These look incredible! Definitely will be making them
These cookies are so good! They taste just like the Lofthouse ones. Thank you for helping me feed my craving!
So happy you loved them!!! They are a favorite in our house! 🙂
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These sound so delicious. Being WFPB we do not use regular flour. What other kind of flour can I use and still have it come out great?
Hi! Unfortunately, we do not know of WFPB substitutions that could be used for this recipe and still have them turn out great (as flour, sugar and vegan butter are the main ingredients in this recipe). You could check out our Three Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Break-Apart Fudge, this may be a better fit for you/your diet: https://www.sixvegansisters.com/2017/09/01/three-ingredient-peanut-butter-cookie-dough-break-apart-fudge/
Hope this helps! 🙂
How can I substitute the flour, sugar, butter and confectioners sugar for something plant based?
This sounds so good but we don’t use regular sugar anymore.
I am doubtful you could make a truly plant based version of these cookies and maintain quality of the recipe. I’ve made a lot of yummy cookies with almond flour, oats, tahini, dates, coconut flakes, etc. though, so you might want to try a cookie more along those lines.
What’s the yield on these? My wife and I are going to give them a shot tomorrow.
I cut the batch in half and got 12 cookies. So should make ~24.
These look delicious! If I cut them into another shape, like hearts, do you think that would turn out okay? I want to make these for valentines day and thought that would be fun.
Do you have any ideas on how to change this recipe for high altitude baking? I tried making these in Colorado and they came out more biscuit than sugar cookie. Still good though! lol
What brand of vegan sour cream do you use for this recipe? I used Tofutti sour cream, Earth Balance buttery sticks, and almond milk. I measured my flour using the spoon and level method, but my dough turned out extremely wet and sticky, even after adding a couple tablespoons more flour. After chilling, it was still very sticky to handle, so I ended up scooping the dough onto my parchment lined pans and flattening them to about 1/4 inch thickness. They still came out very nicely puffed and cakey soft, so I will make them again. I just hope the dough is easier to work with next time!
These were great! While I wouldn’t say they were replicas of how I remember Lofthouse cookies tasting they were so delicious, soft, and pillowy nonetheless which is all that matters! Similar to one other commenter, my dough was SUPER sticky, even after chilling. I weighed my flour with a digital scale, and that commenter used the spoon and level method, so I’m assuming that those three cups mean 3 traditionally packed cups- not 3 precisely measured cups. I had to knead in a bit more flour, so as expected my cookies came out a bit denser and chewier from all the kneading than I would have liked. If I make these again- I’ll probably use 3.5 cups of flour. Thank you so much for the recipe!