Looking for more festive cookies? Be sure to try my Lofthouse Cookies and Vegan Shortbread Cookies as well! My Vegan Sugar Cookie Bars are an easy twist on sugar cookies that you’ll love. You can never go wrong with a classic vegan sugar cookie. They’re soft, chewy, and so much fun to decorate. But for the chocolate lovers in your life, turn to these easy Chocolate Sugar Cookies instead! Vegan chocolate sugar cookies are easy to make in one bowl and are just as much fun to decorate as they are to eat. They’re the perfect vegan Valentine’s Day cookies, cut into heart shapes and decorated with the 4-ingredient vegan icing. But you can easily customize them for any holiday, like Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day, and more.
Why you’ll love these cookies
The best Valentine’s Day dessert: Homemade chocolate sugar cookies always show your loved ones how much you care. They won’t be able to resist the heart shapes and pink sprinkles on top! A beginner-friendly recipe: The sugar cookie dough comes together easily in one bowl using simple, pantry-staple ingredients. Both beginner and advanced bakers will have an easy time with this recipe. Adult and kid-friendly: It doesn’t matter the age of your Valentine – these chocolate cookies are easy to love!
Ingredients needed (with substitutions)
Vegan butter – Miyoko’s is my vegan butter of choice when baking vegan cookies, but Earth Balance is another great option, as well as my homemade vegan butter. Sugar – Granulated sugar is best, but coconut sugar should also work well. Soy milk – Or use the unsweetened dairy free milk of your choice, like oat milk, cashew milk, or almond milk. Cornstarch – This gives the cookies a soft and chewy texture that’s ideal for rolling and cutting into shapes. Vanilla extract All purpose flour – I always have the best results with all purpose flour, but a 1:1 gluten free flour blend, like King Arthur and Better Batter, should work if you need the cookies to be gluten free. Cocoa powder – You need unsweetened, natural cocoa powder for the dough and for dusting your work surface. Baking powder Salt Powdered sugar – To make the icing. Light corn syrup – This gives the sugar cookie icing a remarkable shine. Feel free to leave it out if you don’t have any at home.
How to make chocolate sugar cookies
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below. To begin, use an electric mixer to beat the vegan butter until smooth. Add the sugar and beat again until it’s light and fluffy. Next, add the soy milk, cornstarch, and vanilla, and mix to combine. Now add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. You can use your hands to help the dough come together – it should feel like play dough when it’s ready. Divide the dough in half and form it into two balls. Lay a sheet of parchment paper on a flat surface and sprinkle with cocoa. Place one of the dough balls on top, sprinkle with more cocoa, and roll it out with a rolling pin. Lay a second piece of parchment on top. Repeat with the other dough half, then place both cookie dough sheets in the fridge to chill. Afterward, cut out heart shapes from the chilled dough using a cookie cutter and place them on a lined baking sheet. Bake the chocolate sugar cookies until the edges appear slightly firm (they may look underdone, but will firm up as they cool). Make the icing while you wait for the cookies to cool.
How to make vegan sugar cookie icing
Find more customization and decorating ideas below. Whisk the powdered sugar, vanilla, light corn syrup, and soy milk in a bowl until smooth. If the icing seems too thick, whisk in a splash of soy milk. Or, if it looks runny, mix in more powdered sugar until thickened. Spread the icing onto the cooled cookies and add any decorations or sprinkles you like on top. Set the sugar cookies aside to harden, then enjoy!
Decorating tips and ideas
The cookies must be completely cool before you start decorating or else the icing will melt and slide off. From there, you’re free to decorate them as you wish:
Pipe the icing: Instead of spreading the vegan royal icing on top with a spoon, transfer the icing to a piping bag with a very fine tip. This way, your designs can be more intricate and detailed. Add sprinkles: Customize the sprinkles you use for the time of year! Pink and white are perfect for Valentine’s Day, red and green for Christmas, and so on. Colorful icing: Fold in 2 to 3 drops of the vegan food coloring of your choice. Watkins brand is vegan-friendly, as are some of the Wilton gel-based colors. Let them harden: Remember, the icing will take several hours to harden completely, so wait to stack them in a storage container until then.
Helpful tips
Properly measure the flour by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling off the top with the back of a knife. If you don’t correctly measure the flour, you can end up with too much and the dough will be dry! Only mix the dough until the ingredients are just starting to come together. If it looks crumbly in the bowl but feels like play dough in your hands, it’s perfect. If it’s too dry, mix in a splash of soy milk. Chilling the dough in the fridge for at least 1 hour is key to cutting clean shapes that don’t fall apart. Roll each dough half to an even ¼-inch thickness. This way, the cookies will be soft and pudgy with crisp, delicate edges. If you prefer crispier sugar cookies, roll the dough thinner.
Frequently asked questions
Want more Valentine’s Day desserts?
Vegan Chocolate Cake Strawberry Cupcakes Vegan Chocolate Cookies Raspberry Brownies Vegan Strawberry Cake
