These eggless vanilla sugar cookies taste just like the classic version - and you wouldn't even be able to tell that eggs are missing! A swipe of buttercream frosting on top and little buttercream trees makes decorating a breeze. This cookie dough also comes together in a flash - with no need for chilling!
With Christmas coming closer and closer (where did the time go??) it's the time for quick and easy recipes as everything's getting hectic! Sugar cookies are a classic, but these sugar cookies are a NEW classic in my home.
Made without eggs (annnnd no need for chilling the dough!) these cookies can be enjoyed by anyone from people with egg allergies to the greatest egg lovers around. You really can't tell that they don't have eggs in them!
how these cookies work without eggs
One of my favorite egg substitutions for cookies is a combination of cornstarch and milk. The cornstarch gives you the same binding feature while milk makes up for the lost moisture / liquid. It's the same strategy I use when making my favorite eggless chocolate chip cookies, and no one has ever believed me when I say they're eggless!!
Using brown sugar in place of granulated sugar also makes for a perfectly soft and chewy cookie despite not having eggs.
how to make eggless vanilla sugar cookies
Make the eggless sugar cookies:
1. Whisk together dry ingredients. Set aside.
2. Cream together butter and sugar.
3. Whisk in remaining wet ingredients, followed by dry ingredients.
4. Shape into balls and flatten into disks. These cookies don't spread a whole lot, so it's important to press them down before baking. I find it's easiest to flatten the dough with the bottom of a measuring cup. You can use any flat bottomed bowl or cup or use your hands if you prefer!
5. Bake and cool. Make sure the cookies are completely cool before frosting!
Make the buttercream:
1. Cream together butter, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy.
2. Add remaining ingredients and whip until airy. If needed, whisk in more milk to reach your desired consistency.
3. Set aside a bit of buttercream to color green. This is just if you want to decorate the cookies with little trees on top! You just need about 3 tablespoons of buttercream.
4. Decorate! Spread a bit of plain buttercream on top of the cooled cookies then pipe little trees on top. Leave as is or add some sprinkles on top before the buttercream sets.
tips
- Measuring flour: Mismeasured flour is the best way to ruin a perfectly good batch of cookies! Always measure flour by weight or (if using cups) by spooning and leveling the flour. Never scoop your cup directly into the bag of flour, or this can cause extra weight worth of flour to pack into the cup! This obviously will lead to a dense, dry cookie.
- Mixing: This cookie is super delicate and tender, so it's important to watch your mixing after combining the wet and dry ingredients! Mix until you just no longer see streaks of flour. Overmixed cookie dough will lead to dense cookies.
- Baking & cooling: Once the cookies are done baking, don't let them cool on the baking sheet for more than about 5 minutes. The residual heat from the pan can overbake the cookies and (again) make them dry and brittle! They'll be too soft to transfer before 5 minutes, but afterwards, move them onto a wire rack to finish cooling!
- Decorating: Make sure the cookies have cooled COMPLETELY to room temperature before decorating (otherwise you'll end up with a soupy mess on your hands!) It's totally up to you how you want to decorate the cookies - I just went with some easy trees, but you could pipe on whatever you like or just top the white buttercream with some festive sprinkles!
FAQs
My cookie dough is too sticky. What should I do?
For starters: don't add flour! It'll just dry out the cookie and throw off the sweetness. If your cookie dough is too sticky to comfortably roll into balls, pop it into the fridge for about 30 minutes, or until firm enough to work with.
Can I use granulated sugar in the cookie dough?
That depends on the kind of texture you're going for! Granulated sugar will yield a crisper cookie while brown sugar is what makes these cookies extra chewy. I decided to use brown just because I felt it made the texture of the cookies most similar to a classic sugar cookie!
Can I roll and cutout this dough?
You can, but it's not going to look quite as smooth on top as a classic vanilla cutout sugar cookie. If you do decide to make this into cutouts, I'd definitely recommend decorating them with some royal icing or a similar kind of icing if you want a pretty top! If you plan on making cutouts, chill the dough for 1 hour in the fridge or until firm enough to roll.
Can I skip the buttercream?
You sure can! The cookies are going to have a bit of a wrinkly top to them (pictured above). So if you're a fan of that look, let them shine! You could also top these cookies off with royal icing or a simple powdered sugar icing.
check out these other eggless recipes!
• Eggless Caramel Tiramisu
• Eggless Almond Butter Cookies
• Mini Eggless Chocolate Cake
• Rice Pudding Recipe (No Eggs)
• Easy Chocolate Pudding
• Butter Shortbread Cookies
Lastly, if you made this or any of my recipes, be sure to leave a comment and review below! I love hearing your thoughts! Also tag me on Instagram @eatsdelightfulblog so I can see what you're making.
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Eggless Vanilla Sugar Cookies Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 cookies
Description
These eggless vanilla sugar cookies taste just like the classic version - and you wouldn't even be able to tell that eggs are missing! A swipe of buttercream frosting on top and little buttercream trees makes decorating a breeze. This cookie dough also comes together in a flash - with no need for chilling!
Ingredients
For the eggless vanilla sugar cookies:
- 1 & ¼ cups (150g) all-purpose flour, spoon and leveled
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick / 115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup (50g) packed brown sugar, light or dark
- 3 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the buttercream frosting:
- ½ cup (1 stick / 115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups (260g) powdered sugar, sifted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 to 4 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- green liquid-gel food coloring (optional - for decorating)
- sprinkles (optional - for decorating)
Instructions
Make the eggless sugar cookies:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt to combine. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine butter and sugar. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a wooden spoon by hand, cream together butter and sugar until you no longer see any dry sugar granules and the mixture is fluffy. This'll take about 1 minute with a mixer set to medium speed, or 2 minutes by hand.
- Add milk and vanilla, and whisk to combine.
- Add your dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Fold together until you no longer see any streaks of flour.
- Scoop 1.5 tablespoon sized portions of cookie dough and roll into balls. Arrange on your parchment lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 to 3 inches of space between each cookie. If the cookie dough is too soft to work with, pop the dough into the fridge for about 30 minutes or until firm enough to handle.
- Using the back of a lightly floured measuring cup or any similar flat bottomed dish, press the cookie dough balls into flat, ¼ inch thick disks.
- Bake the cookies in the center of your preheated 350°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown along the edges.
- Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet then transfer onto a wire rack and set aside until cooled completely before frosting.
Make the buttercream:
- In a large bowl, combine butter, powdered sugar, and salt. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a wooden spoon by hand, cream together until the sugar is fully dissolved and the mixture is lightened in color and fluffy. If using an electric mixer, start on low speed to incorporate the sugar so it doesn't fly all over the place, then increase the mixer speed to high and whip for 2 minutes. This will take about 4 to 5 minutes by hand.
- Add 2 tablespoons of milk and vanilla and mix to combine. Whip the frosting for another minute on high speed (or 2 minutes by hand) to make it extra airy and fluffy! If needed, whisk in a bit more milk to reach your desired consistency.
- If you want to decorate the cookies with little trees on top, set aside about 3 tablespoons of buttercream and color it green with liquid gel food coloring. Fill the green buttercream in a piping bag and cut a tiny snip off the tip. You can also use a small plastic bag.
- Spread a bit of plain white frosting on top of each cookie then pipe little trees on top. Decorate the trees with some colorful nonpareils to resemble Christmas lights and sprinkle white sprinkles to resemble snow on the white portions. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Bake Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Cookies
Enjoy!
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