Gluten-Free + Vegan Cut-Out Sugar Cookies with Sugar-Free Icing (Allergy-Free)

December 11, 2017 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 71 Comments

Gluten-Free & Vegan Cut-Out Sugar Cookies that taste exactly like the sweet, buttery, tender delights from your favorite childhood recipe! With a simple sugar-free and natural colored icing, these top-8 allergy-free treats are perfect for any holiday, party, or celebration! Easy to make and fun to decorate!

Nostalgia at it’s finest! It had been SO long, so very long since a classic decorated cut-out sugar cookie graced my kitchen (and mouth). I just couldn’t go another holiday season without some sugar cookies, and word on the street was, you couldn’t either! Again, that’s kind of a lie though, since I can’t recall many times I ever made and decorated sugar cookies for Christmas or any holiday. Those sad childhood confessions that I only feel left out about now when I require all the dietary modifications!

So, while I was in the midst of college finals over the past few weeks, I decided to really do some stress(reliving)-baking and FINALLY develop a cut-out sugar cookie recipe for Strength and Sunshine! There are too many callouts for gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, nut-free sugar cookies going on right now that I felt bad I couldn’t be of help to anyone (not even myself!)

I made these “evergreen”, so I didn’t use any holiday shaped cutters or decorations, because cut-out sugar cookies aren’t ONLY for the holidays, y’all! BUT, it is prime cookie baking, decorating, and consuming time. I already have a request put in by the family to make another batch to enjoy during or Christmas Eve/Christmas festivities. I’ll probably break out the snowman and stocking cookie cutters for that batch!

The thing about cut-out sugar cookies is that the dough needs to be durable enough to actually roll and cut out, but still be slightly soft, tender, sweet, and o so buttery. There are the super fluffy, cakey, lofthouse-style sugar cookies with buttercream frosting, but that’s not the classic cut-out with royal icing that we use during the holidays! All delicious and boy, do I wish I’d had more sugar cookies in my life!

I actually never cared for sugar cookies as a kid. If they were decked out and decorated, maybe, but a plain sugar cookie? Blech, give me the chocolate chips please! Like most of these classic recipes, tastebuds and cravings change and the sugar cookie need was REAL! Of course, some non-traditional sugar cookies have graced this blog before, but not the same! The real deal, simple and easy, fun for kids and families (and college kids), but with the trickery of being gluten-free and free-from needed to happen!

I’m assuming by this point in your journey as a Strength and Sunshine reader, you know that when I say sugar, I mean “sugar”. Don’t worry, these got the BIG seal of approval by the fam, like I said! Plus, there is “some” sugar in the sprinkles I used! Just keeping it real, and as always you can use your preferred granulated sugar and powdered sugar for this cookie recipe! I actually made these cookies a 2-day process. I baked the cookies on afternoon, allowed them to be completely cooled overnight, before decorating with the naturally colored icing and sprinkles the next day. This was I knew now overzealous mishaps would occur with “still warm” cookies (and I still had time to shoot before the sun went away!)

Gluten-Free + Vegan Cut-Out Sugar Cookies with Sugar-Free Icing