Everyone loves a light, buttery, and cakey Lofthouse sugar cookie! These Soft Frosted Gluten-Free Vegan Sugar Cookies are allergy-free, kid-friendly, with naturally colored sugar-free frosting, and a healthier copycat recipe for homemade Lofthouse cookies! From holiday desserts to birthday celebrations, you’ll be addicted!
*This post is sponsored by iHerb. Thank you for supporting Strength and Sunshine and our partnerships!*
Sure, you could make classic cut-out sugar cookies for decorating, but no one can pass up one of the soft, cake-like, frosted gems that have been gracing grocery store shelves since 1994 from Lofthouse! Like a cake and a cookie all baked up into one delicious buttery, sweet, colorfully frosted treat! Can you still have this classic cookie even if you’re gluten-free, vegan, or have food allergies? Sure you can! With this easy copycat homemade version of the classic soft-baked frosted cookie, you’ll never have to miss out again!
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Are these soft frosted gluten-free vegan sugar cookies to good to be true?
These soft frosted sugar cookies are begging to get the Strength and Sunshine treatment! A personal favorite cookie; if I were to have a sugar cookie, I’d want it to be Lofthouse-style! Whether you have celiac disease, food allergies, or happen to be vegan, you still deserve a good soft frosted sugar cookie during the holidays or when you need to celebrate those little moments in life (or when you just have the craving!) These cookies are gluten-free, vegan, sugar-free, dye-free, and top 8 allergy-free! No dairy, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, soy, wheat, shellfish, fish, or sesame!
What are the ingredients in these soft frosted sugar cookies?
Luckily, we have iHerb to thank for quickly shipping us these free-from ingredients for the cookies! With over 5000 grocery products, many of which cater to our special dietary needs, and with shipping capabilities to over 150 countries, you’ll have no problem baking these cookies up for your next celebration! All simple ingredients, only 10 in total! For the soft cake-like sugar cookies: Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour, Bob’s Red Mill Baking Powder, Granulated Swerve sweetener, vanilla extract, Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer, vegan/soy-free butter, and non-dairy milk! For the sweet dairy-free buttercream frosting: Confectioner Swerve sweetener, more vegan/soy-free butter, vanilla extract and then ColorKitchen’s natural food dyes and natural sprinkles!
Are these Lofthouse-style sugar cookies easy to bake?
They sure are! Simple ingredients and simple baking instructions! You just need to whip up your cookie dough, kneading the dough with your hands for these cookies! Forming about 12-14 (1 to 2 tablespoons each) cookie balls. Spacing them out on your baking sheet (I used two cookie sheets, as these cookies will spread out a bit), and baking them in the oven at 350°F for just 12 minutes! Cook them too long and they won’t be soft and cakey sugar cookies! You’ll need to let them cool completely on a wire rack which is the perfect time to whip up your frosting and choosing the colors you want your frosting to be! I divided the frosting in half between two bowls and used pink and blue for colors.
How do you decorate these frosted soft sugar cookies?
Now, you can frost the cookies by using a pastry bag, but again, let’s keep these cookies simple and easy peasy! I simply scooped some frosting on a butter knife and spread the frosting on smooth to the tops of the cooled sugar cookies. From mixing up the frosting to spreading it on the cookies, that’s the fun part and where you should enlist the kids to help! Who doesn’t love decorating cookies? (Just try not to eat all the frosting before you finish the cookies!) After you’re satisfied with your frosting skills, simply sprinkle on those natural allergy-free rainbow sprinkles! Pressing them in a bit will help them to stick!
How should you store these soft frosted gluten-free vegan sugar cookies?
These cookies store best in a closed container in the fridge. Don’t leave them out at room temperature if you’re not eating them right away. Which, I also suggest you eat them right away! These sugar cookies are not for making way in advance. Enjoy them fresh like you would a light, soft, airy cake! I know you won’t have a problem waiting too long to bite into these cookies anyway…
I really do think they should call these Lofthouse-style sugar cookies, cake cookies. A personal, mini, hand-held cake with endless colorful decorating possibilities! So easy to make, bake, decorate, and EAT! Gluten-Free, vegan, allergy-free and possible to make anywhere thanks to iHerb, what are you waiting for? Let’s heat up those ovens!
Lofthouse-Style Soft Frosted Gluten-Free Vegan Sugar Cookies
- For the Sugar Cookies:
- 2½ Cups Gluten-Free Baking Flour
- 1 Cup Erythritol (or preferred granulated sweetener)
- 1 Tsp Baking Powder
- 1 Prepared Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacement
- 1 Tsp Pure Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract
- 1 Stick Vegan/Soy-Free Butter (softened)
- ¾ Cup Unsweetened Non-Dairy Milk
- For the Frosting:
- 4 Cups Confectioner Erythritol (or preferred powdered sugar)
- 1 Stick Vegan/Soy-Free Butter (softened)
- ½ Tsp Pure Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract
- Choice of ColorKitchen Natural Food Dyes
- ColorKitchen Natural Rainbow Sprinkles
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, granulated erythritol, and baking powder.
- Next add the prepared egg replacement, vanilla, softened butter, and milk. Mix together to form a smooth thick batter and knead the dough with your hands as it comes together.
- On a parchment paper or Silpat lined baking sheet, space out 12 to 14 (1 to 2 tablespoon sized) cookie balls.
- Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 12 minutes. Remove and let cook on a wire rack.
- To make the frosting, mix together the sweetener, softened butter, and vanilla. Divide the frosting into bowls (depending on the amount of colors you want to use) or leave the frosting in one bowl if using one color.
- Prepare the food colorings according to package directions and mix them into the uncolored frosting.
- Once the cookies have completely cooled, use a butter/spreading knife to frost the tops of the cookies.
- Use sprinkles (or anything else you have to add!) to decorate the finished frosted cookies.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
I have a bonus for you! Since I want you to make these soft frosted gluten-free vegan sugar cookies STAT, iHerb is offering a discount off your entire order PLUS, if you’re a new customer, an additional $5 off a minimum $40 order by clicking here! Holiday cookie baking, here we come! You may need to order extra ingredients because I know you’ll want more than one batch of these soft frosted sugar cookies!
So tell me:
+ Are you a Lofthouse-style or old-fashioned cut-out sugar cookies kind of person?
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Lofthouse cookies are one of my favorites, and I love the look of these! Such a lovely treat for this season!
They are so good! Just like cake 🙂
Can the dough for these cookies be rolled out and cut with cookie cutters?
No, these are SOFT frosted style sugar cookies. I’ve linked to my cut-out recipe for crunchy cut-out sugar cookies in the post.
Thanks for the reply back! Can’t wait to try them! I have been overwhelmed since finding out about all of my kids food allergies so I was really excited when I found your Facebook page and blog to help me along this journey. Thanks again!!
These are the BEST cookies! And I love that pretty pink frosting… So perfect for the holiday cookie platter!
They are some of the best! Love soft cookies….and frosting!
Rebecca – I love your writing style, very engaging. Your pictures are awesome and make my mouth water to taste a cookie with a nice cup of coffee!
Thanks, Susan.
These look delicious! So excited to try them. I’ve been missing cookies like this since learning I am allergic to dairy.
Dairy is pretty much a 1 to 1 swap, so no need to miss out!
These look delicious!
Thanks, Sarah.
These look delicious!!
Thank you, Maryanne.
Yummy!! Will definitely try this at home. Love this post! Thanks for sharing!
I hope you do! Enjoy!
These would be great for the cookie exchange!
Sure they could be!
OMG these look absolutely scrumptious!!! Xoxo
Thanks!
These look amazing! One of my friends has a lot of allergies and these would be perfect to bake for her birthday!
Frosted sugar cookies are great for any celebration!
I have such a sweet tooth – especially at this time of year so these will be great to try out x
It is cookie season!
This looks delicious ! Definitely going to give this a try doing the holidays. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Awesome! I’m glad to hear; enjoy!
These look fantastic and this would be a great baking project for me and my daughter Chloe! She loves cookies like this.
Yes! Sugar cookies are the best for kids!
These look so delicious, and I look forward to making them very soon! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you, Alexandra!
These look amazing, I can’t wait to try these.
Tis the season for cookies! Enjoy!
Ummm yumm!!! These look amazing for GF/V cookies <3
Thank you!
Oh these look great! We love Lofthouse cookies and it’s so great people with allergies can enjoy them too!
No one needs to miss out now!
These look really good. I’ll have to try out the recipe.
I hope you enjoy them!
These look so good! I can’t believe they’re gluten free!
I’m sure you can, thanks.
I love a good sugar cookie recipe! These remind me of the ones that you get at the store but a lot heathlier!
That’s because they are, Mistle.
Oh my goodness I need these in my life!
Get that oven going!
These sound so good and look super fun! Wish I had a stack right now with a tall glass of milk 🙂
There should be cookie baking in your future then 😉
My son’s girlfriend follows a gluten free diet, so I will make this for her.
Does she have celiac disease?
I’ve never had Lofthouse cookies before, but they do look intriguing! I’ve never seen such a puffy, soft-looking cookies. The fact that these ones are gluten free is even more intriguing as I have just been diagnosed with Celiac, so I might have to give these a go 😊
These will make Christmas cookie baking enjoyable again!
Thanks for a healthier alternative to Lofthouse Sugar Cookies! I’ll be trying these.
I hope you enjoy them!
YUM! These look like the store-bought ones that come with loads of icing — they’re pretty good but not good for us. LOL! I must try these!
A bit more cleaned up here and allergy-free for us all 🙂
Whoa! These look irresistible! I could probably eat a whole batch! Nice!
Nothing beats those soft sugar cookies!
Oh these are so cool! I’ll try making these with my daughter during the holidays 🙂
A wonderful cookie to bake!
Lofthouse sugar cookies are my favorite cookies!!! I cannot wait to try out this recipe 😋
Literally like handheld cake!
Oh wow! I have my nieces coming to stay the night next weekend I might have to use this recipe for that. They would love this.
This is JUST the “Best Aunt Ever” activity 😉
Rebecca, this looks great and easy to make!!! I am printing it now and pinning it too!!! thank you.
I am so glad to hear! Have fun baking!
These look so delicious!!!! Thank you for this!!
I hope you bake some up soon!