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!
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
Lofthouse-Style Soft Frosted Gluten-Free Vegan Sugar Cookies (Allergy-Free)
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!
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Total Time: 12 mins
- Yield: 12-14 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- For the Sugar Cookies:
- 2 ½ 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
Instructions
- 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.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
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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Emily
Thank you posting for this recipe! I made these gluten and dairy free (but with regular granulated and powdered sugar, and egg). They are a hit!
★★★★★
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Awesome! Glad to hear they worked for your needs!
Erin Parker
Lofthouse cookies are one of my favorites, and I love the look of these! Such a lovely treat for this season!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
They are so good! Just like cake 🙂
Jennifer
Can the dough for these cookies be rolled out and cut with cookie cutters?
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
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.
Jennifer
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!!
Sues
These are the BEST cookies! And I love that pretty pink frosting... So perfect for the holiday cookie platter!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
They are some of the best! Love soft cookies....and frosting!
Susan Franklin
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!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thanks, Susan.
Cassie Creley
These look delicious! So excited to try them. I’ve been missing cookies like this since learning I am allergic to dairy.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Dairy is pretty much a 1 to 1 swap, so no need to miss out!
Sarah
These look delicious!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thanks, Sarah.
Maryanne
These look delicious!!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you, Maryanne.
Dia M Susngi
Yummy!! Will definitely try this at home. Love this post! Thanks for sharing!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I hope you do! Enjoy!
Toni | Boulder Locavore
These would be great for the cookie exchange!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Sure they could be!
Kate
OMG these look absolutely scrumptious!!! Xoxo
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thanks!
Lauren
These look amazing! One of my friends has a lot of allergies and these would be perfect to bake for her birthday!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Frosted sugar cookies are great for any celebration!
Rosie Doal
I have such a sweet tooth - especially at this time of year so these will be great to try out x
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
It is cookie season!
Hanna
This looks delicious ! Definitely going to give this a try doing the holidays. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Awesome! I'm glad to hear; enjoy!
Kimmy Ripley
These look fantastic and this would be a great baking project for me and my daughter Chloe! She loves cookies like this.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Yes! Sugar cookies are the best for kids!
Alexandra
These look so delicious, and I look forward to making them very soon! Thank you for sharing.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you, Alexandra!
Stephanie Manley
These look amazing, I can't wait to try these.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Tis the season for cookies! Enjoy!
Emma
Ummm yumm!!! These look amazing for GF/V cookies <3
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you!
Marcie
Oh these look great! We love Lofthouse cookies and it's so great people with allergies can enjoy them too!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
No one needs to miss out now!
Nicole
These look really good. I'll have to try out the recipe.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I hope you enjoy them!
adriana
These look so good! I can't believe they're gluten free!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I'm sure you can, thanks.
Mistle
I love a good sugar cookie recipe! These remind me of the ones that you get at the store but a lot heathlier!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
That's because they are, Mistle.
Logan
Oh my goodness I need these in my life!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Get that oven going!
Dawn
These sound so good and look super fun! Wish I had a stack right now with a tall glass of milk 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
There should be cookie baking in your future then 😉
Karen, the next best thing to mummy
My son's girlfriend follows a gluten free diet, so I will make this for her.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Does she have celiac disease?
Indya | The Small Adventurer
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 😊
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
These will make Christmas cookie baking enjoyable again!
Cindy
Thanks for a healthier alternative to Lofthouse Sugar Cookies! I’ll be trying these.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I hope you enjoy them!
Lily
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!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
A bit more cleaned up here and allergy-free for us all 🙂
Patricia @ Grab a Plate
Whoa! These look irresistible! I could probably eat a whole batch! Nice!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Nothing beats those soft sugar cookies!
Mariella Blago
Oh these are so cool! I'll try making these with my daughter during the holidays 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
A wonderful cookie to bake!
Tricia Jones
Lofthouse sugar cookies are my favorite cookies!!! I cannot wait to try out this recipe 😋
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Literally like handheld cake!
Mallory
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.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
This is JUST the "Best Aunt Ever" activity 😉
Yulia
Rebecca, this looks great and easy to make!!! I am printing it now and pinning it too!!! thank you.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I am so glad to hear! Have fun baking!
Kristty
These look so delicious!!!! Thank you for this!!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I hope you bake some up soon!