Make your own homemade cut-out sugar cookies with my easy and healthy Gluten-Free Vegan Flourless Iced Cut-Out Cookies recipe that's made with clean ingredients and no vegan butter, eggs, white sugar, white flour or unnatural food coloring!
Here's Why This Recipe Works
My top 3 favorite reasons:
- It's an Easy Kid-Friendly Recipe Ready in About 30 Minutes
- 100% Gluten-Free and Vegan - No Eggs, Gluten-Free Flour, Refined Sugar, or Vegan "Butter"!
- Made with Clean, Real Food Ingredients
A long time ago, like a really long time ago, I used to be a loyal patron to a local cookie franchise called "The Cookie Bouquet" where they had decorated iced sugar cookies the size of your hand.
And I ate A LOT of those cookies.
I could never pass up those pastel-colored iced cookies because they were just so beautiful.
I'm still drawn to cut-out cookies that are decorated pretty, so I came up with my own version that I could enjoy with my healthier Gluten-Free Vegan Flourless Iced Cut-Out Cookie recipe.
I really wouldn't call these "sugar" cookies because they are naturally sweetened with maple syrup and aren't near as sweet as "sugar" cookies, but they are iced cut-out cookies.
They're based off my Gluten-Free Vegan Thyme and Garlic Crackers recipe, but instead of making a savory dough, I altered the recipe a little bit to make it a sweet, dessert-type dough.
The BEST Vegan Cut-Out Sugar Cookie Recipe
Why is this the BEST vegan cut-out sugar cookie recipe?
Well, there are numerous reasons these are truly healthy vegan cookies, and I'll tell you why.
- No white flour - most vegan recipes contain white flour!
- No gluten-free flour mixes - most vegan recipes contain a gluten-free flour mix!
- No white sugar - most vegan recipes contain white sugar!
- No butter - most vegan recipes contain processed vegan "butter"!
- No eggs
- No corn syrup
- No mixer needed
- No need to refrigerate + chill the dough
- 100% natural + organic coloring used for the icing - you don't have to settle for sketchy artificial food colors just to enjoy a pretty cookie!
Is Vegan "Butter" Healthy?
My opinion is no. Vegan "butter" may have its place in a transitional phase when becoming a new vegan, but because it is highly processed and is not a "real food" ingredient, I don't feel it should be used on a regular basis. Almost all vegan cut-out cookies online use vegan "butter" as an ingredient, but you don't need to use vegan "butter" to make my healthy vegan cut out cookies!
Here are the ingredients in highly processed vegan "butter":
"Earth Balance Original Buttery Spread" Ingredients: Natural Oil Blend (palm fruit, canola, soybean, flax and olive oils), filtered water, contains 2% or less of pure salt, natural flavor (plant derived from corn, no msg, no alcohol, no gluten), pean protein, sunflower lecithin, lactic acid (non-dairy), and naturally extracted annatto for color).
This product is not organic and contains several GMO ingredients (canola, soybean and corn).
Are These Gluten-Free Vegan Iced Cut-Out Cookies Healthy?
In my opinion, yes!
Let's look at the ingredient list for store-bought cookies as a comparison.
I'm sure the official "Cookie Bouquet" recipe is proprietary information and can't be found online, so we'll use a store-bought cookie ingredient list instead:
S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) Walmart Frosted Sugar Cookies:
Ingredients: Sugar, Enriched Bleached Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Margarine (Palm Oil, Water, Soybean Oil, Salt, Mono And Diglycerides, Calcium Disodium EDTA [Preservative], Artificial Flavor, Annatto Extract [Color], Vitamin A Palmitate), Eggs, Water, Contains 2% Or Less Of: Cornstarch, Palm Kernel Oil, Palm Oil, Leavening (Baking Soda, Sodium Aluminum Sulfate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Modified Food Starch, Polysorbate 60, Soy Lecithin (Emulsifier), Nonfat Milk, Confectioner's Glaze, Natural And Artificial Flavors, Sodium Propionate (Preservative), Blue 1 Lake, Carnauba Wax, Red 3, Yellow 5 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake.
A store-bought version contains white sugar, bleached white flour, margarine?!, preservatives, multiple food colorings and GMO ingredients (soy lecithin, soybean oil, cornstarch).
And they are not vegan (eggs, non-fat milk) or gluten-free (bleached wheat flour).
My healthier version is both vegan and gluten-free, is naturally sweetened with maple syrup, and uses an organic, natural food coloring (organic pitaya powder).
What Ingredients Do I Need to Make Gluten-Free Vegan Cut-Out Cookies?
This recipe is made with clean, real food ingredients that are nutrient dense.
Try to buy organic ingredients whenever possible.
- Almond Flour
- Maple Syrup
- Ground Flax Seeds
- Filtered/Purified Water
- 100% Pure Avocado Oil
- 100% Pure Vanilla Extract
- Vegan Powdered Sugar
- Almonds (Almond Milk)
- Pitaya Powder
- Baking Powder
- Himalayan Pink Salt
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I Need a Special Cookie Cutter to Make Gluten-Free Vegan Iced Cut-Out Cookies?
Not at all!
You can use whatever cookie cutter you have on hand, one for a special occasion or holiday or even a basic circle one like I used.
In fact, you can even make these cut-out cookies without a cookie cutter.
You can use the top of a cup or glass or even the outer ring of a mason jar lid.
Just keep in mind the size of your cookie cutter will determine how many cookies you can make with a single recipe batch.
For example, I used a 2-inch round cookie cutter and was able to make 14 small cookies.
I've also used this recipe to make a little larger tulip cookie, and it only made about 6, because the cookie cutter was larger.
What Kind of Healthy Toppings Can I Use on My Iced Cut-Out Cookies?
- Powdered Sugar: I'm not a big fan of powdered sugar and you can probably count on one hand how many recipes I have on my website using it because I prefer natural sweeteners like organic maple syrup and organic Medjool dates. But for a special occasion or treat, I will use Wholesome Sweetener Organic Vegan Powdered Sugar because it's organic and labeled "naturally vegan". This is important to a vegan because some white sugars are made white by using animal bone char.
- Icing Coloring: I looked and looked and couldn't find a "natural" food coloring I was happy with, even the ones that are "naturally" colored because they all contained other ingredients I prefer not to use or recommend. So, I colored my icing with 100% organic pitaya powder - nothing else - to get the beautiful fuchsia color.
- Toppings: Same thing with the icing coloring - I tried to find "natural" sprinkles, but I couldn't find any I was happy with or felt good about recommending, so I topped my cookies with real food like sliced almonds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, shredded coconut, etc. And here's some great news - they taste delicious even without a topping so don't worry if you don't want to use a topping!
Do these Gluten-Free Vegan Flourless Iced Cut-Out Cookies Contain "Vegan Butter"?
No - no vegan butter or any type of butter at all, just a tablespoon of 100% pure avocado oil!
You may already know this, but most vegan cut-out or sugar cookies contain "vegan butter" as an ingredient.
One great thing about this recipe is you don't need "vegan butter" to make them!
While vegan butter is a good transition food for a new vegan, it's not a "real food" and is highly processed.
Most contain soy and/or canola oil, so if you are looking to avoid either of those, just make sure you look at the ingredient label.
Are These Iced Cut-Out Cookies Gluten-Free?
Yes! My recipe is 100% gluten-free!
However, most vegan cut-out cookie or sugar cookie recipes use white flour as an ingredient, making them not gluten-free.
My cookies are perfect if you need a vegan and gluten-free recipe.
Gluten-Free Vegan Flourless Iced Cut-Out Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
For the flax egg
- 1 tablespoon organic ground flax seeds
- 2 tablespoon filtered/purified water
For the cookies
- 2 cups organic almond flour
- ¼ cup organic maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon 100% pure avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon organic pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (corn-free + aluminum-free)
- ½ teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
For the icing
- ¼ cup organic vegan powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoon homemade almond milk
- ½ teaspoon organic pitaya powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper then set aside.
Prepare the flax egg:
- Add the ingredients for the flax egg to a small mixing bowl and whisk together. Set aside while you work on the rest of the recipe.
Prepare the cookies:
- Add the ingredients for the cookies to a medium mixing bowl
- Re-whisk the flax egg and add it to the bowl with the cookie ingredients.
- Combine everything together with a fork, mashing the ingredients together so they are evenly distributed.
- Remove the mixture from the mixing bowl with your hands and form a large ball.
- Transfer the cookie mixture onto a flat surface or countertop.
- Place an additional piece of parchment paper on top of the ball of the cookie mixture and using a rolling pin, roll it out into a 7 x 9 square.
- Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out 14 small cookies from the rolled-out cookie mixture and place them onto the prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 15-17 minutes, or until the edges are golden.
- Allow to cool completely before removing from the cookie sheet.
Prepare the icing:
- Add all the ingredients for the icing to a small bowl and stir together until the mixture is smooth.
- After the cookies have completely cooled, take one cookie at a time and dip it upside down into the icing mixture.
- Optional: Sprinkle healthy toppings onto the icing like chia seeds, hemp seeds, sliced almonds, cacao nibs, shredded coconut, etc.
- Place the iced cookies onto a cooling rack or onto a plate for the icing to firm.
- Store in an air-tight BPA-free container.
- Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
Copyright Notice
The notes, instructions, and photographs for this recipe are copyrighted material and are protected under the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA). They cannot be used legally without my written permission.
Want More Healthy Vegan and Gluten-Free Flourless Cookie Recipes?
Check out these:
- Gluten-Free Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
- Gluten-Free Vegan Flourless Fudgy Chocolate Avocado Cookies
- Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Chia Seed Cookies
- or my CLEAN DESSERTS No-Bake Dessert Cookbook with 72 vegan + gluten-free recipes made with real food ingredients!
Did You Make This Recipe?
I'd love to hear about it! Please give it a rating and leave a comment below...it would make my day! 🙂
Kay says
what about beet powder?
Karielyn Tillman says
Hi there Kay! Yes! You could definitely use beet powder or any other type of natural coloring for the icing.
For an example of some other natural food colorings you could use, check out this post --> https://thehealthyfamilyandhome.com/gluten-free-vegan-naturally-colored-coconut-eggs/
Thanks for your question and I hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂