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    Home » Dessert

    Coconut Sugar Cookies (Vegan and Gluten-Free)

    Published: Dec 7, 2019 | Modified: Nov 9, 2021 by Bree Sheree

    143 shares

    This post contains affiliate links for which I may earn a commission (at no extra cost to you) should you make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see my disclaimer for more information.

    Jump to Recipe

    These coconut sugar cookies are vegan and gluten-free. They are soft and chewy cut-out cookies that are easy to make and great for Christmas!

    One of my favourite things about holidays is making delicious cut-out sugar cookies! I love having sugar cookies for Christmas, Easter, and Valentine’s day.

    Christmas cookies with white frosting on a plate.

    When I switched to a healthy plant-based diet, I tried to eliminate refined sugar as much as possible. I usually use maple syrup or dates to sweeten my recipes, but I decided to use coconut sugar for this recipe!

    Vegan coconut sugar cookies with Christmas shapes on a cooling rack, next to a Christmas dish towel.

    I went with coconut sugar because I needed a granulated sugar, otherwise these cookies wouldn’t hold up well.

    These vegan coconut sugar cookies are still healthier than most typical sugar cookies. There is no oil and no vegan butter.

    A plate of Christmas shaped sugar cookies with white icing.
    Plate full of Christmas-shaped cut-out cookies on a red, green, and white striped plate.

    What is in these coconut sugar cookies?

    Here is what you will need to make these vegan cut-out sugar cookies:

    • Gluten-free all-purpose flour
    • Coconut sugar
    • Baking powder
    • Baking soda
    • Cashew butter
    • Coconut butter
    • Vanilla extract
    • Unsweetened applesauce
    • Maple syrup

    All of these ingredients are vegan and gluten-free. To ensure that they are all oil-free, make sure you check the label on the coconut butter and cashew butter if you are buying them. You could alternatively make your own!

    Tips for making these cookies

    • Before you measure out your coconut butter and cashew butter, make sure you mix it in the jar thoroughly. Oil separation occurs naturally, so you will want to mix it so that all of the oil is not sitting on top. If you want to make sure there is no extra oil added in, check the ingredients on store-bought products. You could also make your own coconut butter and make your own cashew butter, but you will need a very good food processor to make it nice and smooth without any added oil.
    • To reduce sugar and avoid refined sugar that may not be vegan, ensure that you use applesauce that is unsweetened.

    • When mixing the dough together, it will be a bit crumbly at first. Use your hands to knead the dough until it has all come together. Keep going until there are no small pieces left in the bowl.

    • Make sure you roll the dough to be about ¼ inch thick. If you roll it out to be thinner, the cookies will be a bit too hard with some crunch. Any thicker and they may not cook fully. ¼ inch thickness is ideal for this recipe.
    Coconut sugar cookie dough in Christmas-shaped cut-outs on a baking sheet.

    Substitutions

    I always eat gluten-free, so for this recipe I used a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend. So if you aren’t gluten-free, it should be fine if you use a regular wheat flour instead, but I have not tried this.

    If you don’t want to use coconut sugar, I think that another granulated sugar would work fine. You could try cane sugar or date sugar, but I haven’t tried anything other than coconut sugar.

    Instead of maple syrup, you could use blackstrap molasses.

    Coconut sugar cookies on a Christmas coloured plate and Christmas napkins.

    Frosting for coconut sugar cookies

    Sugar cookies are usually frosted, but these coconut sugar cookies are delicious with or without frosting.

    I love them without frosting, however, any vanilla frosting of your choice would likely taste great on these.

    If you want to try them with chocolate frosting, you could use this 3-Ingredient Vegan Chocolate Frosting.

    Close-up of Christmas-shaped coconut sugar cookies on a baking tray.

    More vegan Christmas recipes

    Here are some other recipes that you may enjoy during the Christmas season:

    • Plant-Based Mushroom Gravy
    • Hearty Vegan Lentil Stew
    • Chocolate Sweet Potato Pie
    • Dairy-Free Mashed Potatoes
    • 30+ Vegan Christmas Desserts
    Vegan coconut sugar cookies on a cooling rack.
    Print Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Coconut Sugar Cookies (Vegan and Gluten-Free)

    These coconut sugar cookies are vegan and gluten-free. They are soft and chewy cut-out cookies that are easy to make and great for holidays!
    Prep Time40 mins
    Cook Time10 mins
    Total Time50 mins
    Course: Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine: Vegan
    Servings: 14 cookies
    Calories: 100kcal
    Author: Bree Sheree

    Ingredients

    Dry Ingredients

    • 1 cup all purpose gluten-free flour blend
    • ½ cup coconut sugar
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder

    Wet Ingredients

    • ¼ cup cashew butter
    • ¼ cup coconut butter
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 tablespoons applesauce unsweetened
    • 2 tablespoons maple syrup

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • In a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients and mix.
    • In a separate bowl, microwave the cashew butter and coconut butter for 30 seconds. Then add all other wet ingredients and mix.
    • Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix it all together. Use your hands to mix the dough throroughly. It will seem a bit dry and crumbly at first, but it will come together.
    • Next, roll out the dough to be appproximately ¼ inch thick. I recommend rolling half the dough at a time, and ensure it is being rolled onto something that it won’t stick to. I use parchment paper.
    • Use cookie cutters to shape your cookies, then place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
    • Bake for 10-12 minutes.
    • After removing the cookies from the oven, place them on a cooling rack. Once cooled, store the cookies in an airtight container. They will keep for at least a week.

    Notes

    Makes 14-16 large cut-out cookies.
    If you want your cookies to be oil-free, make sure that you are using oil-free coconut butter and cashew butter. Check the ingredients if store-bought, or make your own.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 100kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 52mg | Potassium: 46mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg

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    143 shares

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sarah Carner

      October 27, 2020 at 9:41 am

      5 stars
      These were absolutely amazing!! I used unsweetened Sunbutter to make nut free. I made for a little bday get together and everyone loved them! Even the picky teenager 🤣 Thanks for such an awesome recipe!

      Reply
      • Bree Sheree

        October 27, 2020 at 3:38 pm

        I'm so glad you liked them, Sarah!

        Reply
      • Crystal

        December 25, 2022 at 5:42 pm

        These were so delicious! I subbed the cashew and coconut butter for sunbutter and it came out so perfect for xmas.
        1/2 cup of sunbutter instead

        Reply

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    143 shares