Frosted lemon sugar cookies are a classic holiday cookie that’s vegan and gluten free. This is a festive sweet treat your children will love. Use different colored sprinkles for a fun addition to the holiday cookie tray.
I love baking for the holidays. I know that when you have many food allergies, you might start to dread holiday baking. It can be so difficult to find tasty cookie recipes that work for your particular allergy/dietary needs. I try to include all the favorites on my site: double chocolate, cranberry, iced gingerbread, and now a classic lemon sugar cookie.
This lemon sugar cookie recipe is a fun twist on an old favorite. If you prefer regular sugar cookies, check out my vegan gluten free sugar cookie recipe.
Ingredient Notes
- Gluten Free Flour – You want to use a gluten free flour blend, not a single flour like almond flour. I love Namaste Perfect Flour Blend for cutout cookies. The cookies always hold their shape well and have a great texture.
- Vegan Buttery Spread – We use Earth Balance Soy Free Vegan Buttery Spread. I think it gives these cookies a great buttery flavor.
- Sprinkles – For allergy friendly sprinkles, you can check out Natural Candy Store online – many of their baking products are allergy friendly. Check out their sugars and food dyes! There may be other safe sprinkle brands depending on your allergies – be sure to read labels and call the company to be sure.
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Variations
- If for some reason you don’t want these to be lemon flavored, go ahead and use a non-dairy milk in place of the lemon juice. They will still turn out well!
- You could also use a different citrus juice, like lime juice or orange juice.
- Feel free to leave the sprinkles off and just grate a little lemon or orange zest over the frosting for even more flavor.
Chill Time
Chilling the dough is very important! I really recommend chilling this dough for the full two hours. It will make the dough easier to work with, and the cookies will hold their shape better.
Freezing
Yes, you can freeze this dough. Wrap the discs of dough in plastic wrap and foil, and then freeze. It should stay fresh for up to three months. When you want to bake cookies, thaw in the refrigerator overnight before rolling and baking.
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Recipe
Frosted Lemon Sugar Cookies.
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 1 cup vegan buttery spread
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 Tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 ½ Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 cups gluten free flour blend or regular flour if you are not gluten free
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the Frosting:
- 6 Tablespoons vegan buttery spread
- 3.5 cups confectioner’s sugar sifted
- 1-2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- yellow sugar crystals optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream together the vegan buttery spread and the granulated sugar. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and unsweetened applesauce and mix together on medium low speed.
- Add the flour and salt, and mix until combined.
- Divide the cookie dough into two even pieces and flatten each portion into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the dough on a rolling surface covered with flour, and coat the rolling pin with flour, too.
- Roll out the dough until it is ¼ inch thick. Cut out desired shapes and place on the cookie sheets.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
- Prepare the frosting: Cream the vegan buttery spread and add the sifted powdered sugar and the lemon juice a little at a time until the frosting is the thickness that you desire. Depending on the amount of liquid, you can make a spreadable frosting or more of a glaze.
- Frost the cooled cookies and sprinkle with decorating sugar.
- Store frosted cookies in the refrigerator.
Keely @ Gormandize
I suspect I would never be able to stop at one of these :) Thanks for bringing them to the potluck!
Kelly
Haha, it’s hard to stop for sure! :)
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely
I love these frosted lemon sugar cookies! Lemon brings such a bright and happier flavor to cold winter days.
Arman @ thebigmansworld
Geeze Kelly you shouldn’t play with your food and make shapes. ;)
These look great and I have no qualms with cookie recipes! ;)
Parsley In My Teeth
It’s great to have a vegan sugar cookie recipe at the holiday. These are so cute! Love the yellow stars. Happy VVP
Jessica Levinson (@jlevinsonrd)
So pretty, and they look easy enough to make! I’ve been looking for a healthier sugar cookie to make for my Hanukkah party next week. Think I found it!
Maryea {happy healthy mama}
I love these! So pretty and the ingredient list is better than most Christmas cookies. :)
Marfigs
Lemon cookies are the best – how tasty looking!
acookinthemaking
How pretty and festive looking! There’s nothing like a good lemon cookie. Great recipe!
Janyce Denise Glasper
These are the perfect pretty gift for my lemon addicted mother! Yum! Yum!!
sproutsandchocolate
Oh la la! I love lemon cookies. Besides chocolate cookies, lemon desserts are a close second. Great recipe for the holidays and for VVP!
veggiesdontbite
These sound so delicious!!! Love a simple lemon flavored cookie!
Kelly
Thank you!
apsara
These look so pretty! Do the cookies expand on baking?
Kelly
They keep their shape very well!
Natalie
These are beautiful! Frosting sugar cookies is always a part of Christmas in my house :)
Kelly
Thank you, Natalie!
An Unrefined Vegan
One can never have too many cookie recipes…Or stretchy pants that REALLY stretch ;-)! Thank you for being a part of the Potluck!
Kelly
Thank you so much! Yes, I need to find those stretchy pants! ;)
Nicole @ Fitful Focus
These are adorable! And I’m sure they’re delicious!
Kelly
Thanks, Nicole!
fittingintovegan
These are so cute – and I love lemon in cookies.
Kelly
Thank you!
Julia
These are so cool! Love them, my dear! I have 10 nieces and nephews who would love to bake up a batch of these with me :D
Kelly
Oooh, sounds like that would be a fun time! :)
Dianne
This cookies are adorable! Perfect for holiday baking.
Kelly
Thank you!
Poppy
They are so sparkling and pretty! Thank you for joining the Potluck :)
Kelly
Thank you so much!