These cute little cut out cookies are made extra special with the addition of pink strawberry icing. Make these in any shape you like! The pastel hue makes them perfect for Easter, a baby shower, or any springtime celebration.
There’s something so fun about cut out cookies for dessert, especially if you have little kids! Children love to help cut out fun shapes, whether it’s for Christmas, or a birthday, or really any occasion.
It’s easy to use sugar cookies to reinforce a theme for a party – you can use bunnies for Easter, or a number for a special birthday, or a wedding dress for a bridal shower.
Even though my children are older, they still love a good frosted sugar cookie, and these sugar cookie bunnies with berry frosting were a big hit! They are gluten free, and free of the top 9 allergens, but the texture and flavor are so good, you would never know it!
Top Tip
Use parchment paper to line the pans – it makes clean up much easier, and the cookies won’t stick to the pan.
Ingredient Notes
- Gluten Free Flour Blend – Namaste Perfect Flour Blend is the best flour for gluten free sugar cookies! The results are just right every time. You can find this at Costco as well as many health food stores.
- Vegan Buttery Spread – We like Soy Free Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Spread for baking cookies – it has a great flavor! You may be able to substitute a different brand if you prefer.
- Sugar – I like Wholesome Brand Organic Cane Sugar and Powdered Sugar for this recipe – both are vegan.
- Dried Strawberries – Freeze dried strawberries are necessary to make this frosting – fresh strawberries will separate in the icing, and won’t look right. We like Karen’s Naturals for freeze dried fruit.
Step by Step Instructions
- Mix the cookie dough – it will be thick!
- Pat the dough into two discs. Take one disc and dust with flour, then roll it out. Don’t roll it too thin or it will be hard to cut out the cookies.
- Use the cookie cutter of your choice to cut out shapes, then move them carefully to a cookie sheet that’s lined with parchment.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for about 11-13 minutes.
- Make the strawberry frosting using freeze dried strawberries. The consistency should be thick, but spreadable.
- Frost the cookies and enjoy!
Storage
Store leftover sugar cookies at room temperature in an airtight container or covered securely with plastic wrap.
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Recipe
Sugar Cookie Cut Outs with Strawberry Icing (Gluten Free, Vegan).
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 1 cup vegan buttery spread
- 1 cup organic cane sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 3 cups gluten free flour blend I love Namaste Perfect Flour Blend for cut out cookies
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the frosting:
- ½ cup freeze dried strawberries
- ¼ cup vegan buttery spread
- 2 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar
- 1 – 2 Tablespoons water
Instructions
To make the sugar cookies:
- Place the buttery spread and sugar in a mixing bowl. Mix on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the applesauce and and continue to mix.
- Add the gluten free flour blend and salt and mix until combined. If the dough seems too dry, add a bit more applesauce.
- Pat the dough into two discs. You don't really need to chill this dough, but if you want to, you can do that at this point.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Spread waxed paper on your rolling surface and sprinkle with gluten free flour. Unwrap one of the discs and sprinkle liberally with gluten free flour as well.
- Roll the dough to about ¼ of an inch thickness. Don't roll it too thin, or it will be really tough to cut these out. Thicker is a better!
- Cut out your cookies, and place them on the cookie sheets, leaving a little space between cookies.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for about 11-13 minutes. Switch the two cookie sheets between the top and bottom oven racks halfway through baking time. The cookies should be just slightly golden brown on the edges. The time may vary depending on the size of your cookie cutters.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheets for about 15 minutes before moving them to cooling racks.
To make the frosting:
- Put the freeze dried strawberries in a mini food processor, and pulse until they are finely ground. Use a sifter to sift the powder into a mixing bowl, leaving the larger pieces behind.
- Place the vegan buttery spread into a mixing bowl and mix on medium speed.
- Add the confectioner’s sugar a little bit at a time, alternating with the water.
- Add the remaining confectioner’s sugar and mix. If the frosting is too wet, add more confectioner’s sugar. If it’s too dry, add a bit more non-dairy milk. Make sure the frosting is a nice, spreadable consistency.
- Frost the cooled sugar cookies and enjoy!
D
These were delicious!