These buttery vegan spritz cookies are a lot of fun to make, and they’re a lot of fun to eat, too. They’re cute and festive, but also rich, moist, and buttery. A perfect holiday cookie!
It’s not exactly a big secret that I love cookies. And these buttery vegan spritz cookies are some of my favorites. These cookies are super simple, and take less than an hour to make. But don’t let that fool you … the flavor is absolutely popping! With both vanilla and almond extract, these vegan cookies are sweet, nutty, and rich.
But my favorite thing about these cookies (other than how fun and cute they are) is the texture. Some vegan cookies are dry and crumbly, but not these spritz cookies. They’re moist and tender, and just soft enough to melt in your mouth, but just firm enough to hold their shape. These are one of my go-to vegan Christmas cookies.
Notes on Ingredients
These cookies only use a few ingredients, and they’re all items that you probably have in the pantry or fridge. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the article to see the exact quantities for each ingredient.
- Vegan butter – Make sure the butter is unsalted, and at room temperature.
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract – You should use pure vanilla extract, not a product that uses artificial ingredients.
- Almond extract – Similarly, make sure you use an almond extract with no artificial ingredients.
- Salt
- Tapioca starch – You can also use cornstarch.
- Vegan milk – Whatever vegan milk you prefer will work for this recipe, just make sure it’s unsweetened and not flavored.
How to Make Buttery Vegan Spritz Cookies
Here’s how to make these soft and sweet cookies.
- Prep. Preheat your oven to 350F.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Place the flour, tapioca starch, and salt in a mixing bowl, and whisk until well combined.
- Cream the butter. Add the vegan butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until the mixture is fluffy, which should take about 3 minutes.
- Add the rest of the wet ingredients. Add the vanilla extract, almond extract, and milk to the bowl, and beat until smooth. This should take 1-2 minutes.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and beat on the lowest speed until all the ingredients are combined. You want the dough to be soft, but not too sticky. Add more milk if the dough is too dry.
- Rest. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Prepare your spritz gun. Follow the instructions to prepare your spritz gun for use, then fill it with the chilled cookie dough.
- Dispense the cookies. Use the spritz gun to dispense cookies on a dry baking sheet. Leave about an inch between each cookie.
- Decorate. Cover the cookies with the sprinkles of your choice.
- Bake. Place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown, which should take 7-8 minutes.
- Cool. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack, and let them rest until they’ve cooled.
Tips for the Best Spritz Cookies
Here are a few tricks to use when making these vegan holiday cookies.
- Freeze the baking sheet. Occasionally the cookie dough will stick to the baking sheet. To keep that from happening, place the baking sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes before putting the cookie dough on it.
- Don’t overmix the dough. When you add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, make sure that you don’t overmix the dough. Overmixing will break down the gluten in the flour, and make the soft cookies hard and dense.
- Freeze the cookies before baking. This dough is fairly wet, so sometimes the cookies can spread out too much when baking. If this happens, you’ll lose the great shape of the spritz cookies. To keep this from happening, dispense the cookies onto the baking sheet, then place the baking sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes before baking.
Recipe Variations
Here are a few variations that you can try with this buttery vegan cookie recipe.
- Make it gluten-free. These cookies have just one ingredient in them that has gluten: all-purpose flour. If you want to make gluten-free cookies, simply replace the all-purpose flour with gluten-free 1:1 flour blend.
- Add some colors. These cookies are super cute, and they look great when they’re colored. Add wet food coloring to the wet ingredients, or dry food coloring to the dry ingredients, to make these spritz cookies whatever color your heart desires.
- Change up the flavors. I like the subtle flavor of vanilla and almond extract in these cookies. But if you want, you can add some different flavors quite easily, either in place of or in addition to these extracts. You can add other extracts, such as coconut extract, orange extract, or maple extract. You can add spices, like cinnamon or nutmeg. Or you can add citrus zest, such as lemon or orange. If there’s a flavor you want in these cookies, add it!
How to Store Buttery Vegan Spritz Cookies
You can store these vegan Christmas cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. You can also store them in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Can I Freeze This Recipe?
You can absolutely freeze this recipe. Keep the cookies in an airtight container, and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months. Defrost in the fridge or at room temperature before eating.
More Cookie Recipes to Try
If you liked these buttery vegan spritz cookies, then try some of my other favorite cookie recipes.
- Banana oatmeal cookies
- Gluten-free vegan chocolate chip cookies
- Vegan pumpkin cookies
- Vegan sugar cookies
- White chocolate macadamia nut cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegan butter , room temperature
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon tapioca starch , or cornstarch
- 2-3 tablespoons vegan milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
- Combine the flour, salt and starch in a small bowl. Whisk well to mix. Set aside.
- Add butter and sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl.
- Add the vanilla, almond extract and 2 tablespoons milk. Beat for 1-2 minutes more until smooth. Scrape down the bowl.
- Turn to lowest speed and add the flour mixture. Stir until just combined. The dough should be soft but not sticky and you should be able to easily make a fingerprint in the dough. If the dough is too dry, add the additional 1 tablespoon of milk.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 30 minutes.
- While the dough is chilling, prepare your spritz gun according to the manufacturer’s directions.
- Grab a portion of the chilled dough and roll it into a log shape and slide it into the tube of the spritz gun.
- Replace the top and pull the lever until the plunger has pushed all the dough to the bottom.
- Place the nozzle of the gun directly on an ungreased, unlined baking sheet at 90 degree angle. Pull the trigger to dispense a cookie. Repeat leaving about an inch between the cookies.
- Decorate the cookies with your choice of sprinkles.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 7-8 minutes, until the bottoms are just beginning to be golden brown. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- To keep the cookie dough from sticking to the baking sheet, place the baking sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes before using.
- To keep the cookies from spreading too much in the oven, place the cookies on the baking sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes before baking.
- Don’t overmix the cookie dough.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week, in the fridge for 2 weeks, or in the freezer for 6 months.
Buttery Vegan Spritz Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegan butter room temperature
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon tapioca starch or cornstarch
- 2-3 tablespoons vegan milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
- Combine the flour, salt and starch in a small bowl. Whisk well to mix. Set aside.
- Add butter and sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl.
- Add the vanilla, almond extract and 2 tablespoons milk. Beat for 1-2 minutes more until smooth. Scrape down the bowl.
- Turn to lowest speed and add the flour mixture. Stir until just combined. The dough should be soft but not sticky and you should be able to easily make a fingerprint in the dough. If the dough is too dry, add the additional 1 tablespoon of milk.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 30 minutes.
- While the dough is chilling, prepare your spritz gun according to the manufacturer’s directions.
- Grab a portion of the chilled dough and roll it into a log shape and slide it into the tube of the spritz gun.
- Replace the top and pull the lever until the plunger has pushed all the dough to the bottom.
- Place the nozzle of the gun directly on an ungreased, unlined baking sheet at 90 degree angle. Pull the trigger to dispense a cookie. Repeat leaving about an inch between the cookies.
- Decorate the cookies with your choice of sprinkles.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 7-8 minutes, until the bottoms are just beginning to be golden brown. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- To keep the cookie dough from sticking to the baking sheet, place the baking sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes before using.
- To keep the cookies from spreading too much in the oven, place the cookies on the baking sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes before baking.
- Don’t overmix the cookie dough.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week, in the fridge for 2 weeks, or in the freezer for 6 months.
Nutrition
Buttery Vegan Spritz Cookies https://jessicainthekitchen.com/buttery-vegan-spritz-cookies-recipe-gluten-free-sprinkles/ December 9, 2022
These vegan gingerbread men are the perfect Christmas cookie. They’re fun, spicy, and easy to make, and will be a hit at any holiday party.
Christmas cookies are one of my favorite things. What better way to get in the mood for the holidays than by throwing on some Christmas carols and baking some cookies? The fun of decorating, the amazing, comforting smell of your home as the cookies bake in the oven, and of course, the best part: eating them. This recipe for vegan gingerbread men is one of my go-tos at Christmas. They’re full of spicy flavors from the ginger, cloves, and cinnamon, but have that cozy, nostalgic flavor from the molasses, brown sugar, and nutmeg. They’re the ideal holiday cookies and go perfectly with vegan hot chocolate or vegan eggnog .
These gingerbread men are also pretty easy to make, and a lot of fun to decorate. And they’re vegan! If you need a cookie to adorn your Christmas dinner table this year, these are the ones for you.
Notes on Ingredients
Here are all the ingredients that you need to make vegan gingerbread men. Make sure to scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the page to see the exact quantities for each ingredient.
For the Cookies:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground ginger
- Ground cloves
- Ground nutmeg – It’s best to use fresh nutmeg and grate it yourself.
- Kosher salt
- Vegan butter – Make sure to use unsalted butter.
- Light brown sugar
- Molasses
- Vanilla extract – Be sure to use 100% pure vanilla extract.
For the Frosting:
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Dairy-free milk – You can use any type of vegan milk that you prefer, just make sure that it’s unsweetened and not flavored.
How to Make Gingerbread Men
Here’s how to make these fun and easy Christmas cookies.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl, and stir until mixed.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Place the butter, molasses, vanilla, and brown sugar in a bowl, and beat with an electric mixer until creamy. This should take about a minute.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Add a third of the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients, and beat until well combined. Repeat until all of the dry mixture has been added.
- Chill. Divide the dough into two pieces. Shape each piece into a thick disk, cover in plastic wrap, and place in the fridge for at least an hour.
- Prep. When you’re ready to make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.
- Roll the dough. Place one of the disks of dough on a lightly-floured surface, and roll it out until it’s about ⅛-inch thick. If you have the space, repeat the process with the other disk.
- Shape the dough. Use gingerbread men cookie cutters to cut out gingerbread men from the dough. Place them onto the baking sheet, making sure they’re not touching.
- Bake. Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake until the gingerbread men are firm around the edges, which should take 8-10 minutes.
- Cool. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then move them to a cooling rack.
- Make the frosting. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and some of the milk to a mixing bowl, and beat until smooth. Keep adding milk while beating, until the frosting is the desired consistency.
- Decorate. Add the frosting to a piping bag, or use an offset spatula to frost the cookies. Cover with any sprinkles or edible decorations, then let rest a few minutes while the frosting hardens. Then devour!
Tips for the Best Gingerbread Men
Here are some tips and tricks for making these festive vegan cookies.
- Chill the dough. This recipe calls to chill the dough for at least 1 hour. But you’ll get an ever better cookie if you chill the dough longer than that. If you chill the spicy cookie dough for a few hours, or even overnight, the texture of the cookies will get even better, and the flavors will really meld together.
- Use softened butter. It’s important to use softened dairy-free butter when making this vegan gingerbread men recipe. Butter that’s soft will mix well with the rest of the ingredients, and cream more easily. As a result, you’ll end up with cookies that are perfectly smooth and soft. Using hard butter or melted butter will alter the texture of the cookies.
- Cool the cookies fully. Make sure that your cookies are completely cooled before you start decorating them. If the cookies aren’t entirely cooled, they might melt the frosting when you decorate.
How to Store These Cookies
You can store these vegan gingerbread men in an airtight container or bag. They’ll last for 5 days at room temperature, or for 10 days in the fridge.
Can I Freeze Gingerbread Men?
You sure can! Store these cookies in an airtight container or bag in the freezer and they’ll last for up to 4 months. Thaw them in the fridge or at room temperature until they’re defrosted.
More Holiday Cookies to Make
Christmas is the season for baking cookies, so don’t stop here! After you’ve made these vegan gingerbread men, try some of my other favorite holiday cookie recipes.
- Vegan sugar cookies
- Vegan pumpkin cookies
- Gluten-free white chocolate cranberry pistachio cookies
- Gluten-free chocolate chip cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour , 300g
- 1 teaspoon baking powder , 4.8g
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons vegan butter , softened (84g)
- 1 cup light brown sugar , packed (200g)
- ½ cup molasses , (168g)
- 1 egg replacer , or flax egg (I used Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer )
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Frosting:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1-3 tsp dairy-free milk
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the softened butter, brown sugar, molasses, egg replacer and vanilla until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredient mixture in three increments, mixing well between each addition. The batter will be thick.
- Divide the dough in half and shape each into a thick disc (for 2 discs). Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour and up to 3 days.
- When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- On a lightly-floured work surface, working with one portion of dough at a time, roll the dough into a circle about ¼ inch thick. I like to place a parchment paper on top then rolling on top of that to make it easier to roll out. Use cookie cutters to shape the dough, and transfer to the prepared baking sheet, leaving space between each cookie.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until firm around the edges. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- To make the frosting, combine the powdered sugar, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon milk in a mixing bowl, and beatwith an electric mixer until stiff and smooth. Add 1-2 tablespoons more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the frosting is a smooth, spreadable texture.
- When the cookies are cool, fill a pastry bag with frosting and decorate the cookies, or use a butter knife or offset spatula to spread frosting over the gingerbread men. Let the frosting set up and harden for a few minutes before serving or storing.
