McKay’s Dairy-Free Sugar Cookies
Last Updated on January 22, 2024 by Annie
Light, airy, and melt in your mouth good, these dairy-free sugar cookies are perfect for every occasion. This recipe for classic sugar cookies is made with plant-based butter and is perfect for rolling and cutting any shape!
15 years. That is how long I have made these cookies and I will not be stopping anytime soon. These dairy-free sugar cookies were first presented to me as a first year teacher in 2008 and the rest you can say is history.
After my first bite of the sugar cookie I could not get them out of my mind. They were melt in your mouth delicious and not too sweet.
After about 8 months, I finally got the courage to ask the mom who made the cookies if she would mind sharing the recipe with me. She agreed as long as I referred to them as McKay’s sugar cookies.
Over the years I have modified very little to the recipe, for the base cookie dough I simply swapped margarine for my favorite vegan butter.
For the icing, I swapped out the original cream cheese frosting for a glaze or royal icing but have tried my hand at converting the cream cheese frosting to dairy-free and enjoyed it the few times I have tried.
Why We Love these Dairy-Free Sugar Cookies
There isn’t much you have to do to tempt me with a cookie. Some of the main reasons we love making these dairy-free sugar cookies include:
- Not too sweet. These sugar cookies are the perfect balance of buttery sweet.
- Melt in your mouth goodness. Crumbly, buttery, and simply melt in your mouth delicious. You can also dunk them in coffee or tea and they practically dissolve on your tongue.
- Great for the freezer! These dairy-free sugar cookies make ample dough, which you can stash in the freezer for later baking. Alternatively you can bake a couple dozen and pop them in the freezer for later enjoying!
Dairy Free Changes to Sugar Cookies
The original cookie recipe included two dairy-filled ingredients, butter and cream cheese. Here’s how I made the changes to keep this recipe deliciously dairy-free.
- Plant-based butter– Instead of traditional stick butter, I used a plant-based alternative. Personally I like to use the Country Crock plant-based butter sticks.
- Replace the frosting– Instead of using the traditional cream cheese based frosting, I swapped it out for a royal icing.
How to Make McKay’s Dairy-Free Sugar Cookies
Ingredients You’ll Need
These dairy-free sugar cookies are the perfect pantry-staple recipe using simple baking ingredients you probably already have on hand.
- Eggs– Allow your eggs to come to room temperature for better results.
- Vegan butter– I used Country Crock’s Plant Butter at room temperature.
- Vanilla– Just a splash for enhanced flavor.
- Sugar– A mix of powdered and granulated sugar sweeten these sugar cookies.
- Oil– Makes the dough soft which is why I suggest freezing the dough before rolling and cutting.
- Flour– All purpose flour gives structure to these buttery cookies-
- Leavening agents– Baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt help the cookies rise.
Step-By-Step Directions for Dairy-Free Sugar Cookies
- Mix dry ingredients: In a medium sized mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream butter + sugar: In the base of a stand mixer, beat together butter and and sugar until creamed together.
- Add wet ingredients: With the mixer going, add one egg at a time, until combined. Once the eggs have been included, add the vanilla and the oil, beat until combined.
- Spoon in dry ingredients: With the mixer going on low, spoon the flour mixture into the mixing bowl, until completely combined.
- Freeze dough: Pour the batter into a Tupperware and freeze at least an hour, if not overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Roll + cut: Spoon sugar cookie dough on a piece of parchment paper, roll and cut into desired shape.
- Tip: I like to scoop out about 2-3 Tablespoons of dough, then place a 3 inch square of parchment paper on top. Roll it out and then remove the parchment paper before cutting out the shape.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.
Pro Tips for Making McKay’s Sugar Cookies
After making literally hundreds of these dairy-free sugar cookies, here are some of the most important tips to keep in mind when you bake them.
- Make sure the vegan butter sticks and eggs are at room temperature.
- Scrape down at the bottom of the bowl to make sure all of the ingredients have successfully been mixed together.
- Freeze the cookie dough before you scoop, roll, and cut them.
- Use a piece of parchment paper on top of the dough when you roll them out so you won’t have to use extra flour and to prevent the dough from sticking to your rolling pin.
Helpful Kitchen Tools
When you are ready to whip up some delicious and dairy-free sugar cookies, here are a few kitchen tools you might find useful.
- Rolling Pin– Rolls the frozen dough out to your desired thickness.
- Parchment Paper– Keeps the dough from sticking to the rolling pin while you roll out without using extra flour.
- Cookie Cutters– Metal cookie cutters help make sharp edges on the cookies.
Serving Suggestions for Dairy-Free Sugar Cookies
There honestly is no wrong way to dish out these dairy-free sugar cookies. Here are some of my favorite ways to enjoy these sugar cookies.
- Served up with a fresh cup of coffee
- Sandwiched between vegan vanilla ice cream for a delicious ice cream sandwich!
- Iced with royal icing (I use Sally’s Baking Addiction’s Recipe)
Storing Dairy-Free Sugar Cookies
There a few different ways you might want to consider storing these deliciously dairy-free sugar cookies.
- Room temperature Baked Cookies– Un-iced sugar cookies will keep in an air-tight container at room temperature for about 5 days.
- Frozen cookie dough– The sugar cookie dough can be stored in the freezer in an air-tight, freezer safe container for about 3 months.
- Rolled and cut cookie dough– If you want to roll and cut the dough in advance place the cut out cookie dough pieces on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and freeze until solid, about 1 hour. Transfer to an air-tight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Freezing Baked sugar cookies– Cool completely and place the cookies in an air-tight freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
Dairy-Free Cookies to Make Next
If you tried this dairy-free sugar cookie recipe please let me know in the comments below!
You can also share a picture of it with me on Instagram by tagging @mylifeafterdairy so I can see all of your life after dairy adventures!
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McKay’s Sugar Cookies
These soft, delicious sugar cookies are melt in your mouth delicious. They are frostable and stackable.
Ingredients
- 1 c. Dairy Free Butter room temperature
- 1 c. Oil just under a cup
- 1 c. Powdered Sugar
- 1 c. Granulated Sugar
- 1 tsp. Baking Soda
- 1 tsp. Cream of Tartar
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Vanilla clear
- 4 c. Flour
- 2 Eggs room temperature
Instructions
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In a medium sized mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Set aside.
-
In the base of a stand mixer, beat together butter and and sugar until creamed together.
-
With the mixer going, add one egg at a time, until combined. Once the eggs have been included, add the vanilla and the oil, beat until combined.
-
With the mixer going on low, spoon the flour mixture into the mixing bowl, until completely combined.
-
Pour the batter into a Tupperware and freeze at least an hour, if not over night.
-
Pre heat the oven to 350°F.
-
Spoon sugar cookie dough on a piece of parchment paper, roll and cut into desired shape.
-
Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.
Recipe Notes
Make sure all of the ingredient have been mixed together evenly before freezing.
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