Vegan Iced Valentines Cookies (Gluten-Free)
These Vegan Iced Valentines Cookies are chewy, golden with a crispy outside and perfect as a simple bake. Decorate these gluten-free and egg-free cookies with vegan royal icing for a delicious snack.
I love making gingerbread over the holidays, and I thought the base recipe for my favourite festive cookies will make the perfect recipe for these Valentines ones, and they do. The base is chewy in the middle with a golden crispy exterior and they last really well in a sealed container and are sturdy enough to hold whatever icing and decoration you choose. Bake these for friends, family and loved ones and they will love you even more.
Why will I love these cookies?
These cookies are so good:
- Golden and chewy
- Crispy and crunch outside
- Perfect for V-Day and all year round
- Ideal for a simple bake
- Lightly spiced with cinnamon and laced with vanilla
- Can be made into any shape, whatever the occasion
- Made with real whole-food ingredients
- Sweetened with maple syrup and coconut sugar
- Naturally egg-free, dairy-free and plant-based
- Easily gluten-free and nut-free
- Decorated with vegan royal icing
- Coloured with fruit powder
- Keep well in a sealed container for 1-2 weeks
- Ideal for the whole family to bake
- With added flaxseed for fibre
- Can be made with buckwheat and spelt flour for added nutrition
- Contain no butter (only cashew butter)
If you already love the sound of these cookies, then skip ahead to the recipe card below. Or, first let’s discuss the recipe in more detail
What ingredients do I need?
You can see the ingredients with weights in the recipe card below and see my favourite and recommended products in the “shop the recipe” section.
For the cookie dough:
- Cashew butter: this tastes so good and adds a natural creaminess and sweetness. You can use other nut butters like peanut or almond butter or try sunflower seed butter or tahini to keep it nut-free.
- Coconut sugar: this is the main source of sweetness and adds the rich caramel colour. You can use other sugar, too, like granulated or golden caster sugar.
- Maple syrup: to sweeten the dough and add stickiness to help hold the cookies together.
- Plant-based milk: any dairy-free milk is great, like oat, almond, soya or coconut (from the carton).
- Vanilla extract: for flavour.
- Ground flaxseed: this acts as an egg replacer, while adding fibre, too.
- Flour: I like using plain, spelt or buckwheat flour for this recipe to keep the dough light but sturdy.
- Cinnamon: for flavour.
- Baking powder: for a little rise.
- Salt: for flavour.
And to decorate:
- Icing sugar: to make the frosting, this is essential.
- Pomegranate powder: this is what makes the frosting pink. You can also use freeze-dried berry powders (like raspberry or strawberry) or use a vegan good gel/colouring.
- Aquafaba: this is the secret ingredient to vegan royal icing (which usually contains egg white). It allows the frosting to set hard and if you choose to use water instead, the frosting will never set quite so firm, but it will still be delicious.
Are these gluten-free and nut-free?
These are easily gluten-free if you use buckwheat flour (if using a GF flour blend, make sure it contains xanthan gum to help bind the dough, or add ½ tsp of your own). And to keep them nut-free, swap the cashew butter for tahini or sunflower seed butter.
How do I make them?
These cookies are ready in a few steps:
- Stir together the wet ingredients: until smooth.
- Sift in the flour: and bring to a smooth ball of dough.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes: to allow it to rest.
- Roll out the dough on a floured surface: to about ½-cm thickness.
- Cut out your shapes using cookie cutters: and transfer to a baking sheet.
- Re-roll the scraps of pastry as necessary: to use up all the cookie dough.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes: until golden brown all over. Allow to cool fully.
- Combine all of the icing ingredients: until smooth, thick and glossy.
- Pipe the icing over the cooled cookies: and allow the frosting to harden.
How long will they last?
These cookies will keep in a sealed container for 1-2 weeks.
What other recipes can I try?
For more Valentines ideas:
- Chocolate Raspberry Fluffy Rolls
- Salted Caramel Pistachio and Raspberry Cups
- Red Velvet Protein Cupcakes
- Chocolate Raspberry Fudge Brownies
- Chocolate Strawberry Truffles
Vegan Iced Valentines Cookies (Gluten-Free)
These Vegan Iced Valentines Cookies are chewy, golden with a crispy outside and perfect as a simple bake. Decorate these gluten-free and egg-free cookies with vegan royal icing for a delicious snack.
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 30g runny smooth cashew butter
- 50g coconut sugar
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp plant-based milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground flaxseed or chia seeds
- 160g plain, buckwheat or spelt flour, plus extra
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- A pinch of salt
For the Icing:
- 100g icing sugar
- 2-3 tsp pomegranate powder (or a berry powder, or use a few drops of vegan food gel)
- 1 tbsp aquafaba (liquid from a tin of chickpeas/beans)
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add the cashew butter, sugar, syrup, milk, vanilla and flaxseed and whisk to combine. Sift in the flour, cinnamon and baking powder and add the salt.
- Stir to a smooth cookie dough, using your hands at the end to form a ball of dough. Wrap tightly and chill in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
- Pre-heat the oven to 160Fan/180ºC and line a few baking trays with parchment paper.
- Lightly flour a work surface and place the dough in the middle. Use a rolling pan to roll out the cookie dough to about ½-cm thickness. Add more flour as needed.
- Cut out your desired shapes and transfer to the baking sheets.
- Re-roll any scraps of dough as necessary to use it all up.
- Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, larger cookies will take 10 minutes, and smaller ones will bake more quickly. The cookies will be firm to touch and golden brown all over once baked.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely.
- To make the icing, combine the icing sugar, pink powder or food gel and the aquafaba and stir to a thick icing. Transfer to a piping bag and snip off a small bit at the end.
- Pipe the frosting over the cookies and allow the frosting to harden (this will take a few hours, but they can be eaten straight away).
- Store cookies in a sealed container for 1-2 weeks.
Shop the recipe
Stay in touch
I look forward to hearing what you think of these Vegan Iced Valentines Cookies so please do let me know in the comments below. If you do make these cupcakes, I’d love to see them so please tag me in your creations, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest – please say hello!
With cookie love x
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