You know those soft sugar cookies at the grocery store with frosting and sprinkles? These are homemade vegan lofthouse cookies, and they are just as delicious (if not more so) as the store bought version! Made with my all time favorite vegan butter, Miyoko’s, for a truly buttery flavor.
Who can resist a soft sugar cookie with pink frosting and colorful sprinkles? I went with pink because that’s the classic color of lofthouse cookies, but feel free to use any color you like and any type of vegan friendly sprinkles.
If you’re making cookies for the holiday season, feel free to use Christmas colors like red and green, and perhaps Christmas sprinkles. For the most amazing cut-out cookies, check out my popular Vegan Sugar Cookies! You’ll also love these easy Vegan Sugar Cookie Bars and Chocolate Sugar Cookies.
Thank you to Miyoko’s for sponsoring this post. It was just a few years ago I first tasted the European Style Cultured Vegan Butter, and since then I have been obsessed! It has the best flavor, with no weird chemical aftertaste like other brands. Now it comes in both salted and unsalted, which is just perfect for baking.
About Miyoko’s butter
Miyoko’s butter differs from other brands in a couple of ways. First of all, the flavor is spot on incredible. You won’t believe it’s made with plants. Second, it’s palm oil free. This is actually pretty rare for vegan butter, and it’s the only one I’ve ever found.
Miyoko’s is one of the only brands to actually be made from plant milk, in fact cashew milk is the second ingredient! Other vegan butters are just a blend of oils. It’s also gluten free, soy free and kosher. It seriously performs exactly like dairy butter, I’m not joking!
How to make vegan lofthouse cookies
This is simply an overview. See below for the full recipe.
First, soften your butter. Leave it out on the counter for about 30 minutes, until it is soft but not melted at all. Avoid softening in the microwave, because it will melt too quickly.
Here are the next few steps:
- Cream together the softened butter and sugar. Add the vegan sour cream, vanilla and almond extract. Beat them in.
- Now add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch and salt. Mix until just combined.
- Shape the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap (or parchment paper) and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour.
- Roll the dough out and cut into round cookies.
Bake for 9-10 minutes until lightly golden on the bottom. Let the cookies cool completely while you make the frosting.
For the frosting, beat the butter with a mixer until creamy, then add the powdered sugar, vanilla and non-dairy milk. Add a few drops of food coloring until a desired color is reached.
Frost the cookies, using either a butter knife or a piping bag and tip. Decorate the tops with sprinkles.
Tips & substitutions
- Don’t skip the cornstarch – It helps the cookies stay soft. You can use tapioca starch or arrowroot if needed.
- Make sure to use a vegan butter you like! Miyoko’s brand truly is best here, where the butter flavor stands out. You don’t want your cookies to taste like chemicals.
- Always chill your dough – If you don’t chill the dough, your cookies won’t keep their shape in the oven, and will instead spread out and become flat and crispy.
- Gluten free – If needed, substitute a gluten free all purpose flour. I like King Arthur Measure for Measure Flour or Bob’s Red Mill.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I prepare the cookie dough ahead of time? Yes, you can make the dough, wrap it well and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When ready, remove the dough, roll it out and bake cookies.
- How long do the cookies last and can they be frozen? Keep leftover cookies at room temperature for 2-3 days, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or freeze them for up to 3 months.
- Are there other flavors I can add? Add a little lemon zest to the cookies and lemon juice in place of the milk in the frosting for lemon flavor. Or do the same thing with orange zest and juice. You could also add a little pumpkin spice mix to the cookies and frosting for a subtle warmness.
Want more festive holiday cookies?
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
- Vegan Shortbread Cookies
- Snowball Cookies
- Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
Vegan Lofthouse Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1/2 cup Miyoko's European Style Vegan Butter, softened to room temperature salted or unsalted, see Note
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup vegan sour cream or vegan yogurt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract optional but good!
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or 3/4 tsp if using unsalted butter
Frosting
- 1/2 cup Miyoko's European Style Vegan Butter, softened to room temperature add 1/4 tsp salt if using unsalted butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons non-dairy milk, as needed I used oat milk
- food coloring of choice
- sprinkles, for decorating
Instructions
Make the cookies
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened vegan butter and sugar with a hand mixer (or stand mixer with paddle attachment) until fluffy. Beat in the vegan sour cream, vanilla and almond extract, if using. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- To the bowl with the butter mixture, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch and salt. Mix on low until just combined.
- Shape the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and place in the refrigerator to chill for about an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, using a rolling pin, about 1/4 inch thick.
- Use a 2-3 inch round cookie cutter to cut the cookies and place on parchment or silicone lined baking sheets. Bake for 9-10 minutes until the cookies are very lightly golden on the bottom. Do not over bake or the cookies won't be soft.
- Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
Make the frosting and decorate
- In a large bowl (I use the same one I used for the dough, just wiped out or washed quickly), beat the vegan butter with a mixer until creamy, then add the powdered sugar, vanilla and non-dairy milk as needed if the frosting is too dry.
- If using food coloring, mix it in now a drop at a time, until a desired colored is reached.
- Frost the cookies with a layer of frosting and decorate with sprinkles.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Miyoko’s has salted and unsalted vegan butter now, yay! You can use either here, I used salted. If using unsalted butter, simply add 3/4 teaspoon salt instead of the 1/2 teaspoon. And add about 1/4 teaspoon or a little more to the frosting.
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Leave out the almond extract for nut allergies, or if you don’t like the flavor.
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Storing leftover cookies – The cookies keep at room temperature, in a covered container, for a few days or a week in the refrigerator. They can be frozen for 3 months as well.
These were so delicious!! At first, I felt that they didn’t taste like lofthouse cookies. But after chilling the cookies in the fridge for a bit, the frosting got to the right consistency and they turned out perfect! Thank you!
If you use yogurt, would you suggest plain?
Yes, I would use plain if possible, but vanilla would work as well. Thanks!
These came together nicely! I was not feeling rolling the dough out and using a cookie cutter so we just formed them into balls. They turned out great and are a nice soft cookie!
these are great, but i always have to add more flour when making these because theyre just too wet! maybe its the butter i use? or the fact that i use yogurt (i cannot find any vegan sour cream in ireland for the life of me!!!)? anyways, when i add more flour these are divine and so much better than store bought!
My new favourite cookies.
I made this recipe for a second time. I used half solid coconut oil and half Becel plant based butter.
They are so good with a soft cookie with a nice light chew.
Every recipe I try of yours doesn’t require extra tweaking. Thanks for the awesome recipes!
I love making these every Christmas! I’m wondering, do you have a miyokos alternative you like? It is usually my go-to but it has been hard to find on the shelves this year.
Yes, nowadays I usually go for Earth Balance or even Country Crock baking sticks. Thanks!
Sadly these cookies won’t be going on the “favourites list”. I dont recall having lofthouse cookies before, so perhaps I’m just impartial to them!
The dough came together fairly easy. After it was chilled, rolled, and cut the dough seemed to stick to the floured counter! Some of my rounds were ruined when trying to lift them. The survivors did bake well and had a golden bottom. I then made the icing as suggested. That was overly sweet for me! I much prefer the taste/texture of your sugar cookie icing 🫶
Heading back to the recipe index to find my next baking attempt ☺️
These cookies turned out ABSOLUTELY delicious! I felt like I was racing the clock to get them cut out and placed on the baking tray (since they wanted to melt and make a gooey mess, even after chilling for several hours), but it was totally worth the effort.
High Sierra. I’m so glad that you enjoyed the cookies! Thank you for sharing your fantastic review and your recipe experience!
I don’t usually comment in the reviews, but I do agree, these cookies are delicious!
These are delicious. I used half vegan butter and half refined coconut oil and they turned out great. Another winner. I love your website because being a vegan of almost almost 18 years now so many new people are jumping into the arena who don’t know how to properly cook vegan food. But I know with your recipes I don’t have to worry and I don’t even have to change them because they always work out. Great job thanks for sharing!
Hi Sharlize. I am so glad that you loved the recipe and it turned out wonderful for you! I appreciate your stellar review! It means alot to me that that you trust my recipes and use them regularly! Thank YOU for loving them and for using them. Wishing you happy cooking!
Nora, which sour cream do you usually use for these?
I might make them as part of my Christmas cookie baking.
I usually use Tofutti sour cream. I hope you enjoy them!