Vegan Slice and Bake Cookies – 1 Dough, 7 Ideas
I'm not sure if or how often I've mentioned this on the blog before, but baking Christmas cookies has held a very special place in my pre-Christmas heart since childhood. Back then, my mom and I would set aside an entire day for it – from early morning until late at night. It started with preparing the dough in the morning and ended late in the evening with a whole table full of cookies. Every year we made about ten different varieties, tried out new ideas, or rediscovered family favorites that would make a comeback year after year. We actually only made the classic cutout cookies when I was really little. Rolling out and cutting shapes is of course part of other cookie varieties too – and every year, at some point, I'd lose interest because it really took forever to keep reusing the tiniest scraps of dough. Maybe you feel the same way and the rolling and cutting puts you off. Maybe you don't have enough space for it either. Or maybe you don't even have cookie cutters. For all these problems, there's a wonderfully convenient solution that we're showing you today.
What's special about these cookies?
The concept is as simple as it is brilliant: You make a basic dough, shape it into a log, let it rest in the fridge, and then simply slice it into rounds. Done. No rolling, no fighting with sticky dough, no 47 different cookie cutters that you have to wash afterwards.
And the best part: From this one basic dough, completely different variations can emerge in no time. We're giving you seven ideas in the recipe – from classic vanilla with sprinkles to fruity-fresh lemon poppy seed cookies to spiced stollen cookies, chai cookies, or the ultimate chocolate version. But you can of course get creative yourself and come up with even more varieties – feel free to share them in the comments!
How long do the cookies keep?
In an airtight container, most variations stay fresh for easily one to two weeks. The stollen version and the pumpkin pie spice cookies actually get even better over time as the spices really develop. Only with the chocolate-decorated versions should you make sure not to store them somewhere too warm.
Can you prepare the dough in advance?
Absolutely! The dough logs can even be frozen. Just wrap them tightly and into the freezer they go. When you spontaneously feel like having fresh cookies, take out a log, let it thaw briefly (so it's sliceable), and start baking. This is also perfect if you want fresh cookies throughout the Christmas season without having to start from scratch every time.
Even more cookies without cookie cutters!
If you're looking for more ideas for cutter-free cookies, definitely check out our vegan vanilla crescentsor the vegan Linzer cookies, or stick with slicing with our vegan tahini cookies. But now let's get rolling and happy baking!
Vegan Slice and Bake Cookies – 1 Dough, 7 Ideas
Ingredients
For the basic dough (1 log, approx. 10 pieces):
- 100 g (0.75 cup) wheat flour (type 405)
- 30 g (0.15 cup) sugar
- 1 pinch of salt
- 65 g (4.5 tbsp) cold vegan butter
- cold water as needed
For the vanilla sprinkle version:
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
- sprinkles (for rolling)
For the lemon poppy seed version:
- 1 lemon (zest)
- poppy seeds (for rolling)
- icing made from powdered sugar and lemon juice (for decoration)
For the stollen version:
- 1 tsp raisins
- 1 tsp candied orange peel
- 1 tsp candied lemon peel
- 1 tsp stollen spice mix
- 0.5 orange (zest)
- powdered sugar (for decoration)
All chocolate:
2 tbsp cocoa powder in the dough
30 g (1 oz) chopped chocolate chunks in the dough
melted chocolate (for decoation)
For the chai version:
- 0.5 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 0.5 tsp ground clove
- 0.5 tsp ground ginger
- 1 pinch of black pepper
- icing made from chai tea and powdered sugar (for decoration)
For the pumpkin pie spice version:
- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- sugar and cinnamon (for decoration)
For the soft orange cookie version:
- 1 orange (zest)
- melted chocolate and orange zest (for decoration)
Instructions
For the basic dough, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Add cold vegan butter in small pieces and mix roughly so all ingredients are combined – it doesn't need to be a smooth dough ball yet. Don't add any additional water at this point.
Depending on the variety, now expand the dough, then shape into a thick log (approx. 5 centimeters / 2 inches in diameter) and depending on variety, roll in an ingredient.
For the vanilla sprinkle version: Add vanilla paste to the dough and roll the dough log in sprinkles.
For the lemon poppy seed version: Add lemon zest to the dough and roll the dough log in poppy seeds.
For the chocolate version: Add cocoa powder and chopped chocolate to the dough.
For the stollen version: Chop raisins, candied orange peel, and candied lemon peel even smaller and add to the dough together with stollen spice mix and orange zest.
For the chai version: Add ground cardamom, cinnamon, clove, ginger, and pepper to the dough.
For the pumpkin pie spice version: Add pumpkin pie spice to the dough.
For the soft orange cookie version: Add orange zest to the dough.
Tip: Really save the cold water until the end as an option and work all ingredients into the dough first. Only if the dough remains really crumbly, you can add a small splash of cold water.
Let the dough log(s) rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 180 °C / 355 °F (fan). Cut the dough log(s) into approx. 1 centimeter / 0.5 inch thick slices and distribute on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Leave some space between them. Bake for approx. 12 minutes, or until the cookies become slightly darker at the edges.
Let the cookies cool completely after baking. Then decorate depending on variety.
For the lemon poppy seed version: Mix powdered sugar and lemon juice into a thick icing and decorate the cookies with it.
For the stollen version: Dust with powdered sugar.
For the chocolate version: Melt vegan chocolate and decorate the cookies with it.
For the chai version: Mix strongly brewed chai tea with powdered sugar and decorate the cookies with it.
For the pumpkin pie spice version: While they're still slightly warm, dip the top side in cinnamon sugar.
For the soft orange cookie version: Melt vegan chocolate, dip or brush the cookies halfway in it, and top with orange zest.
