Do you absolutely need butter, eggs, and milk for baking? That's not the case! In recent years, many people's perceptions have changed, and the number of vegans and vegetarians in Germany continues to rise steadily. We'll show you how you can easily avoid animal products and bake delicious vegan cookies . You'll discover a wide variety of classic cookie and biscuit recipes, allowing you to enjoy festive Christmas baking in vegan form. Even after switching to a vegan diet, your cookie cutters don't have to stay in a drawer , because vegan cookie recipes can also be adapted to your liking.

Baking vegan cookies has several advantages

Vegan baking offers several benefits from both a health and ethical perspective.

• Avoiding animal suffering: The desire to avoid animal suffering is one of the main reasons many people choose to bake vegan. By avoiding animal products like eggs, butter, and milk, they help reduce their demand.
• Suitable for allergy sufferers: Vegan baked goods are ideal for people who are allergic or intolerant to certain animal products. There are numerous alternatives to animal products, so different needs and preferences can be accommodated.
• Health benefits: Baking vegan cookies can also have health benefits. For example, they often use fewer saturated fats, replacing them with healthy fats from vegetable oils or nuts.
• Lower environmental impact: Compared to a diet that includes animal products, a vegan diet is demonstrably more environmentally friendly. The production of plant-based ingredients requires less water and land, and significantly fewer greenhouse gas emissions are generated.

Basics of vegan baking

If you want to bake vegan cookies, there are some basic tips to keep in mind when using ingredients containing animal products.

• Adjust baking temperatures and times: When making vegan baked goods, adjusting the temperature and baking time in regular recipes is necessary. Plant-based ingredients react differently than their animal counterparts. Especially with chocolate chip cookies or biscuits, the baking time can vary slightly depending on the recipe.
• Don't overmix: Overmixing cookie dough with vegan ingredients can cause it to become tough. It can also become very sticky and difficult to remove from the cookie cutters. Therefore, it's advisable to mix the dry and wet ingredients separately. Only combine everything into a dough just before baking. A silicone spatula or whisk is usually sufficient for this, or you can work with your hands.
• Use high-quality ingredients: We'll discuss specific substitutes in detail in the next section. However, it's important to ensure high quality. High-quality plant-based ingredients like vegan butter, almonds, vanilla sugar, and cocoa powder will play a vital role in improving the taste, texture, and overall result of the cookies.
• Sugar-free baking: To bake healthy vegan cookies, avoiding sugar is essential. There are a number of options. Birch sugar, for example, has a similar sweetness to regular sugar. Other natural sweeteners that can be used include maple syrup, agave syrup, or apple puree. Coconut blossom sugar is also a good choice, offering a very special flavor with its light caramel note.

Important ingredients for vegan cookies

To bake vegan cookies , you need the right ingredients on hand. For every animal product, there's a suitable plant-based substitute. The cookie dough can be stored in portions in a container for later baking fresh cookies. You can also divide the dough into portions to make different versions, such as a classic recipe, as you like.

• Vegan substitute for eggs

Plant-based egg substitute powder is suitable for binding and loosening. It's available at any organic store and is usually made from sweet lupin flour or cornstarch. To loosen the dough, you can use applesauce. One tablespoon of this is enough to replace one egg. You can also replace one egg with half a mashed banana. Another tried-and-true vegan egg substitute is almond butter or finely ground almonds.

• Vegan substitute for milk

A well-stocked shelf of vegan milk substitutes can now be found in almost every supermarket in Germany. However, it's important to note that not all vegan milks are equally suitable for baking cookies. Almond milk, hazelnut milk, oat milk, or soy milk are recommended. To ensure the final result meets your expectations, you should do a taste test beforehand, as these milks all have their own unique flavors. For a unique flavor, you can also add vanilla sugar to the batter.

• Vegan substitute for butter

Butter is another ingredient that needs to be replaced in many recipes. The time-honored margarine has proven itself a tried-and-tested alternative for years. However, it's not the only substitute for butter; fruit puree, coconut oil, or oil can also be used. You can even use zucchini, as it has the moisturizing and binding properties that butter possesses. This works quite well because zucchini has almost no flavor of its own. Alternatively, you can use vegan butter, which was specially developed for baking recipes and tastes almost identical to regular butter.

• Vegan substitute for honey

Honey is also not vegan, as it serves as a vital food source for bees. Therefore, when baking vegan cookies, you can rely on three types of syrup. Dandelion syrup, beet syrup, or maple syrup are good substitutes for honey. For chocolatey versions of your cookie dough, you can also add cocoa powder.

• Vegan substitute for gelatin

One of the best substitutes for gelatin is agar-agar. This is a plant-based gelling agent made from the cell walls of various algae species. Be sure to read the package instructions carefully, as agar-agar cannot be used in the same quantities as gelatin in recipes.

Our best recipe for vegan cookies

Veganism is trending, and that doesn't exclude delicious cookies. You can't go wrong with this simple recipe for delicious vegan cookies. This recipe is perfect for homemade cookies at home and can be adapted to your liking. For example, cinnamon stars, vanilla crescents, chocolate chip cookies, cookies, or other cookie variations. Preparation is step by step and yields approximately 50 cookies.

Ingredients:

• 200 g vegan margarine
• 150 g brown sugar
• 100 g cane sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 240 g flour (preferably wholemeal flour for a healthier option)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder (for chocolate cookies)
• 50 g ground almonds (optional)
• 150 g vegan chocolate pieces or nuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Margarine and sugar : In a large bowl, mix the vegan margarine, brown sugar and cane sugar until creamy.

2. Add vanilla extract : Add the vanilla extract and stir well.

3. Combine dry ingredients : In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.

4. Assemble the dough : Gradually add the dry ingredients to the margarine-sugar mixture and mix well. Add chocolate pieces, nuts, or almonds, if desired.

5. Chill the dough : Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

6. Baking : Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) and select the middle rack. Line two baking sheets with baking paper. Form the dough into small balls, place them on the baking sheets, leaving enough space between them, and flatten slightly.

7. Baking time : Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. The baking time may vary depending on the type of cookie (e.g., chocolate chip cookies, cookies, biscuits).

8. Let cool : Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool completely on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

These vegan cookies are not only easy to make but also a delight for all taste buds. Try this recipe and discover how easy it can be to enjoy delicious cookies without animal products. Share this recipe with friends and family to spread the vegan goodness!

Tip: The cookie dough can be stored in a tin and baked fresh later.

This recipe can be adapted to your liking; try variations like cinnamon stars, vanilla crescents, or other cookies. It's perfect for Christmas baking or as a homemade treat at home. Feel free to experiment with different variations and share your own tips and experiences in the comments!

Conclusion

Baking vegan cookies is no longer a problem with all the substitutes on the market, and the taste won't differ much from your recipes with animal products . Why not veganize your classic Easter or Christmas cookie recipes? Popular Christmas cookies like cinnamon stars or vanilla crescents are also excellent for vegan preparation. Our shop offers suitable cookie cutters for Easter. as well as cookie cutters for Christmas . There you'll also find a variety of other cookie cutter themes that make excellent gift ideas. All of our cutters are made from sustainable and biodegradable PLA .

FAQ

Is baking vegan cookies complicated?

Baking vegan cookies is easier than it seems at first glance. You can convert many baking recipes into vegan alternatives using substitutes, making them vegan, so to speak. In many cases, simply replacing eggs and butter with a plant-based product is enough. However, there are now a variety of delicious recipes specifically developed for vegan cookies.

Is vegan baking generally healthier?

It's hard to say that vegan baking is healthier. This is because even vegan baking ingredients can contain sugar and fat. However, vegan baking is certainly the healthier alternative if you use high-quality ingredients and avoid sugar completely. The latter is especially important.

Is vegan baking sustainable?

Vegan cookies may be free of animal products, but they're not always sustainable. Some products have long transport routes to Germany or were contaminated with pesticides during cultivation. Therefore, it's also important to inform yourself about the origin of the respective products and favor regional companies. Incidentally, all of our cookie cutters are also sustainable.