Hey again,
With Valentine’s Day right around the corner (giving me yet another excuse to indulge in sweet treats), I figured I would share my fave sugar cookie recipe with you all. The recipe uses pumpkin puree as an egg substitute and it surprisingly works great! The recipe states that you can use apple sauce instead with varied results, but from my past experiences, I would suggest sticking with the pumpkin in this case. Apple sauce works best for moist bakes goods, like muffins and cupcakes; whereas, pumpkin puree makes cookies tender and chewy. Just be sure not to over-bake them, which is I’ve noticed is easy to do for most people. My mom has always told me to slightly under-bake all cookies… pulling them out of the oven as soon as they begin to get a golden hue. Works every time!
If you have the time to spare, the recipe includes instructions for how to make homemade frosting. However; if you’re short on time like I tend to be, you can honestly just use most Pillsbury or Duncan Hines frostings (the vanilla flavors are usually vegan), but make sure to double check the ingredient lists. I prefer to use natural ingredients when it’s not too complicated, so I like the idea of making my own frostings and food colorings (beets for red color). If you’re the same way, the recipe link below contains a sub-link to homemade natural food-coloring. Sometimes I cheat and get my frosting from the local Whole Foods. The brands Wholesome, Simple Mills, and Miss Jones are all vegan organic and can be found at pretty much any natural foods market.
Below is the before and after of the heart-shaped sugars cookies I made last year. I free-handed these hearts with a knife, but feel free to shape them how you please, depending on the occasion. The recipe is linked below, so check it out!
Link to Recipe: Minimalist Baker’s Sugar Cookies
❤ Melissa
Kind + Chic 