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vegan slice and bake shortbread cookies

Vegan Slice & Bake Cookies

5 from 6 votes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Chilling Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 20 cookies
Calories: 148kcal
Author: Kelly
Cost: $0.19 per cookie
These vegan shortbread cookies are inspired by Pillsbury slice-and-bake cookies. Includes instructions for customizing with your own flavours!
Print Recipe

Equipment

  • Electric mixer (either a hand mixer or stand mixer works)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup vegan butter or margarine
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • cups pastry flour or all purpose flour
  • tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract (or other flavouring *optional)
  • few drops food colouring (*optional; see Note 1)

Instructions

  • Cream margarine, sugar, and vanilla extract if using, with an electric mixer for one minute on high speed. Scrape down the sides and beat for another half minute. The mixture should look pale and fluffy.
  • Add flour and salt and mix on low speed, until just combined.
  • Transfer 2/3 of the cookie dough onto a piece of plastic wrap. (If you’re using a scale, around 400g.) Spread it into a rectangular shape (8×10 inches if you're being exact).
  • To the remaining dough, add a few drops of food colouring (and flavouring extract of choice, if desired) and mix again until colour is even all the way through.
  • Add the coloured dough on top of the first rectangle of dough and spread evenly to completely cover the first layer. (See Step-by-Step pics for reference).
  • Roll the dough into a tight log, then wrap with the plastic wrap and twist the ends to close. Chill in the freezer, with the twisted ends tucked under the log, until firm (could be 1–4 hours depending on your freezer and the type of butter used).
  • The log should be quite firm but not completely frozen. Unwrap and slice into 1/2-inch thick cookies. (If your cookie gets squished by the knife, it's too soft; put it back into the freezer for another 10 minutes. If it crumbles when sliced, it's too frozen; leave it at room temperature for 5 minutes, then try again.)
  • Place on a lined baking sheet. These cookies do spread, so keep one cookie-width of space between each one.
  • Bake at 350 °F for 15 minutes (slightly soft in the center) to 20 minutes (totally crispy and crunchy).
  • Let cool fully on baking sheet. They will firm up as they cool.

Notes

  1. See Flavour Variations section above for colour options and ideas. You can also leave out the food colouring entirely to make a plain cookie dough. It won't have a swirl pattern but will still taste just as delicious!

Nutrition

Calories: 148kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.05g | Sodium: 93mg | Potassium: 63mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 431IU | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg