Chocolate Cutout Cookies with Buttercream Frosting
Vegan chocolate cutout cookies with frosting, the perfect Valentine's Day Dessert. This is a simple and healty option for the cookies you always want during Valentine's Day.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time10 minutesmins
Cooling Time30 minutesmins
Total Time50 minutesmins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Best Valentine's Day cookie recipe, chocolate cutout cookies, chocolate Valentines day cookies, Easy dessert recipes, healthy dessert recipes, Valentine's Day Desserts, vegan buttercream frosting, vegan chocolate cutout cookies
Servings: 30cookies
Calories: 133kcal
Author: Whitney Reist | Sweet Cayenne
Equipment
Special equipment: Food coloring gels (I used Americolor Red, Dusty Pink, and Burgundy for Valentine’s Day) and a heart-shaped cookie cutter (or whatever shape you desire).
⅓cupunsweetened coconut milk yogurt (such as So Delicious | or plain low-fat yogurt)
1teaspoonvanilla extract
1teaspooninstant espresso powder
1 ½cupsall-purpose flour (for gluten-free, use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour; the BLUE bag)
¼teaspoonbaking soda
⅛teaspoonsalt
For the frosting:
8tablespoonsEarth Balance vegan butter baking stick (one stick; or use regular butter), at room temperature
1teaspoonvanilla extract
2tablespoonsdairy-free milk, or more as needed (or regular milk)
2 ½cupspowdered sugar, sifted, or more as needed
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350℉. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat, then whisk in the cocoa powder, white and brown sugar. Whisk in the yogurt, vanilla, and espresso powder until well-combined. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a wooden spoon until just combined. You may need to use your hands to shape the mixture into a disk.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface (I recommend doing this on parchment). Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll the dough out to a thickness of ¼’’. Carefully cut heart shapes out of the dough and transfer them to the parchment lined baking sheet, placing them about 1’’ apart. Gather up remaining dough and roll out again, repeating this step until all of the dough has been used.
Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes or until almost set. Do not overbake - the cookies will continue to set as they cool. Let cookies cool slightly for about 3 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
While the cookies cool, make the frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the softened butter stick. Use the paddle attachment and mix on medium-low speed until creamy. Add the vanilla and milk, mixing on low speed until just combined. Add the powdered sugar. Mix on low speed for 1 minute to combine and then increase speed to medium-high and mix for 2 minutes until the frosting is well-combined and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. You may need to add extra milk or powdered sugar to reach the desired consistency (like peanut butter).
Divide the frosting into 4 small bowls and use food coloring gel to color three of the bowls in desired shades of red, pink, purple, etc. Leave one bowl for white frosting.
Frost the completely cooled cookies with a mini offset spatula or knife and enjoy!
Cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 days. For longer storage, refrigerate for up to 7 days or freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw frozen cookies at room temperature for 1 hour before consuming.