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Home Recipes Desserts Cookies
★★★★★ 5 from 2 Reviews

Soft-Baked Lofthouse Sugar Cookies

25 min
GF Gluten-Free DF Dairy-Free VG Vegetarian
Avatar by: Lindsay Grimes
December 18, 2021 (Updated: March 10, 2022)
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This is a side view of a lofthouse cookie with pink frosting and rainbow sprinkles with a bite taken out of it. The cookie sits on top of a white piece of parchment paper on a cooling rack on a white counter. More lofthouse cookies with light green and pink frosting are blurred in the background. Text overlay reads "lofthouse sugar cookies dairy & gluten free."
This is an overhead image of a cooling rack coming from the lefthand side of the image. The cooling rack sits on a light grey surface with a white piece of parchment paper on top. On the parchment paper is six lofthouse cookies with pink and light green icing and rainbow sprinkles. The cookie to the top left has a bite taken out of it.
Soft-baked Lofthouse style sugar cookies are made dairy free and gluten free but don’t skimp on the melt in your mouth cakey texture! Top them with colorful frosting and sprinkles for a fun, festive touch!

Dairy free sugar cookies are so simple to make! If you want fluffy, cakey sugar cookies that you can top off with sweet, colorful icing and sprinkles, I have the perfect recipe for you!

I swear my kids can spot Lofthouse cookies a mile away. I think the fun colors have something to do with it but those fluffy cookies are always one of their favorites!

These cookies are the perfect for any occasion or addition to your cookie plate! They balance out all the fruit/jammy cookies, the chocolatey cookies, the nutty cookies.

If you want some soft cut-out sugar cookies, try my Gluten Free Shortbread Cookies recipe! These Gluten Free Peanut Butter Blossoms are also one of my favorites too! And, if you love baking as much as me, check out my roundup of 50+ Gluten Free Dessert Recipes!

What is a Lofthouse-style cookie?

Lofthouse Foods is a food producer in the US that made a thick, soft, almost fluffy cookie with a sweet frosting on top. If you’ve been to any supermarket in the US, you’ve inevitably seen a plastic container of these cookies with various seasonal frostings and sprinkles.

What makes them unique compared to a chewy sugar cookie or a shortbread sugar cookie is Lofthouse sugar cookies have more of a cakey soft texture.

These Dairy Free Sugar Cookies

  • have a cakey texture
  • so fun to customize with different color frostings and sprinkles
  • perfect for any occasion!
  • freeze beautifully
  • a family favorite – kids love them!
This is an overhead image of a cooling rack with a piece of white parchment paper on it. On the parchment paper is 13 lofthouse cookies with pink and green frosting and colorful sprinkles. To the bottom of the image is a small bowl with light green frosting and to the left top of the image is a small white plate with two cookies with pink frosting and a glass of milk.
This is an overhead image of a small white plate with two lofthouse cookies with pink frosting. The cookies are topped with rainbow sprinkles The plate sits on a light grey surface and a glass of milk is to the top right of the image.

Ingredients for dairy free sugar cookies

Almond Flour. I love using blanched almond flour because it’s super fine and has a beautiful sugar cookie color.

Coconut Flour. Coconut flour gives these cookies a nice fluffy texture and also adds a hint of sweet pastry flavor. I know there’s some hesitancy with coconut flour because people are afraid of it adding too much coconut flavor but it really doesn’t taste like coconut.

Baking Powder & Baking Soda. To add some extra fluff to these cookies!

Salt. Because you always need a bit of salt whenever you’re baking!

Egg. To hold these cookies together! I haven’t tested this recipe with a vegan egg, so if you do any experimenting, let me know how it goes!

Vanilla. Because sugar cookies need that extra splash of vanilla vibes.

Honey. For sweetness! You can sub in agave nectar or maple syrup. Any other “sticky sweetener” will work here.

Vegan Butter. Any unsalted dairy free butter or regular butter if you’re not trying to make these dairy free 🙂 Check out my favorite trick for How to Soften Butter!

This is an overhead image of butter, sprinkles, honey, almond flour, coconut sugar, eggs, powder sugar and vanilla in separate bowls on a white counter.
This is an overhead image of a silve mixture bowl with sugar cookie dough inside. The bowl sits on a white surface.
This is an overhead image of a bakinf sheet with parchment paper and 8 raw cookie dough circles on top. The baking sheet sits on a light grey surface.

How to make these dairy free sugar cookies

Mix the dry ingredients

In a medium bowl, add the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir together and set aside.

Mix the wet ingredients

In the large bowl of a stand mixer with a hand mixer, cream together the dairy free butter and honey. Stop to scrape down the sides as needed. Whip until slightly light and fluffy! 

Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined – it may be slightly lumpy, that’s okay!

Combine

To this wet mixture, add the dry and mix until a thick dough forms.

Scoop

Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, portion out a cookie sized amount of dough. Using your hands, flatten and shape the dough into desired shape before placing on the cookie sheet. These will not spread so make sure to shape the cookies how you want them to look once baked!

Bake your dairy free sugar cookies!

Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Make the Icing

Add the dairy free butter to a mixing bowl and whip with a hand or stand mixer. Scrape down the sides and add the powdered sugar and vanilla.

Mix until it comes together or gets a bit lumpy. If it won’t come together, slowly add dairy free milk 1 tablespoon at a time, pausing to whip between each addition.

Ice them

When it comes together as a light and fluffy buttercream, it’s done! Feel free to divide up and add desired colors if coloring frosting.

Using a knife or offset spatula, spread a thick layer of the frosting on the cooled cookies and top with sprinkles! Enjoy!

This is a side view of a lofthouse cookie with pink frosting and rainbow sprinkles with a bite taken out of it. The cookie sits on top of a white piece of parchment paper on a cooling rack on a white counter. More lofthouse cookies with light green and pink frosting are blurred in the background.

How to Store Leftover Cookies

Even though these are dairy free, I would recommend storing them in the fridge in an airtight container for a week or so.

They would also freeze beautifully for about three months.

Did you make this? Leave a review below and tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!

This is an overhead image of a cooling rack coming from the lefthand side of the image. The cooling rack sits on a light grey surface with a white piece of parchment paper on top. On the parchment paper is six lofthouse cookies with pink and light green icing and rainbow sprinkles. The cookie to the top left has a bite taken out of it. Recipe
GF Gluten-Free DF Dairy-Free VG Vegetarian

Soft-Baked Sugar Cookies

Soft-baked Lofthouse style sugar cookies are make dairy free and gluten free but don’t skimp on the melt in your mouth cakey texture!

AvatarRecipe by:Lindsay Grimes
★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews
Prep: 15 minCook: 10 minTotal: 25 min
Print recipe Rate recipe Pin Save recipe
Servings: 20 cookies 1x

Ingredients

Sugar Cookies:

  • 1 1/2 cups almond flour
  • 1/4 cup coconut flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 tbsp vanilla
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/3 cup dairy free/vegan butter

Icing:

  • 1/2 cup dairy free/vegan butter
  • 2–4 tbsp almond milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • Sprinkles
  • Optional: 1-2 drops of food coloring

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, add the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir together and set aside.
  3. In the large bowl of a stand mixer with a hand mixer, cream together the dairy free butter and honey. Stop to scrape down the sides as needed. Whip until slightly light and fluffy! 
  4. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined – it may be slightly lumpy, that’s okay!
  5. To this wet mixture, add the dry and mix until a thick dough forms.
  6. Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, portion out a cookie sized amount of dough. Using your hands, flatten and shape the dough into desired shape before placing on the cookie sheet. These will not spread!
  7. Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack to cool completely.
  8. To make the icing: Add the dairy free butter to a mixing bowl and whip with a hand or stand mixer. Scrape down the sides and add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix until it comes together or gets a bit lumpy. If it won’t come together, slowly add dairy free milk 1 tablespoon at a time, pausing to whip between each addition. When it comes together as a light and fluffy buttercream, it’s done! Feel free to divide up and add desired colors if coloring frosting.
  9. Using a knife or offset spatula, spread a thick layer of the frosting on the cooled cookies and top with sprinkles! Enjoy!

Tips

Recipe Development + Food Photography by Jessica Reynolds-Corden
from Jessica Eats.

**Even though these are dairy free, I would recommend storing them in the fridge in an airtight container for a week or so. They also freeze beautifully for about three months.

Nutrition Info:

  • Serving Size: 1 cookie
  • Calories: 158
  • Sugar: 17.6g
  • Sodium: 72mg
  • Fat: 8.5g
  • Saturated Fat: 4.9g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 0g
  • Trans Fat: 0g
  • Carbohydrates: 20.5g
  • Fiber: 1.5g
  • Protein: 1.8g
  • Cholesterol: 26mg
© The Toasted Pine Nut

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This is a side view of a lofthouse cookie with pink frosting and rainbow sprinkles with a bite taken out of it. The cookie sits on top of a white piece of parchment paper on a cooling rack on a white counter. More lofthouse cookies with light green and pink frosting are blurred in the background. Text overlay reads "lofthouse sugar cookies dairy & gluten free."
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15 no bake desserts

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Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. AvatarCarol Johnson says

    Posted on 12/20/21 at 9:50 am

    Omg these cookies are so soft and light and fluffy! I will be making these every year!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • AvatarCarol Johnson says

      Posted on 12/20/21 at 9:51 am

      Delicious Delicious!!!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply

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Lindsay

Hi Friend!

I'm Lindsay I love sharing simple, better-for-you recipes. When I'm not in the kitchen, you can find me at the beach watching my kids boogie board and soaking in that warm Cali sun (with sunscreen, of course).

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GF Gluten-Free DF Dairy-Free V Vegan VG Vegetarian EF Egg-Free NF Nut-Free P Paleo Browse All

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This is an overhead image of a cooling rack coming from the lefthand side of the image. The cooling rack sits on a light grey surface with a white piece of parchment paper on top. On the parchment paper is six lofthouse cookies with pink and light green icing and rainbow sprinkles. The cookie to the top left has a bite taken out of it.
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