These soft yet dense and thick sugar cookies have a pleasing vanilla flavor in both the cookie and icing, making this lightly sweetened treat perfect to enjoy with a cup of herbal tea or coffee. Chia seeds also add some health benefits, like 5g fiber (20% daily value), 3g protein (6% daily value), and 4g fat (6% daily value).

The icing is straightforward and quick to make. Personalize it by using your sweetener of choice, like honey, maple syrup, or powdered sugar. Powdered sugar is a refined ingredient, but is a great option if you want the icing to be thick and sweet.

I mentioned chia seeds above, but let me elaborate of on why these tiny little seeds are so beneficial. Like I said before, they are pack with healthy protein, fiber, and fat. One tablespoon of chia seeds contains 5g fiber (20% daily value), 3g protein (6% daily value), and 4g fat (6% daily value). 1 tablespoons also has 80mg calcium (8% daily value), 1.9mg iron (11% daily value), 120mg phosphorus (12% daily value), and 40mg magnesium (10% daily value). The healthy fats in these little seeds are heart-friendly omegas, including omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids, and omega-9 fatty acids. They’re easy to add in yogurt and oatmeal and on top of salads and soups (for another chia seed recipe, check out these Blueberry Chia Whole-Wheat Pancakes I make almost every Sunday – they’re a family favorite).

These cookies came out fairly dense, which, in my opinion, pair perfectly with a hot cup of tea or coffee. They remind me of these powdered pistachio protein cookies, one of my favorite cookie recipes I made a couple of years ago. Lighten up the texture by using a gluten-free baking mix that has oat flour, tapioca flour, and potato starch. You can also try using 1¼ cup oat flour, ¼ cup almond flour, and ¼ cup tapioca flour.

If you’re a sugar cookie fan, these sugar cookie blondies with vanilla icing are a fun twist on vanilla sugar cookies! The icing on those blondies would also be tasty on these cookies, but the recipe would no longer be vegan.

Ingredients

Vanilla Chia Sugar Cookie

• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 3 tablespoons water
• ½ cup coconut oil, softened (see note)
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon butter extract (optional, but so good)
• 1¾ cups gluten-free oat flour (see note)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt

 

Icing

• ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
• ½ cup coconut cream (only use the solid portion of canned coconut milk)
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or powdered sugar, see note)

 

Method

1. Soak chia seeds in water for about 5 minutes.
2. In a large mixing bowl, spoon in the chia seed mixture and add coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and butter extract.
3. Using a hand-held mixer, beat mixture on medium speed for about 1 minute.
4. Add dry ingredients (the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt that has been sifted and stirred together) to the bowl of wet ingredients and stir until well combined.

* The cookie dough will be thick. Stir just until all the ingredients come together and dough begins to hold its shape.

5. Cover and place cookie dough in the freezer for 15 minutes or in the fridge for at least an hour and up to 24 hours.
6. Preheat oven to 350F, line a sheet pan with parchment paper, and let cookie dough sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes.
7. Roll out cookie in a ball, using about 1.5 tablespoons of cookie dough per cookie. Place each cookie on the prepared sheet pan and flatten down (I used the bottom of a glass – make sure to add flour on the surface to prevent the cookie from sticking).
8. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until edges are slightly golden brown. Place cookies on a cooling rack until completely cooled off.
9. Using a hand-held mixer, beat icing mixture on medium speed for about 2 minutes.   Evenly spread icing on cooled cookies. Sprinkle with additional chia seeds and enjoy!

 

Notes

• For those not vegan, full-fat grass fed butter would be a perfect substitute for a rich and buttery flavor addition.
• I love the flavor of butter, so using a butter extract is a great way to get that rich flavor while keeping this recipe vegan.
• Substitute oat flour with your favorite gluten-free baking mix.
• For a thicker and sweeter icing, use powdered sugar instead of maple syrup. This is refined sugar, so something to keep in mind if you’re trying to avoid refined ingredients.