Looking for a fun, delicious, and colorful twist on traditional sugar cookies? My Vegan Neapolitan Sugar Cookies might be the perfect treat for you then! With the classic combination of vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate you find in Neapolitan ice cream, you can nibble on each flavor individually or get a bit of each flavor in every bite.
My cookies are bakery style meaning they taste like the ones I used to buy at bakeries in New York where I’m from. They’re chewy and tender and these are extra special with chocolate and strawberry flavors added to the mix of traditional vanilla. These are great any time of year but are a special treat to think about making for Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day!
You need to separate the dough into three even parts (I used a food scale to make it easier) then you can either roll the dough into ropes then combine all three and then roll in plastic wrap like I did or you can add a bit of each flavor to an ice cream scoop or mix the doughs in a large bowl then scoop out in a more random pattern. I cut even sections of the dough from the large log I created then dipped one end into sugar before flattening them slightly with the bottom of a glass. You also need to bake these just until done and no longer if you want chewy cookies. Better to undercook them than overcook them. And make sure to take them off the sheets immediately as the sheet’s residual heat will continue to cook them even out of the oven. I use parchment so I grab two ends and move them to a cool surface to cool completely.
I’m using cake flour here for a lighter softer texture. If you don’t have it, just add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to the bottom of your one cup measuring cup before adding all purpose flour to each cup and leveling it. You basically will be adding 4 more tablespoons of cornstarch to the recipe overall for a total of five.
Why You’ll Love These Vegan Neapolitan Sugar Cookies:
- Fun, Tasty Layers: The three colorful layers of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry will wow your tastebuds.
- Perfect for Any Occasion: These cookies are perfect for birthday parties, holiday cookie swaps, Valentines or Mother’s Day or just as a sweet treat to enjoy with a cup of tea, coffee or vegan milk.
- Soft & Chewy: Despite being vegan, these cookies are soft and chewy just like from a bakery, just like traditional sugar cookies—no compromise on taste or texture!
Tips for making the perfect Vegan Neapolitan Sugar Cookies:
- Use shortening: Vegetable shortening is what gives these cookies their traditional bakery flavor and chew. You can find non-hydrogenated versions in stores like Sprouts and Whole Foods as well as regional stores but traditional vegetable shortening will work fine as well.
- Make sure to flatten: These cookies don’t spread that much so make sure to flatten before baking. I use the bottom of a glass but you could use the palm of your hand. Rudy up the edges too if they get too ragged after pressing down for a prettier end result.
- Don’t Over-Bake: Make sure to keep an eye on these as every oven differs and don’t over-bake as they will become hard and crunchy rather than soft and chewy.
- Storage: These cookies will keep for about 4-5 days in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also freeze them for up to 2 months—just thaw and enjoy!
Bake up a batch of these Vegan Neapolitan Sugar Cookies and treat yourself (and your friends) to a colorful and delicious dessert!
Let me know how they turn out, by rating and reviewing if you try them and if you get creative with any fun variations, let me know. Happy baking!
Vegan Bakery Style Neapolitan Sugar Cookies
18
servings20
minutes9
minutesDelicious tender sugar cookies with strawberry, chocolate and vanilla flavors just like Neapolitan ice cream!
Ingredients
1 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup organic vegan cane sugar
1/2 cup organic confectioners sugar
3 tablespoons aquafaba (liquid from canned chickpeas)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (needed for that bakery flavor)
1/3 cup pulverized freeze dried strawberries (measure first, then pulverize in a blender or food processor)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder (Dutch process preferred)
2 1/4 cups cake flour (see notes)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
granulated sugar to roll in
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Using an electric hand or stand mixer (or by hand), cream together both types of sugar with the shortening until well blended (about two minutes).
- Add in aquafaba and vanilla and almond extracts. Mix for a couple of minutes until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch and salt together. Slowly add to the dry ingredients and mix until combined being careful not to over-mix the dough.
- Separate the dough into three equal portions (I used a kitchen scale for accuracy but you can eyeball it) and add the powdered freeze dried strawberries to one portion and mix well. Add the cocoa powder to the another portion and mix well and leave the vanilla as-is.
- There are a few ways to prepare the dough for baking. Method 1: roll into a log. You can roll each flavor of dough into roughly the same sized log then combine all three flavors together and wrap tightly in plastic wrap or wax paper to form one large log of dough. This is the method I chose to use. I then cut about 2 inch pieces to ready for baking in the next step. Method 2: use a scoop. Using a 1 1/2 inch retractable ice cream scoop you can either add individual pieces of flavored dough to the scoop or add all three doughs to a bowl and scoop them out for a more rustic look. With either method, they need to be flattened slightly next.
- Roll in sugar and place evenly apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Flatten dough balls slightly with the bottom of a glass and reshape want edges that might have become too jagged by pressing in lightly. Bake for about 8-9 minutes and remove before they start to brown. Remove immediately from the sheet by lifting the parchment and placing on a cool surface. Leaving them on the sheet will make them cook longer and be more crispy not soft. Let cool completely and store in an airtight container.
Recipe Video
Notes
- If you don’t have cake flour, add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to the bottom of each cup of all purpose flour then also add the extra tablespoon. You don’t want to just add extra cornstarch, you want it to replace some of the flour. You’ll be using 5 tablespoons overall.
- You can freeze the balls of dough to cook later. Just make sure they come to room temperature before rolling in sugar or sprinkles and flattening.
- To ensure the sugar you use is vegan, buy organic as organic regulations prohibit the use of bone char processing in manufacturing.
- Shortening is preferred here as it keeps the cookies softer and less crisp. Vegan butter could be used but the cookies won’t be the same texture and will be crispier.
- Dutch process cocoa is preferred as it lends a deeper chocolate flavor and color to the cookies but regular cocoa powder (not sweetened hot cocoa mix) can be used as well.
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