Now that I'm back in Cincinnati and seeing the nostalgic Busken Bakery smiley cookies I used to love so much everywhere I look, I have been seriously craving some extra sweet frosted goodness. In true vegan food blogger form, I decided to make my own version of the sugary confections, using Chloe Coscarelli's perfect sugar cookie recipe for the base along with a cute pumpkin cookie cutter for good measure. While the resulting cookies are thinner than those from Busken, the sugar icing really does the trick to mimic the over all taste and feel.
Since sugar icing is traditionally made with egg whites, I incorporated aquafaba instead which worked out perfectly! For fun, I added pumpkin marshmallows with mini chocolate chips to make the spooky eyes. They ended up looking kind of like a cross between the soot sprites from My Neighbor Totoro and the Pac-Man Ghosts. As I final test, I gave these out to several non-vegan friends who said they reminded them of the Busken cookies exactly! Here is the recipe for the icing if you want to create these at home.
Since sugar icing is traditionally made with egg whites, I incorporated aquafaba instead which worked out perfectly! For fun, I added pumpkin marshmallows with mini chocolate chips to make the spooky eyes. They ended up looking kind of like a cross between the soot sprites from My Neighbor Totoro and the Pac-Man Ghosts. As I final test, I gave these out to several non-vegan friends who said they reminded them of the Busken cookies exactly! Here is the recipe for the icing if you want to create these at home.
Chloe Coscarelli Sugar Cookie Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
3-4 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla
The Vegan Spy Sugar Icing Ingredients
1 cup powdered sugar
3-5 tablespoons aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas)
1-2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla
natural vegan food coloring (optional)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
3-4 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla
The Vegan Spy Sugar Icing Ingredients
1 cup powdered sugar
3-5 tablespoons aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas)
1-2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla
natural vegan food coloring (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Using a stand mixer or large bowl with hand mixer, combine flour, 1 cup granulated sugar and baking soda. Add vegan butter, 3 tablespoons water and 1 teaspoon vanilla. If needed, add 1 more tablespoon water.
To make rolling out the cookie dough easier, Chloe recommends working with half the dough at a time. On a lightly floured surface, roll out half the dough until it is 1/4 inch thick. If you make it thicker, the cookies will be softer. Using a cookie cutter, cut out as many shapes as you can. I used a pumpkin shape for these spooky guys. Combine any remaining scraps to roll out again and cut more cookies. If the dough gets too soft, refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.
Place the shapes on the prepared lined baking sheet about 1/2 inch apart. If you don't plan to frost the cookies, sprinkle them with a little more granulated sugar.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden around the edges. Let cool on the pan.
Now it's time for the icing. Using a standing mixer or mixing bowl with a hand mixer, incorporate powdered sugar with aquafaba, water, vanilla and optional food coloring until smooth and shiny. Using a piping bag, pipe the outline of the cookies and allow to harden slightly before filling in with more frosting. Add extra bling (like the marshmallows and chocolate chips) if desired, and then allow the frosting to set a bit more before enjoying your creations. That's it!
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Using a stand mixer or large bowl with hand mixer, combine flour, 1 cup granulated sugar and baking soda. Add vegan butter, 3 tablespoons water and 1 teaspoon vanilla. If needed, add 1 more tablespoon water.
To make rolling out the cookie dough easier, Chloe recommends working with half the dough at a time. On a lightly floured surface, roll out half the dough until it is 1/4 inch thick. If you make it thicker, the cookies will be softer. Using a cookie cutter, cut out as many shapes as you can. I used a pumpkin shape for these spooky guys. Combine any remaining scraps to roll out again and cut more cookies. If the dough gets too soft, refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.
Place the shapes on the prepared lined baking sheet about 1/2 inch apart. If you don't plan to frost the cookies, sprinkle them with a little more granulated sugar.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden around the edges. Let cool on the pan.
Now it's time for the icing. Using a standing mixer or mixing bowl with a hand mixer, incorporate powdered sugar with aquafaba, water, vanilla and optional food coloring until smooth and shiny. Using a piping bag, pipe the outline of the cookies and allow to harden slightly before filling in with more frosting. Add extra bling (like the marshmallows and chocolate chips) if desired, and then allow the frosting to set a bit more before enjoying your creations. That's it!