Healthy vegan sugar cookies made with coconut oil and beautifully colored pink naturally from beets! Gluten-free beet cookies you can feel good about eating and pretty enough for Valentine's Day!
Since it is almost Valentine's Day I thought I would give you a pretty pink healthy cookie to enjoy and give to your loves! These healthy sugar cookies are vegan and really easy to make in a blender in less than 20 minutes!
Over the Christmas holiday when we were visiting my sister I really wanted make sure we made our traditional cut out cookies to decorate. I wanted them to be red and asked my sister what she thought if we tried to use beets as a natural dye in place of food coloring. She's all about trying my crazy concoctions - and so the birth of these healthy beet cookies was created!
Can I use raw or roasted beets in these cookies
Preferably roasted beets. Instead of just using beet juice, I decided to use the whole roasted beet to add extra nutritional value to our sweet treats! Make sure when making these healthy sugar cookies to roast the beets first and then remove the skins. For convenience, you can also purchase them already roasted at your local grocery store. If you use raw beets it may add chunks to the dough and that - in my opinion- will not be as aesthetically pleasing:-)
I made these beet cookies with pre-made roasted beets from a store close to my sister's house, and also get them from Trader Joe's. If you can't find them already roasted you can easily roast them by covering them in foil and baking at 400 degrees F. for about 30-45 minutes (depending how large the beets are). You will know when they are done if they are soft in the center when poked with a fork. Let the roasted beets cool for a bit then remove the skins before using.
These base of these cookies is similar to these vegan gluten free sugar cookies only there is more flour to compensate for the extra liquid from the vegetable.
Guess what else?
The icing is also vegan and naturally colored with beet juice!
Yes!
How to make natural dyed icing? It's super easy if you have colorful vegetables and fruits on hand. To make this royal cookie icing combine 1 cup of confectioners sugar with 1 tablespoon of cassava fructose free sweetener (or light corn syrup) and 1 tablespoon of coconut milk. Then drip in a few drops or about 1 teaspoon of beet juice from the roasted beets. Mix it really well even though it will be super thick for a while. Eventually if you mix it enough it will turn into a beautiful silky light pink icing.
You might be wondering what Cassava sweetener is. It is a new sugar that has no artificial sweeteners in it and is naturally made from Cassava root, also known as tapioca. It has a similar consistency as corn syrup or honey (only it is slightly not as thick) which can be used it in its place.
Over the years I have developed a more plant based diet and try to avoid dairy and animal products as much as possible. Eggs I love to eat but mostly I love that these beet cookies are so easy to whip up! Not to mention I can eat the cookie dough while doing so:-)
What do these beauties taste like?
- Super Soft
- Extraordinarily Fluffy
- Moist
- Naturally Sweet
If you want a crispier cookie bake them a bit longer (details in the recipe). We love these fun and healthy sugar cookies for Valentine's Day and I know you will too!
Here are a few more of my favorite vegan sugar cookies:
- Grain-Free Vegan Sugar Cookies
- Healthy Christmas Sugar Cookies (naturally colored with spinach!)
- Vegan Sugar Cookie Truffles
Healthy Vegan Beet Sugar Cookies
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Ingredients
- ½ cup roasted beets or about 3 small one's from Trader Joe's
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup coconut oil melted
- 1 cup gluten-free flour
- ½ cup tapioca flour
- 1¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon Himalayan salt
Pink Icing
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 tablespoon Cassava sweetener or corn syrup
- 1 tablespoon of coconut milk not canned
- 1 teaspoon beet juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- In a blender add the roasted beets, maple syrup and vanilla. Blend for about 30-45 seconds until combined to a smooth liquid. In a large mixing bowl add the gluten-free flour, tapioca flour, baking powder and salt and mix to combine. Add the wet beet mixture and with a spatula mix slightly then add the melted coconut oil. Mix and fold until everything is combined.
- Roll out the dough in between two pieces of wax paper until the dough is about ¼ inch thick. Cut out into desired shapes. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes for a soft and fluffy cookie and about 12-15 minutes for a crispier cookie. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
- Let the cookies cool completely before icing.
- For the icing, in a small bowl add the confectioners sugar, cassava sweetener or corn syrup, coconut milk and beet juice. Mix to combine. The icing will be very thick so keep mixing and folding over and it will turn into a silky smooth consistency.
- Pour the icing into a baggie that zips and cut one of the bottom ends slightly with scissors. Use that as the opening to decorate the cookies. Create your fun designs and add sprinkles, edible powder, nuts or edible pearls.
Notes
Nutrition
PIN & SAVE THESE HEALTHY BEET COOKIES FOR VALENTINE'S DAY!
Preslava says
Hello, is it normal for these cookies to change color on the inside when baked?
Preslava says
Hello, I want to ask why the red color didn't stay after I broke the cookie?
Danielle Fahrenkrug, Certified Health & Nutrition Life Coach says
Hi! The red color of beets is blended into the cookie. It stays as it is the whole cookie so I am not sure what you mean.