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Eggless sugar cookies are a quick and easy small batch cookie recipe you canย make, even when youโ€™re out of eggs! Or, if youโ€™re baking for those with egg allergies.ย 

eggless sugar cookies recipe

Egg Free Sugar Cookies

When it comes to making cookies with kids, Iโ€™ve found that a small pan of 6 cookies is the perfect amount. However, I know lots of kids with egg allergies, so I adapted my easy small batch sugar cookies recipe to omit eggs.

This eggless sugar cookie recipe is also great if you need cookies, but youโ€™re out of eggs. Fans of my chocolate chip cookies without eggs and eggless banana bread will love this recipe, too!

egg free sugar cookies
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What to use in place of eggs for these Eggless Sugar Cookies

Weโ€™re using a tablespoon of softened cream cheese as an egg replacement. Cream cheese acts as a binder, much in the same way that an egg yolk in a cookie dough does. Use regular, not whipped, cream cheese, and soften it enough that you can easily press your finger through it. Avoid the temptation to melt the cream cheese in the microwave, or else the dough will be too soft and spread too much.

The best way to soften the butter and cream cheese in this recipe, is to leave it out on the counter at room temperature for about 2 hours.

If youโ€™re making pancakes instead of cookies, I use a mixture of oil and water to replace the eggs. Try my eggless pancakes recipe.

sugar cookies no eggs

In my case, that means pull the butter and cream cheese out of the fridge when I wake up and make coffee. By the time I tell the kids weโ€™re making cookies, they want to start right away! This way, all of the ingredients are ready to go.

How to make Eggless Sugar Cookies

  1. First, put the butter and cream cheese out on the counter for about 1-2 hours to soften. Then, gather the rest of your ingredients:granulated sugar, vanilla extract, flour, baking soda and salt. Iโ€™m sure you have all of these ingredients in your house already!
    how to make cookies without eggs
  2. Preheat the oven to 350, and line a standard-sized sheet pan with parchment paper. If you donโ€™t have parchment, spray the pan with nonstick spray. Itโ€™s best to bake cookies with a light-colored cookie sheetโ€”dark metal sheets can cause cookies to cook too quickly and burn on the bottom.
    eggless cookie recipes
  3. Use an electric mixer to beat together the softened butter, cream cheese, granulated sugar and vanilla extract. Beat until very fluffy and well-blended, about 45 seconds.
    one bowl cookies
  4. Next, evenly sprinkle the flour, baking soda and salt over this mixture in the bowl. This is a one-bowl recipe, and one of the ways we accomplish this is by sprinkling the dry ingredients evenly over the bowl before mixing.
    half dozen cookies
    small batch cookies
  5. Once the dough comes together, press it flat into the bowl, and divide it in half by eye. Form 3 dough balls from each half of the dough. Roll the dough balls in sugar before placing them on the baking sheet, evenly spaced.
  6. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, and check themโ€”the edges should be just barely starting to turn golden brown and the tops of the cookies should appear dry.
  7. Remove the cookies from the oven, and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes to finish cooking before moving them to a wire rack to cool.

The cookies are best eaten the day-of, but will store in an air-tight container at room temperature for 2 days. I doubt they will last that long, though! You can freeze raw dough balls and bake directly from frozen, just add an extra few minutes in the oven. You can also freeze already baked cookies flat in between layers of parchment paper for up to 3 months. To defrost, place on counter for a few hours.

No Egg Sugar Cookies FAQs

What happens when you donโ€™t put eggs in cookies?

If you leave eggs out of a regular recipe that doesnโ€™t account for this, the resulting dough will lack moisture. Eggs help bind cake batter, pancake batter and cookies, too. However, if a recipe knows you are leaving out the eggs and has another type of binder, the result will be nearly identical to a cookie recipe with eggs.

Whatโ€™s the difference between sugar cookies and butter cookies?

Butter cookies are more similar to shortbread and has a dense, buttery flavor that crumbles when biting into it. The cookie dough for butter cookies contains less ingredients, and has a higher percentage of butter, not so surprisingly. Sugar cookies are chewy in the middles and crackly on top. They have more sugar than butter cookies, and as such, as sweeter and softer in texture.

What makes sugar cookies soft or hard?

Hard sugar cookies are over-baked. This can be because you left them in the oven too long, or you let them cool too long on the cookie sheet, which has residual heat that continues to bake the cookies. Soft sugar cookies have a higher percentage of sugar. Rolling the cookies in sugar before baking guarantees a softer sugar cookie.

More Favorites from Dessert for Two

Yield: 6

Sugar Cookie Recipe (No Eggs)

eggless sugar cookies recipe

Eggless sugar cookies, small batch of 6 of egg-free cookies.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon cream cheese, softened
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for rolling
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 350, and line a standard-sized sheet pan with parchment paper. Gather ingredients. Ingredients for eggless sugar cookies on marble table.
    2. In a medium bowl, beat with an electric the melted butter, cream cheese, granulated sugar and vanilla extract until homogenous and fluffy. Melted butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl with mixer.
    3. Next, sprinkle the flour, baking soda and sea salt on top. Beat in just to combine; do not over mix.โ€จ Flour sprinkled over cookie dough on white table.
    4. Divide the mixture into 6-7 dough balls, and roll into balls. Rolling cookie dough into balls with sugar for dipping.
    5. Roll each ball in extra granulated sugar before placing evenly spaced on the baking sheet. roll sugar cookies in sugar
    6. Bake for 10-11 minutes. They will be puffy when you remove them from the oven and start to crack as they cool. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.โ€จsugar cookie dough on pan

Notes

Store any leftover cookies in an air-tight container at room temperature for 2 days.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 129Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 103mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 0gSugar: 11gProtein: 0g

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About Christina Lane

Christina Lane is the author of 5 cookbooks all about cooking and baking for two. She has scaled down hundreds of recipes into smaller servings so you can enjoy your favorite dishes without the leftovers! Valentine's Day is her favorite holiday.

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29 Comments

  1. RiRi says:

    Love this recipe!
    I made these cookies for the first time this morning. I didnโ€™t feel like lugging out my handheld mixer so I simply used a wooden spoon & my hands to combine. I also substituted the cream cheese with a triangle of โ€œLow Fat Laughing Cowโ€. The cookies came out perfectly! Will definitely make again & double the recipe.
    Thank you for sharing!

  2. Al says:

    I love this recipe and so does my wife. She is allergic to eggs and corn. I triple the recipe and it scales up well. I make them for her every few weeks. I would like to make a chocolate version, how can I do that? Thanks again for the recipe.

  3. Patricia Russell says:

    Eggless Sugar Cookie Recipe is Great! I made today for the 1st time. Excellent cookie for a small child that cannot eat eggs!
    Thanks for another Great Recipe!

  4. Tracy Graham says:

    Can you tell me if you can roll out the dough to cut the cookies out?
    To make decorated holiday figures?

    1. Christina Lane says:

      No, roll and cut-out cookies need way more flour.

  5. Kitty says:

    My husband makes these and even though he slightly over cooked them, the centers were still fluffy and soft.

  6. Tiffany says:

    Hi!

    Can these be frozen and baked a week or so later?

    1. Christina Lane says:

      Yes, just add 1-2 minutes to bake time! Theyโ€™re done when theyโ€™re puffy, they crackle as they cool :)

  7. Cheryl says:

    Can I add a filling to this?

    1. Christina Lane says:

      I havenโ€™t tried that. Youโ€™re welcome to do it but please understand that when you change recipes, they might not turn out properly.

  8. Dawn says:

    I made these cookies because I ran out of eggs, had a sweet tooth, and wanted to see what kind of cookies I could make without eggs(I was too lazy to go to the store. lol) I made them and gave some to my friends and they loved them. It is now apart of my cookie recipes. Thank you.

  9. Abi says:

    Omg these are so good! I wanted a midnight sweet treat, and this recipe did NOT disappoint. I made them a bit larger than the recipe so I baked them for 13-15 minutes instead. So yummy, and I will absolutely be making these again :)