Vegan Bourbon Vanilla Cookies

Jul 12, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Baking Cookies bars Origin: Ugandan Vanilla: Beans Easy

Vegan bourbon vanilla cookies made with Ugandan vanilla

Vegan bourbon cookies flavored with a whole vanilla bean. An easy recipe: 20 minutes of prep and 12 minutes of cooking; makes 24 cookies. Best vanilla for this: Ugandan (bold, chocolatey, smoky), or Indonesian (deep, woody, savory). Any pure vanilla works.

Prep 20 min

Cook 12 min

Total 32 min

Yield 24 cookies

Diet Vegan

Ingredients

Adjust yield

2 ¼ cups (270.0 g)all-purpose flour
1.0 cup (227.0 g)vegan butter, softened
¾ cup (150.0 g)granulated sugar
¾ cup (160.0 g)brown sugar, packed
2.0flax eggs (1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water each)
1.0 tsp (5.0 g)baking soda
½ tspfine sea salt
1.0vanilla bean, split and scraped
2.0 tbsp (30.0 ml)bourbon

Make it at home

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Make the flax eggs: stir 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed with 6 tablespoons of water and let it sit for 5 minutes, until thick and gel-like.
Cream the softened butter with both sugars until fluffy and lightened, 2 to 3 minutes, then beat in the vanilla.
Beat the bourbon into the butter mixture until combined.
Add the flax eggs and mix until the dough is smooth and uniform.
Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt until just combined and no dry streaks remain; don't overmix.
Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden but the centers still look soft.
Let the cookies rest on the sheet for 5 minutes to finish setting, then transfer to a rack.

Tips

Bourbon's caramel and oak notes echo vanilla; a wheated bourbon gives the smoothest result.
Don't toss the scraped pods: tuck them into a jar of sugar for homemade vanilla sugar.
No vanilla bean? Use 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla powder instead. Add it where the recipe adds the seeds; if the bean is steeped in hot milk or cream, stir the swap in after cooking, off the heat.
Choosing vanilla: Ugandan vanilla (bold, chocolatey, smoky) suits this recipe best; Indonesian (deep, woody, savory) is a great alternative, and any pure vanilla works.

Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make vanilla cookies?

Plan on 20 minutes of prep and 12 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes 24 cookies.

How should I store vanilla cookies?

Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze the baked cookies for up to 2 months.

Can I use a different form of vanilla?

Yes. This version uses 1 split vanilla bean. You can swap in 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon of vanilla bean paste, or 1 teaspoon of vanilla powder instead; they're interchangeable at these amounts. Beans give the most visible specks and the fullest aroma.

What makes this recipe vegan?

It uses plant-based swaps for every animal ingredient: vegan butter, softened, flax eggs (1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water each). Check that your plant butter and other packaged ingredients are certified vegan.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 24 servings this recipe makes.

164 Calories / serving

8.0g Fat

21.5g Carbs

1.4g Protein

12.7g Sugar

Whole recipe (24 servings): ~3936 cal · 192g fat · 516g carbs · 34g protein · 305g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.

Per serving · 164 calories

What it takes to burn one serving

Brisk walking 31 min·1.8 mi·~3650 steps
Walking uphill or incline treadmill 22 min·1.1 mi·~2200 steps
Moderate cycling 17 min·3.4 mi
Swimming laps 23 min
Jogging 16 min·1.3 mi·~2550 steps
Stair climbing 15 min·~1350 steps
Dancing 27 min
Bodyweight circuit training 17 min
Cleaning, errands, or playing with the dog 38 min

Rough estimates for one serving, based on standard MET values at about 155 lb. Your own burn depends on body size, effort, and fitness. Shown for context only — food is not something you have to earn.