Description
Capture the holiday atmosphere with this recipe for vegan gingerbread cookies. They’re crisp on the outside, chewy in the middle + perfect for decorating.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) dairy-free/vegan butter, softened
- 3/4 cup organic dark brown sugar
- 3/4 cup blackstrap molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger*
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon*
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves*
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour or 1-for-1 gluten-free flour + extra for dusting
Decoration:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1–3 tablespoons plant milk of choice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Vegan food coloring and sprinkles
Instructions
- Place softened vegan butter and dark brown sugar into a bowl and cream ingredients together. We used a stand mixer, but a regular mixing bowl and hand mixer will also work!
- Add the blackstrap molasses and vanilla extract, and mix until combined.
- In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients thoroughly, then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and continue to mix until the dough is combined and resembles a breadcrumb-like texture. Be sure not to over mix the ingredients, or your gingerbread cookies will be tough.
- Turn the dough out onto a flour dusted countertop and form it into a bowl. Wrap in parchment paper or place in an air-tight container. Place the dough in the fridge to chill for 2-3 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 375F/190C and line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
- Place the chilled dough onto a flour dusted surface. Roll out the dough to 1/4 inch / 6mm thick. If desired, you can work the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to keep the dough from sticking to the counter and your hands clean!
- Cut shapes into the gingerbread dough using cookie cutters, then use a turner to carefully lift up the cut cookie dough and transfer to the lined cookie sheet. Gather up the offcuts, form into a dough ball, and repeat process of rolling out and cutting cookie shapes until all the dough is used.
- Place the cookie sheets topped with cookie dough shapes into the fridge to firm up for 10-15 minutes before baking.
- Place cookies sheets into the oven and bake for 8 minutes. Try to avoid over-baking the gingerbread cookies as they will turn hard and crunchy.
- Allow the gingerbread cookies to cool for around 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling tray.
- While the cookies are cooling, prepare the icing by mixing together powdered sugar with plant milk and vanilla extract. Add as much plant milk as needed to achieve the desired icing consistency. We found that around 2 tablespoons was the sweet spot.
- Scoop the icing into a piping bag fitted with a narrow tip, or a plastic sandwich bag with a tiny whole cut from one corner.
- Pipe patterns onto your gingerbread cookies however you like! Have fun and don’t worry too much about getting your designs perfect! We are far from award winning decorators!
- Place the decorated cookies onto a large cooling tray, in a single layer, and allow to set and dry.
- Enjoy your gingerbread cookies on the day of baking or store in an airtight container and consumer within two days.
Notes
- *Use the freshest possible spices for the tastiest gingerbread cookies.
- If you’d like to prepare this recipe ahead, freeze the dough before rolling out and baking. It will keep for at least 1 month in the freezer in an airtight container.
- Preparation and total time does not include icing and decorating the gingerbread cookies.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
Keywords: Gingerbread Cookie Recipe