Description
These Vegan Gingerbread Cookies are a delightful, refined sugar-free treat perfect for the Christmas season. Made with wholesome ingredients like spelt flour, coconut sugar, and warming spices, these cookies are soft, flavorful, and topped with a creamy coconut butter frosting that’s dairy-free. Whether you’re vegan or simply want a healthier holiday cookie, this recipe offers a festive and delicious option that’s easy to bake and decorate.
Ingredients
Scale
Gingerbread Cookies
- 2 cups (240g) spelt flour, or plain/all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- ¼ cup (55g) vegan butter, chilled block or room temperature spreadable
- ½ cup (100g) coconut sugar
- ¼ cup (85g) maple syrup
- ¼ cup (60g) water, or as needed
- 1 tablespoon ground chia or flax seeds
- 2-3 teaspoons ground cinnamon, to taste
- 2-3 teaspoons ground ginger, to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt
Frosting
- ½ cup (65g) coconut butter, softened
- 1-3 tablespoons dairy-free milk, as needed
Instructions
- Mix the dough: Add all the cookie ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Use a spoon and your hands to mix until the dough comes together, adjusting with more flour or water as needed until soft and pliable. Alternatively, use a food processor or stand mixer for thorough mixing.
- Chill the dough: Place the dough in an airtight container and refrigerate for 1 hour or freeze for 30 minutes until firm enough to roll out.
- Preheat oven: When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Roll and cut cookies: Roll the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to about 8mm (0.3 inch) thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut shapes and transfer carefully to a lined baking tray, spacing cookies apart. Re-roll and cut remaining dough.
- Bake: Bake the cookies in the oven for about 10 minutes or until edges turn slightly golden brown. Remove and let cool completely on the baking tray.
- Make frosting: Mix the softened coconut butter with dairy-free milk until a thick paste forms. Adjust consistency by adding more coconut butter to thicken or milk to thin.
- Decorate: Use a fine tipped piping bag to decorate the cooled cookies with the coconut butter frosting as desired.
- Serve and store: Enjoy the cookies immediately for best texture, or store them in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Notes
- If using all-purpose flour, start without water and add gradually until dough consistency is right, as all-purpose flour absorbs less water than spelt.
- Molasses can substitute maple syrup but yields softer, chewier cookies; slightly underbake if using molasses.
- For easier frosting application, you can use a conventional sugar frosting made from powdered sugar and plant-based milk, but coconut butter frosting keeps the recipe refined sugar-free.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 7g
- Sodium: 90mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
