Description
These Vegan Gingerbread Cookies are perfect for the holiday season, featuring a warm blend of spices and sweet molasses. Made with gluten-free all-purpose flour, refined coconut oil, and a maple syrup and brown sugar sweetness, these cookies are soft, chewy, or crispy depending on the thickness you choose. The recipe includes a vegan-friendly aquafaba icing that can also be made with egg whites for a classic touch.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups Bob’s Red Mill GF All Purpose 1:1 Baking Flour (can substitute regular all-purpose flour if not gluten free)
- 2 ½ tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp cloves
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup refined coconut oil or vegan butter, softened but not melted
- ⅓ cup molasses
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
Icing
- ¼ cup liquid from can of chickpeas (aquafaba) OR 2 egg whites
- 3 cups sifted powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-3 tsp water as needed
Instructions
- Prepare Wet Ingredients: Beat together all of the wet ingredients — refined coconut oil or vegan butter, molasses, maple syrup, and dark brown sugar — until well combined using an electric mixer.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, mix together the gluten-free all-purpose flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and cloves. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon and making sure to spoon and level the flour accurately.
- Chill Dough: Cover the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up and make rolling easier.
- Preheat Oven: While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Roll and Cut: Roll the chilled dough using a rolling pin to about ¼ to ½ inch thick, depending on whether you prefer a crispier or chewier cookie. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes, lightly oiling and flouring cutters to prevent sticking. Place the cutouts on a parchment-lined baking sheet with space between each cookie.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 8-11 minutes. The cookies are done when they have an even color and the centers no longer look raw. They will be soft initially but will harden as they cool.
- Prepare Icing: To make the icing, beat either ¼ cup of aquafaba or 2 egg whites until foamy. Gradually add sifted powdered sugar and vanilla extract, continuing to beat until the mixture is smooth, creamy, and pipeable. Add 2-3 teaspoons of water as needed to reach the right consistency.
- Decorate: Wait until the cookies are completely cooled before frosting. Use a piping bag or a plastic squeeze bottle to decorate as desired.
Notes
- Lightly oil and dust cookie cutters with flour to prevent dough from sticking and help retain cookie shapes. Cut cookies, transfer them with the cutter on a spatula to the baking sheet, then remove cutters.
- If you don’t have cookie cutters, form dough balls and flatten with fingers for round cookies. Adding ½ tsp baking soda can help cookies spread more if desired. Bake for usual 8-11 minutes.
- Measure flour properly by scooping it into a dry measuring cup and leveling it off instead of scooping directly from the bag, especially important for gluten-free baking.
- Use a gluten-free flour blend with xanthan gum or regular all-purpose flour if not gluten free.
- The thickness of the rolled dough affects texture: thinner yields crispier cookies; thicker yields chewier ones.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (approx. 30g)
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 90mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
