A master cookie decorator I am not. But that’s okay! The great thing about gingerbread cookies, especially gingerbread men and women, is that they look cute even if you’re super unskilled in the decorating department. See? Aren’t these guys adorable? So, whether you’re looking for a fun and creative holiday activity to do with the kiddos, or just craving something sweet and festive, you should probably make these cookies. They’re super tasty too — softer and chewier than your typical gingerbread, with just the right amount of spice. They’re the best vegan gingerbread cookies, in my humble opinion!
Ingredients You’ll Need
This is going to be easy! The ingredients for vegan gingerbread are pretty close to those for regular gingerbread cookies, but without the egg. Here’s what you’ll need:
For the Cookies
Flour. Regular old all-purpose flour is what we’ll be using. I haven’t tested the recipe with any other varieties, but I think whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose gluten-free flour should work!Baking powder. Just a bit is needed in order to get our cookies to rise.Salt. This is a flavor enhancer, so don’t skip it.Spices. Lots of them! We’re using ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.Vegan butter. Look for this near the regular butter in your supermarket’s refrigerator. Some popular brands are Earth Balance and Miyoko’s. Make sure to bring it to room temperature before getting started. Use this method to soften it up if you forget to plan ahead.Brown sugar. Make sure to buy organic, to ensure it’s vegan.Vanilla extract. We’re just using a smidge, because I love the way it compliments the spices.Molasses. This adds some sweetness and gives our cookies that classic gingerbread flavor. Make sure you use regular unsulphured molasses (such as Brer Rabbit or Grandma’s brand). Don’t use blackstrap molasses — it cooks up differently from regular molasses and can totally ruin a recipe when it’s not called for!
For the Vegan Gingerbread Frosting
Powdered sugar. Again, make sure to buy organic.Water. Just a couple of tablespoons is all you need to turn that powdered sugar into frosting!Vanilla extract. For flavor.Vegan food coloring. This is totally optional, and as you can see, I didn’t use it. I have a box of this brand in my pantry, but again, I didn’t use it, so I can’t (yet) vouch for its quality.
How to Make Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe! Make sure to get started early in the day or a day in advance, because the dough will need to chill completely before you can use it.
Start by stirring your dry ingredients together in a large bowl: flour, spices, baking powder, and salt. Set the mixture aside.Now place your (room temperature) vegan butter and brown sugar into another bowl, and whip them together with an electric mixer. Once they’re mixed, add the vanilla and molasses.Beat everything together again.
Now start beating in the dry ingredients, just a bit at a time. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Continue adding and beating until everything is mixed and you’ve got a thick dough.
Split the cookie dough into two halves and roll each half into a ball. Wrap each ball tightly in plastic and place them in the fridge until they’re completely chilled. This will take a few hours, but it’s important. Chilling the dough will firm it up so it’s easy to roll and cut.
When the dough has finished chilling, sprinkle some flour on the counter. Take one of your dough halves out of the fridge and roll it out. Tip: Do your best to work quickly when rolling and cutting your cookies. The longer the dough is out of the refrigerator the softer it will get, which will make it difficult to work with. This often results in not-fun things like dough sticking to your cookie cutters, broken limbs, and such.Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut it into fun shapes. Go traditional and make vegan gingerbread men and women, or try some fun shapes like stars, hearts, snowflakes…whatever! Be efficient in your cookie cutting. Cut them close together! Because again, the more times you need to roll the dough the softer it’ll get.Arrange the cookies on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake them for about 10 minutes.Tip: For soft vegan gingerbread cookies, keep the bake-time low. For firmer cookies, bake them longer.
When the cookies come out of the oven you’ll need to transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely before they’re ready to frost. In the meantime you can whip up your frosting.Transfer your frosting to a pastry bag and decorate away!Decorating tip: You’ll probably find that the little bit of frosting in the opening of your pastry bag often dries out between decorating cookies, which makes it difficult to get it to stick when you start a new cookie. Keep a damp cloth on hand to wipe away the dried out bit just before you start decorating each cookie.
Shelf-Life & Storage
These vegan gingerbread cookies will keep in a sealed container at room temperature for about 2 weeks, or in the freezer for about 2 months.
More Vegan Holiday Cookies
Vegan Peanut Butter BlossomsVegan Oatmeal Raisin CookiesVegan Chocolate Chip CookiesVegan SnickerdoodlesVegan Sugar CookiesVegan Peanut Butter Cookies
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