Vegan Gingerbread Cookies With Icing Recipe - Plantiful Bakery (2024)

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These Vegan Gingerbread Cookies are perfectly spiced with ginger and cinnamon and flavored with molasses. They are crispy and delicate. This recipe for Homemade Gingerbread Cookies decorated with easy white icing is the best for Christmas baking.

Vegan Gingerbread Cookies With Icing Recipe - Plantiful Bakery (1)

THESE GINGERBREAD COOKIES ARE:

  • vegan
  • egg-free
  • dairy-free
  • crispy
  • spicy
  • warm
  • flavorful
  • tasty
  • best Christmas cookies

Vegan Gingerbread Cookies With Icing Recipe - Plantiful Bakery (2)

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE VEGAN GINGERBREAD COOKIES WITH ICING:

You need the following ingredients to make these Gingerbread Cookies:

  • Vegan butter – Use vegan butter that has around 75-80% fat. Don’t forget to let it soften at room temperature before making the dough.
  • Brown sugar – You can use coconut sugar instead.
  • Unsulphured molasses – Adds that characteristic gingerbread flavor.
  • Unsweetened almond milk – Use any unsweetened plant-based milk of your choice.
  • All-purpose flour – I don’t recommend using any other type of flour for this recipe.
  • Cocoa powder – adds color to the cookies. Use unsweetened cocoa powder.
  • Gingerbread spices – The recipe calls for ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. You can always adjust the spices.
  • Baking powder – Helps to raise the dough.
  • Sea salt – to bring out all those flavors.
  • Icing sugar – for the gingerbread icing.
  • Cornstarch

Equipment you need:

  • Mixing bowl – for mixing the gingerbread dough
  • Hand mixer or stand mixer
  • Sifter
  • Wooden spoon or spatula
  • Plastic wrapper
  • Rolling pin
  • Cookie cutters
  • Baking tray – I recommend using one with a lighter surface, so the cookies won’t get brown too much on the bottom
  • Parchment paper
  • Medium-size bowl – for the icing
  • Piping bag

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HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE VEGAN GINGERBREAD COOKIES WITH ICING:

You will find the instructions and ingredients list in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

1. Step: Make the gingerbread dough

To the mixing bowl, add soft vegan butter, brown sugar, and molasses. Cream together with a hand mixer (or use a stand mixer) for about 1 minute. Add unsweetened almond milk. Mix until combine. Next, sift all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves, and baking soda. Add a pinch of sea salt. Mix everything with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined.

2. Step: Let the dough chill

Wrap the gingerbread dough in a plastic wrapper and put it in the fridge to let it chill overnight (or at least for about 3 hours). It will help to combine the flavors and firm the dough, so it will be easier to work with it.

3. Step: Let the dough thaw and preheat the oven

The next day, take the dough off the fridge and let it thaw at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 170°C.

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4. Step: Roll out the dough and cut out cookies

Unwrap the dough and place it on a lightly floured surface. Always try to use as little flour as possible. (However, the dough should never stick to the surface or rolling pin.) Lightly flour the dough as well.

Roll out the dough evenly using a rolling pin to around 0,5 cm (1/5 in) thick. Use any shape of the cookie cutter to cut out cookies. Dip the cookie cutter into flour every time you cut a new cookie, so the dough doesn’t stick to it.

Gather the scraps of dough, form into a ball, and roll out again. Cut more cookies. Repeat this process until there is no more dough.

Vegan Gingerbread Cookies With Icing Recipe - Plantiful Bakery (5)

5. Step: Bake the gingerbread cookies

Carefully transfer the cookies onto a baking tray with parchment paper. Bake in preheated oven for about 6-7 minutes. Baking time depends on how large and thick your cookies are, so make sure to keep your eyes on them. If you want softer cookies, bake them for a shorter time.

After cookies are baked, transfer them to a cooling rack. Let them cool completely before decorating.

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6. Step: Make icing and decorate cookies

To a medium-size bowl, sift icing sugar and cornstarch. Then add almond milk and whisk until combined into thick icing (it should hold shape). You can add more milk if it’s too thick.

After the cookies are cooled, transfer the icing to a piping bag and decorate your cookies.

Make sure to let the icing harden.

Store your gingerbread cookies in an airtight container.

Vegan Gingerbread Cookies With Icing Recipe - Plantiful Bakery (7)

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

HOW LONG WILL THE GINGERBREAD DOUGH LAST IN THE FRIDGE?

You can make the dough ahead a few days and keep it in the fridge. It will last up to one week.

HOW TO STORE VEGAN GINGERBREAD COOKIES?

Place the cookies in an airtight container and keep them in a cool, dry place. Make sure that the icing is completely dry first.

HOW LONG GINGERBREAD COOKIES LAST?

Gingerbread cookies will last for about 4 weeks in a cool, dry place.

CAN YOU FREEZE GINGERBREAD COOKIES?

Yes, you can freeze gingerbread cookies. Place them into a covered container and keep them in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Vegan Gingerbread Cookies With Icing Recipe - Plantiful Bakery (8)

IF YOU LIKE THIS RECIPE, MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE FOLLOWING:

  • Vegan Gingerbread Sheet Cake With Molasses Frosting
  • Walnut Crescent Cookies
  • Vegan Hot Chocolate With Rum
  • Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake
  • Homemade Vegan Nutella

If you try this recipe, please let me know by leaving a comment below. Or share your photo on Instagram and tag @plantifulbakery.

Vegan Gingerbread Cookies With Icing Recipe - Plantiful Bakery (9)

VEGAN GINGERBREAD COOKIES WITH ICING

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These Vegan Gingerbread Cookies are perfectly spiced with ginger and cinnamon and flavored with molasses. They are crispy and delicate. This recipe for Homemade Gingerbread Cookies decorated with easy white icing is the best for Christmas baking.

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Course: Cookie, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Czech

Diet: Vegan

Yield: 35 cookies (approx.)

Calories: 48kcal

Author: Plantiful Bakery

Ingredients

For the gingerbread cookies:

  • 70 g vegan butter, soft, (around 75-80% fat)
  • 90 g brown sugar
  • 40 g unsulphured molasses
  • 3 tbsp (45 ml) unsweetened almond milk
  • 200 g all-purpose flour, + extra for flouring
  • 1/2 tbsp (3 g) cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • pinch sea salt

For the icing:

  • 80 g icing sugar
  • 8 g (1 tbsp) corn starch
  • 20 ml (1 tbsp + 1 tsp) unsweetened almond milk

Instructions

Make the gingerbread cookies:

  • To the mixing bowl, add soft vegan butter, brown sugar, and molasses. Cream together with a hand mixer for about 1 minute. Add unsweetened almond milk. Mix until combine. Next, sift all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves, and baking soda. Add a pinch of sea salt. Mix everything with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined.

  • Wrap the gingerbread dough in a plastic wrapper and put it in the fridge to let it chill overnight (or at least for about 3 hours).

  • The next day, take the dough off the fridge and let it thaw at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes.

  • Preheat the oven to 170°C.

  • Unwrap the dough and place it on a lightly floured surface. Lightly flour the dough.

  • Roll out the dough evenly using a rolling pin to around 0,5 cm (1/5 in) thick. Use any shape of the cookie cutter to cut out cookies. Dip the cookie cutter into flour every time you cut a new cookie.

  • Gather the scraps of dough, form into a ball, and roll out again. Cut more cookies. Repeat this process until there is no more dough.

  • Carefully transfer the cookies onto a baking tray with parchment paper. Bake in preheated oven for about 6-7 minutes. Baking time depends on how large and thick your cookies are, so make sure to keep your eyes on them.

  • After cookies are baked, transfer them to a cooling rack and let cool completely before decorating.

Make the icing:

  • To a medium-size bowl, sift icing sugar and cornstarch. Then add almond milk and whisk until combined into thick icing (it should hold shape).

  • After the cookies are cooled, transfer the icing to a piping bag and decorate your cookies.

  • Make sure to let the icing harden before storing it in an airtight container.

Notes

The prep time does not include the chilling time of the dough.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1 cookie (aprox. 12g) / Calories: 48kcal / Total Fat: 1,7g / Saturated Fat: 0,8g / Cholesterol: 0mg / Sodium: 8,6mg / Total Carbohydrate: 7,7g / Fiber: 0,2g / Sugar: 3,1g / Protein: 0,7g / Calcium: 13,4mg / Iron: 0,3mg / Potassium: 35mg

*The nutrition facts are for guidance only and are counted without the icing.

Nutrition

Calories: 48kcal

Did you make this recipe?Tag @plantifulbakery on Instagram and hashtag it #plantifulbakery!

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Vegan Gingerbread Cookies With Icing Recipe - Plantiful Bakery (2024)

FAQs

Why are my ginger cookies so hard? ›

“There are some gingerbread recipes that are hard right after baking and need to sit for a few days to soften. Molasses and honey hardens gingerbread, but as the sugar absorbs moisture, it will get softer.”

What is the main ingredient in gingerbread cookies trivia? ›

Expert-Verified Answer

The main ingredient in gingerbread cookies are flour, ginger or molasses, honey, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and sweetened with sugar. Although it was first brought to Europe in 992 AD by an Armenian monk named Gregory of Nicopolis, gingerbread in Europe really comes from Torun, Poland.

Is a gingerbread house a cookie? ›

A gingerbread house is a novelty confectionery shaped like a building that is made of cookie dough, cut and baked into appropriate components like walls and roofing. The usual base material is crisp gingerbread, hence the name.

Why do gingerbread cookies spread? ›

Putting warm dough into the oven will cause the dough to immediately “melt” before it bakes. This results in wider, blob cookies- not what you want! Prevent gingerbread cookies from spreading by chilling the dough after you have cut out your shapes, letting it get a little more firm before going into the oven.

What makes gingerbread hard or soft? ›

A 1:4 ratio of butter to flour makes the gingerbread strong. Corn syrup keeps freshly baked gingerbread pliable and soft, so it's easy to cut while warm.

Why do my homemade cookies get hard so fast? ›

Cookies become hard when the moisture in them evaporates. This can be caused by leaving them out in the air for too long, baking them for too long, or storing them improperly. The lack of moisture makes the cookies hard and dry, which makes them difficult to enjoy.

What are the three types of gingerbread? ›

The three distinct types of gingerbread are brown gingerbread, wafer-based gingerbread and honey gingerbread.
  • BROWN GINGERBREAD.
  • WAFER GINGERBREAD.
  • HONEY GINGERBREAD.

Why not use blackstrap molasses in gingerbread? ›

Answer: You wouldn't use blackstrap molasses in recipes for gingerbread because the taste is too intense. It would overwhelm the other flavors. There is no difference between sugar cane grown in mid Missouri and sugar cane grown in southern Mississippi.

What country is known for gingerbread cookies? ›

In Germany, gingerbread cookies called lebkuchen were heart-shaped and decorated with romantic messages. The city of Nuremberg became known as the "gingerbread capital of the world" in the 1600s, with master bakers creating elaborate works of art.

Can dogs eat gingerbread? ›

The simple answer is no; dogs should not be given gingerbread. In addition to the large amounts of sugar and fat, gingerbread often includes nutmeg, which can be toxic to dogs. For more information, we spoke to veterinarian Dr. Lindsay Butzer opens in a new tab for how to keep your dogs safe this holiday season.

Why do people eat gingerbread cookies? ›

Medieval gingerbread was not just about showing off to your guests. It also served a practical purpose at feasts. Gingerbread was served as a sweetmeat at the end of a meal as part of the 'void' or 'voidee'. Initially, the 'void' was the term used for the clearing of the table between courses.

What is the dark history of gingerbread? ›

​Superstitions about gingerbread flourished in the 17th century. Witches supposedly made gingerbread figures, ate them, and thereby caused the death of their enemies. Dutch magistrates went so far as to declare baking or eating molded cookies illegal.

Why is my gingerbread falling apart? ›

From doubling up on molasses to using too much flour, there is a lot that can go wrong. Forgetting the molasses resulted in a crumbly cookie that was light in color. Combining all ingredients at once created lumps in the finished product.

What is the secret to thick cookies? ›

A low proportion of sugar relative to flour reduces spread, keeping the cookies thick. A high proportion of mix-ins helps thicken the dough.

How long will homemade gingerbread keep? ›

It will stay fresh at room temperature for up to five days and you can freeze it too, so you can make it ahead of time. Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan-forced. Line two baking trays with baking paper. Once cooled, decorate your gingerbread with icing, lollies and Christmas decorations.

What does it mean when cookies are too hard? ›

Why are my cookies hard and crunchy? You most likely either used too much flour or baked them for too long.

How do you make cookies that don't get hard? ›

Putting a slice of fresh white bread in the container with the cookies will help the cookies stay soft: fresh bread is moist, and that slice will give up its moisture for the greater good: keeping the cookies from drying out.

Do gingerbread cookies harden as they cool? ›

Gingerbread Cookies are done when they are set and begin to brown slightly at the edges. They will harden further as they cool, so avoid overbaking so you don't end up with hard, crunchy gingerbread!

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