Since we’ve just stepped into December, I think Christmas cookie baking season is officially open. Any naysayers out there? I started with the most popular Christmas cookie – gingerbread cookies. Although I already have two delicious gingerbread cookie recipes on this website ( here and here ), I decided I needed one more. Firstly because I felt like getting into the cookie decorating game – I won’t lie – and secondly because I wanted to make a simple recipe with only basic ingredients that any vegan could find in their pantry or nearest shopping aisle.
This recipe is just that, it contains common pantry ingredients that anyone should be able to find without much effort. The only slightly unusual ingredient is molasses. Molasses is a byproduct of the sugar refining process and has traditionally been added to gingerbread to deepen its flavor. I used pure blackstrap molasses because that’s what I had in my cupboard. If you add a lot (I tested another version with double the amount), they contribute to a slightly bitter taste, but dialing up to 2 tablespoons was perfect. You can use black treacle or unsulphured molasses instead. You can just skip them and compensate according to my recipe instructions. Ok, so let’s get down to it, below you can see all the necessary ingredients at a glance…
More about ingredients
Vegan butter: Replace traditionally used butter with vegan butter blocks (I like to use Naturli and Violife, but those are available in most UK supermarkets). You can also use coconut oil. I recommend using a refined coconut oil like this one because it doesn’t contribute any coconut flavor.
Muscovoda Sugar: Muscovado sugar, which is less refined than other sugars so it contains more molasses, contributes a lot of flavor to these cookies. I used dark muscovado but a lighter version can be used, especially if you also use molasses.
Molasses: Molasses, a byproduct of refining sugar cane or sugar beets into sugar, is traditionally used in gingerbread to add flavor. I used blackstrap molasses, which has a slightly bitter taste. If you want to avoid bitterness altogether, use sulfur-free molasses instead. You can also use black treacle, which is more traditionally used in the UK, instead. If you don’t have any of these ingredients, don’t worry – you can make perfectly nice gingerbread without one of them – I explain everything in step 4 of my instructions.
Ground Flax: If you make them with regular flour, there is no need to add hemp. However, if you want to make these gluten-free, use a balanced GF flour mix (which contains some starch) and add some flax to keep them from breaking down.
I milk: A dash of protein-rich soy milk is used here to replace eggs. You don’t have to use soy milk if you don’t have it, any plant milk will do.
Baking Soda: Baking soda is what helps these cookies rise a bit and keeps them from being too dense.
Spices: I used the following combination of classic gingerbread spices to flavor these Christmas cookies: ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and cloves. You can adjust the quantity and swap out some spices as per your preference. All spices, coriander and black pepper are often used.
Flour: All purpose (also known as plain) flour is what I use to make these and this GF flour mix to make the gluten-free version.
Start by placing vegan butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. If your butter is cold, let it sit on the counter to soften a bit. Using an electric beater, cream the vegan butter and sugar together until fluffy and thoroughly combined.
Next, add jaggery and active hemp (if making GF version) or soy milk (if making regular version). Beat until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. You will end up with a thick homogeneous mixture.
Place a sieve into the bowl and sift in the baking soda, spices, salt and half the flour. First fold it in gently using a spatula, then add the second half of the flour and switch to your hands – be gentle if using regular (glutinous) flour. You should end up with a pretty soft dough.
After chilling the dough, roll it out to 5 mm / 0.2 inch and cut out the gingerbreads using a cookie cutter. Bake and cool before decorating.
And if you’re after a few more Christmas cookie and truffle recipes, I’ve got you covered…
- 75 g / 2.7 oz (about 1/3 cup) vegan butter block or coconut oil
- 9 grams / 1½ tablespoons ground flax (if using GF flour)
- 60 ml/¼ cup soy milk (or other plant milk)
- 100 g / packed ½ cup dark muscovado sugar
- 40g/2tbsp molasses* or an additional 25g/2tbsp muscovado sugar
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 2¼ teaspoons ginger
- 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 250 g / 2 cups all purpose flour or GF flour mix
Icing and natural decorating ideas (optional)
- 140 g / 1 cup icing / confectioner’s sugar
- 20 ml / 4 tsp water, lemon juice or plant milk
method
- Measure the vegan butter, place it in a large mixing bowl and leave it on the counter to soften.
- If making them with gluten-free flour, combine the ground flax with 60 ml (¼ cup) soy milk and set aside to thicken. Otherwise go to next step.
- When the butter is soft, add the sugar and beat with an electric beater until smooth and fluffy.
- Then add the jaggery and ¼ cup soy milk (or activated flax if using GF flour). If not using molasses, add an additional 25 grams / 2 tablespoons of sugar and a total of 80 ml / 1/3 cup of soy milk (or an additional tablespoon of soy milk if using activated flax and GF flour). Stir until well combined and creamy.
- Place a sieve over the bowl and sift out all the dry ingredients, including about half the flour. Mix well to combine, then sift in another half of the flour. Use your hands to gently bring the dough together but do not knead.
- The dough should be soft and slightly sticky. Form it into a disk, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for about 3 hours, until the dough is firm.
- Before you take the dough out of the fridge, set the oven to 180° C / 355° F and line two baking trays with a baking paper.
- Take the dough out of the fridge – if you are using coconut oil, bring the dough to room temperature to soften it a bit. Roll out half of the dough (refrigerate the other half) on a lightly floured surface and gently press with a rolling pin. Roll out the dough until it’s about 5 mm / 0.2 inch thick, then cut out cookies. If you want your gingerbreads extra crispy, make them thinner.
- Arrange the cookies on the prepared baking tray. You don’t need to leave a lot of space between them because they don’t stretch too much. Group cookies of the same size together so they cook at the same time. Bake the smaller cookies for about 7-9 minutes and the larger ones for 10-12 minutes.
- To make the icing, mix the icing sugar with your liquid of choice until you get a thick but pourable icing. Apply the icing using a piping bag.
- Store the biscuits in an air-tight container away from moisture, they should keep for at least a week.
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*Freezing: This dough freezes very well. You can make it in advance, divide into 2-3 portions (so it thaws faster) and freeze wrapped in cling film. Defrost several hours before you are ready to start baking.