What makes our vegan gingerbread cookies the best ever? Well, our secret ingredient is love…just kidding, it’s the creamy and nutty taste of almond butter! Whether you’re a fan of a tough ginger cookie or a soft one, our recipe satisfies both by being crispy on the edges and soft and chewy in the middle, thanks to this star ingredient. You can also feel good knowing that you’re eating cookies that have fibre, good fats and a balance of spices that support the immune system. Whether you’re vegan or not, this cookie recipe is sure to satisfy your sugar cravings this holiday season.
Best-Ever Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 12 minutes
Makes: 24 cookies
Ingredients:
Cookie Dough
1 Tbsp ground flax or chia seeds
3 Tbsp warm water
¼ cup fancy molasses or unsulphured molasses
¼ cup coconut oil, softened
¼ cup almond butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cups spelt flour
⅓ cup coconut sugar
1 ½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp cloves
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp sea salt
Maple Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp vegan butter
1 Tbsp almond milk
½ tsp maple syrup
Directions:
1. Make a vegan egg by placing 1 Tbsp of ground flax or chia seeds in a bowl with 3 Tbsp of warm water. Stir to combine, then let sit for 10 minutes until a gelatinous texture forms.
2. In a bowl, mix together all wet ingredients: the vegan egg, molasses, softened coconut oil, almond butter and vanilla extract.
3. In a separate bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients: spelt flour, coconut sugar, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda and sea salt. Mix well so the spices are evenly dispersed. Then pour the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and begin mixing together with your spatula until a batter forms.
4. Form the dough into a ball (you can leave it in the bowl) and then chill it in the fridge for 25 minutes. This will make it easier to roll out and cut with a cookie cutter.
5. While it’s chilling, preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
6. Once chilled, place the dough between two long sheets of parchment paper and use your rolling pin to roll it out. It should be about ¼ inch thick.
7. Using your cookie cutters, cut out 24 cookies. You can take the leftover scraps and either roll them into smaller cookies or flatten them out to be cut again.
8. Place the cookies on the baking sheet and bake in the oven for 12 minutes.
9. Take the cookies out of the oven and allow them to cool for 10 minutes before removing them from the baking sheet.
10. While the cookies are cooling, make the icing by mixing together the powdered sugar and vegan butter. Then stir in the almond milk and maple syrup until a thick texture forms. Pour the icing into a plastic Ziplock bag, squeeze out any air, then cut off a small corner of the bag to decorate.
11. You can decorate the cookies with icing, sprinkle a little cinnamon sugar on top or leave as is.
Want more gingerbread? Check out Anna Olson’s best gingerbread recipes!