Vegan Gingerbread Cookies

Gingerbread cookies are honestly my absolute favourite! And they’re perfect for when it’s getting cold out too. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, dried ginger is called Gan Jiang and is used in herbal medicine to warm the interior. Which basically means ginger produces a warming effect when consumed- this is great for boosting the immune system and fighting common colds!

I really like this recipe because it’s 100% plant based which means that there are no eggs, butter or dairy products. So if it makes you feel any better, these cookies are *healthier* than non-vegan gingerbread cookies 😉 And you also get to enjoy all of the benefits from the real dried herbs used!

Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients:

• 3 ¼ cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon powdered ginger
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ​¾ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup vegan butter (room temperature)
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ¾ cup unsulphured molasses
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation time: 15 minutes prep time + 8 minutes bake time per batch of cookies

Serving Size: Makes about 36 medium sized cookies

Directions

1. In a medium sized mixing bowl, add in the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Mix and set aside.
2. In a separate large bowl, add in the butter and brown sugar. Use an electric mixer to beat until smooth (you should see no brown sugar clumps!) Add in the molasses and vanilla and continue mixing until uniform & creamy.
3. Begin adding the flour mixture to the butter mixture, one spoonful at a time while beating with the electric mixer. Make sure you scrape down the sides with a spoon.
4. As the mixture starts forming a dough, use hands to knead.
5. Once dough is formed, preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.
6. In the meantime, sprinkle a flat surface and rolling pin with flour.
7. Place dough ball in the centre and roll outwards until it’s about 1/8 inch thick.
8. Cut dough using cookie cutters, I used small and medium sized hearts but you can use any shape you want! The classic gingerbread man is very cute~
9. Transfer cookie shapes to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. These cookies don’t expand too much in the oven so you can place them about 1/2 apart.
10. Bake for about 8 minutes.
11. Let cool down a lil and enjoy while warm! You can also put them in a container and save them to snack on for a few days.

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Quick Tips:

• If you chill the dough for up to 3 hours, it will be much easier to handle and shape. It’s a good idea to chill it if you want your cookies to look more photogenic.
• Make sure you use a larger bowl for the butter mixture because you need enough space to add the flour mixture in.