Vegan Gingerbread Cookies with Royal Icing
What a week! Filled with late nights, buttercream cakes and dirty wine glasses. It’s been a while since I’ve had some time to write but hey, I’m back. Plus I’ve returned with a sweet recipe. The Internet is all a buzz with Christmas cookie swaps and I couldn’t help but include a bunch of new cookies to the round up this year. Of course, there’s the classic chocolate chip and sugar cookie but I’m definitely looking into doing alfajores or lace cookies sandwiched with the darkest chocolate I can find.
Today is for gingerbread. I have a weak spot for these softly spiced cookies and their beautiful designs. I went pretty simple with mine but you can definitely do something more ornate if you have the time (and more cookie cutters). There was a time when someone used to gift us a huge gingerbread house every year but with the pandemic still horrifyingly mutating, we haven’t received any cookie rations recently. Naturally, I had to make some this year. Between you and me, my family won’t even touch these unless there’s a lick of chocolate on it so they will definitely be destined for my belly. (update: I was right. I ended up eating the whole batch)
Let’s talk about this cookie dough which is a dream to handle! It comes together with your usual pantry staples like flour, butter, sweeteners, flaxseed, spices and a pinch of salt to bring everything together. I ran out of molasses last minute so I had to sub in brown sugar and agave which worked wonders. I can’t for dear life justify buying a huge bottle of syrup knowing I’m only going to use a few spoons from it. But if you do happen to have a bottle by all means use it. Next time, I will definitely reach for a dark brown sugar or even muscovado to achieve the classic russet gingerbread color.
How to make Vegan Royal Icing
Now here it comes, the secret to vegan royal icing that HARDENS is using aquafaba! I admit I was very skeptical at first but it worked incredibly! The finished frosting pipes perfectly and hardened after a few minutes of drying. I was worried that the aquafaba would impart a bean-y taste to the frosting but it was all very neutral and I could only taste the subtle vanilla that I added in.
Here’s how to make Vegan Royal Icing: Grab a bowl and mix all the royal icing ingredients together with a spoon. If you are new to decorating with royal icing (Border icing and flood icing), I recommend going here or here for a step by step. After your icing is all mixed up and smooth, place it in a piping bag and start decorating. That’s it!
I had such a wow moment making this! I’m telling you it’s practically the same as any other royal icing recipe plus it’s so easy to make. I kept my frosting white but you can add a gel food coloring to add variety. You can use liquid food coloring too but they tend to bleed colors which can be very annoying. (the last thing you want to happen after spending all that time decorating!) My next project is to try natural dyes like matcha and berries to see how the icing fares. Who’s up for experimenting with me?
Just A Few Tips
- Before starting on these vegan Gingerbread Christmas Cookies, check if your spices are fresh. Stale spices will taste bland and won’t give you the depth and warmth that should be in gingerbread.
- Yes, you can use this recipe to make gingerbread houses. I always love Amy’s guide from Constellation Inspiration when making incredible cookie houses. You can also use the royal icing here as your glue.
- If your dough gets too soft to handle, just place it back in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes then start rolling again.
- If you don’t have flaxseed on hand, you can use applesauce, mashed banana or even pumpkin puree as a replacement. Just keep in mind that this will affect the flavor of the gingerbread somewhat.
Let me know if you tried making these Vegan Gingerbread Christmas Cookies by leaving a rating/comment down below! Can’t wait to hear all about it! Merry Christmas!
Vegan Gingerbread Cookies with Royal Icing
Ingredients
- 375 g (3 cups) all purpose flour ,sifted
- 1¾ tsp ground ginger
- 1¾ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp cloves
- ½ tsp all spice
- ½ tsp salt
- 150 g (¾ cup) dark brown sugar
- 112 g (½ cup) butter ,softened
- 63 mL (¼ cup) molasses or agave*
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed*
- 6 tbsp water
Vegan Royal Icing*
- 120 g confectionary sugar ,sifted
- 1-3 tbsp aquafaba
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract ,you can use vanilla bean if you like the black specs
- a few drops gel food color ,optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, spices and salt. Set aside. Prepare the flaxseed by mixing it with 6 tablespoons of water. Leave to thicken for 5-8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cream the butter and sugar until smooth, about 1 minute. Add in the molasses and flaxseed and beat until combined. Add dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just incorporated. Wrap the dough tightly in cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to overnight.
- After chilling, preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a 18×13 inch sheet pan with silpat or parchment paper.
- Prep your work surface and lightly dust with flour. Rolling out your dough until ¼ inch thick. Lightly whirl your cookie cutters in flour and press into the dough to create the desired shape. Transfer the cut out dough to the baking sheet. Repeat this process until all the dough is used up, combining all the extra scraps and rerolling until most has been used up.
- Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 12-14 minutes or until slightly puffy and no longer shiny. Transfer the gingerbread to a wire rack to cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Lastly, make the royal icing by mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl. Adjusting the consistency with the aquafaba for border or flood icing. Transfer to a piping bag and decorate the cookies. Leave the frosting to set for 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
