Vegan Gingerbread Cookies with Royal Icing
Softly spiced cut out gingerbread cookies made with vegan royal icing. Perfect for Christmas gifts or making fun gingerbread houses.
Servings: 24 cookies
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 18x13 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!
Notes
*You can use other liquid sweeteners instead of molasses such as agave or maple syrup. Avoid substituting with granulated sugar
*Flaxseed can be substituted with mashed banana, applesauce or pumpkin puree. Just remember that it will affect the taste. If you're non-vegan, you can use 2 eggs.
*I didn't need much icing since my designs were very simple. If you plan on covering the whole cookie surface with frosting, double the recipe.
Recipe adapted from Banana Diaries