Last week, I sent out a “SOS” on Facebook asking what baked goods you would like to see before Christmas. The most popular theme I received was to make gingerbread gluten-free and vegan. You talk, and I listen. I went to work the same day, and by morning, I had perfected my recipe. Friends, I am proud to present you with both vegan AND gluten-free gingerbread cookies.
What a decadent-looking batter, no? It’s not as bad as it looks because it contains a lot of healthy gluten-free grains, like buckwheat and brown rice. The recipe also includes one flax egg, as well as a healthy amount of molasses. We only need a few basic ingredients to create this 1-bowl miracle. Next? Next?
Once you have them on your tray, you are good to go. And the good news is, if you’d rather not mess with cutting them into shapes, you can roll them into little balls and bake them into some of the BEST, crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside ginger cookies I’ve ever had. No joke!
Check out that gingerbread goodness! They are:
Crispy edgesTender and slightly chewy center
Ginger, cinnamon, and molasses flavors are packed into this jar.
Amazing
& Begging for a Frost.
My frosting was a simple mixture of powdered icing sugar, vegan butter melted, and almond milk. This is the easiest and best frosting to use for these tiny dudes.
Enjoy these cookies, I do! You can make them with your kids, friends, or for yourself. They will love putting tiny buttons on faces and making gingerbread shoes. You might have more fun (but I doubt that).
You can send them on their way to friends who live far away or those just across the street. They would be cute, individually wrapped in cellophane, and tied to gifts. Just a thought. You’d be astonished at how much your family would appreciate it.
Before I go, I’d like to say that I prefer making them into small rounds because, although they aren’t as cute, they taste just like gingerbread magic in the mouth. You can get some. Friends, happy holidays!
Ingredients
COOKIES
- 1 Tbsp flaxseed meal (to make flax egg)
- Use 2 1/2 tablespoons of water to make flax eggs.
- 1/4 cup vegan butter, softened
- Molasses 3 Tbsp
- Almond butter 1/4 cup
- Half a cup of brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/4 – 1 3/4 cups gluten-free baking / pancake mix* (or 1:1 gluten-free flour blend)
Optional
- Use 2 cups of powdered sugar, if needed.
- 1 Tbsp melted vegan butter
- 1 or 2 Tbsp Almond Milk
Instructions
- Prepare flax eggs in a large bowl by mixing flaxseed and water. Let it rest for five minutes.
- Add the butter, molasses, and almond butter. Then, add the brown sugar, salt, spices, and baking soda. Beat vigorously at low speed with a mixer or whisk.
- Stir with a wooden spatula. Add the gluten-free baking mix or flour. Stir until well combined. The dough should be able to hold its shape but not feel too dry. The amount I used was 1.5 cups, as written in the original recipe // adjust for batch size if you change it.
- Cover and chill the dough for at least an hour (preferably overnight).
- Once the dough has been chilled, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees, roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment/wax paper or plastic wrap to a thickness of about 1/8 inch. Before rolling, sprinkle the bottom and top layers of the dough generously with brown or white rice flour. It shouldn’t be too thin, or the cookies will become too crispy.
- Working quickly, remove the top sheet. Dip your cookie cutters into rice flour, and then cut shapes. Then, remove the plastic wrap and all the dough, place them on a large plate or baking sheet, and freeze them for 5 minutes. It will be easier to transfer them to the baking sheet.
- Next, quickly transfer the cookies onto a baking tray using a spatula that has been lightly dusted with flour. Allow 2 inches to spread.
- Bake them for 8-10 mins or until the edges are only lightly browned. As they rest on the pan, they will continue to firm up. Transfer to a cooling rack after 2-3 minutes.
- Decorate with frosting, or sprinkle powdered sugar on top. A simple yet elegant frosting is to pipe on a mixture of 2 cups icing, 1 Tbsp melted butter, and 1-2 tbsp almond milk (amounts are as written in the original recipe // adjust if batch size is changed). Make sure to keep it on the thicker end so that it does not run.
- For a few days, store covered at room temperature. Freeze for longer-term storage. The batch should yield between 25 and 35 cookies depending on your cookie cutter size / or whether you roll the balls instead of cutting them.