Happy Friday! Today it’s getting especially festive on the blog.
We’re making vegan gingerbread cookies! Crunchy on the edges with a soft centre, sweet with quite a bit of a gingery zing and decorated with royal icing.
These gingerbread cookies are the perfect excuse for a cozy weekend afternoon of festive baking while blasting Christmas tunes. And the very fortunate side effect? Your home will smell of sweetly spiced gingerbread all day!
This recipe makes a fair few cookies but in our home they didn’t even last a day. Which is always a good sign!
I also think these gingerbread men would make tasty and rather cute edible Christmas presents.
If you make this recipe at home be sure to tag your photo #myvibrantkitchen on Instagram. I love seeing all your beautiful recreations. And don’t forget to sign up for My Vibrant Kitchen’s newsletter to get the latest recipes, vegan lifestyle tips and travel diaries straight to your inbox.
- 350 g plain white flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 4 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- Pinch of salt
- 3 Tbsp aquafaba aka chickpea water
- 115 g margarine
- 175 g soft light brown sugar
- 4 Tbsp blackstrap molasses
- 100 ml aquafaba
- 225 g icing sugar
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- For the gingerbread cookies combine the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a big mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl whisk the aquafaba until it starts to froth (you don’t need to whip it until it forms peaks!) and then add the margarine, soft light brown sugar and blackstrap molasses. Use a fork to stir the mixture until well combined.
- Add the wet ingredient mixture to the dry ingredients and use a fork to mix the dough. When the ingredients are well combined use your hands to knead briefly until the dough holds together. Form a ball and let it rest in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Pre-heat the oven to 180˚C.
- Roll out the dough on a floured surface to a 3-4 mm thickness (about the thickness of a £1 coin). Using a cookie cutter of your choice cut out the shapes and place them on a lined baking tray. Repeat until no dough is left.
- Bake them for 8 minutes, the gingerbread won’t be firm but will harden when it cools. Let them cool on a cooling rack.
- For the royal icing whisk the aquafaba and the vanilla extract with an electric whisk until foamy. Then add the icing sugar and keep whisking on high speed until the mixture is thick and glossy. It will take around 5 minutes on high speed to get to the right consistency.
- If the icing is still too runny you can add more icing sugar and keep whisking. Transfer the royal icing to a piping bag and decorate the gingerbread cookies. The piped icing will harden over night.
- The gingerbread will keep for about a week in an airtight container. Enjoy!
Yum! Totally making these.
These gingerbread cookies are so pretty and just perfect for Christmas!
Thank you! I think these gingerbread men are probably the most festive treat I’ve ever made!
What brand is the cup? 🙂
It’s from a pottery stall at Spitalfield Market in London. Markets, car boot sales and tiny pottery shops are my favourite places to look for new (or second hand) crockery! X
Thank you. ?
I made this recipe this weekend and they were delicious! I added a little extra cinnamon and a little nutmeg. Total hit! They have stayed soft and chewy. Excellent recipe!
Thank you Cassie! I’m glad you loved them, too!
They’re so festive, aren’t they?! 🙂
This was so easy to make and I had so much fun. Thanks for sharing the wonderful recipe.
Thank you so much! Sounds like you had as much fun as I did! 🙂