Gingerbread from back in the day
What a difference 4 years makes. When Terry and I made these Gingerbread Punks for a lost episode of Post Punk Kitchen, we seemed to have all the time in the world to mix colors, make leopard spots and paint on fishnets. And, apparently, we didn’t know how to turn off the flash on our camera. My kitchen was so tiny we had to roll the cookies out on the coffee table and balance bowls of neon icing in precarious ways; sometimes on a stack of books, sometimes on a cat – we made do. When I was moving to Portland I actually found one of these cookies in the back of one of my cabinets.
Now we’re 3,000 miles apart, we have dishwashers and counterspace and I can barely muster up a couple of dots for my little gingerbread bread eyes. But whether you’re going all out or part of the gingerbread minimalist movement, this recipe is a surefire winner that will have you singing Christmas carols under your breath and then looking around to make sure no one heard you.
Modern minimalist gingerbread guys
Gingerbread Cut-Out Cookies
Makes about 16 cookies (depending on the size of your cutters)
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup plain soymilk
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour (or a mix of both)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
spice blend:
1/2 teaspoon each ground nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
Directions
In a large bowl whisk together oil and sugar for about 3 minutes. Add molasses and soymilk. The molasses and soymilk won’t really blend with the oil but that’s ok.
Sift in all of the other dry ingredients, mixing about half way through. When all of the dry ingredients are added, mix until a stiff dough is formed. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for an hour or up to 3 days in advance. If you chill longer than an hour you may want to let it sit for 10 minutes to warm up a bit before proceeding.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease your cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured surface roll the dough out to a little less than 1/4 inch thick. Cut out your shapes with your cookie cutters and use a thin spatula to gently place on cookie sheets. If you are using them to decorate a tree or something, remember to punch a hole in their heads (!) before baking. Bake for 8 minutes.
Remove from oven and let them cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet then move to a cooling rack. Wait until they are completely cool before icing.
These are so good! I was a little worried tasting one straight out of the oven, because it didn’t have much flavor, but after cooling off they taste fantastic! Did a test run half batch last week to see if they were any good, and now going to make some this week to give away! 🙂
I agree. These are so great. I don’t usually have good luck with cookies but these came out perfectly and will be a great addition to my vegan recipes. Thanks ISA!
AMAZING recipe! so so yummy. i made these for my partner’s very non-vegan family for the holidays, and the cookies were loved by all. especially her baker of a momma, who loves gingerbread. i can always always count on you to have recipes that really work! THANK YOU!
oh and to add to what folks said above, i used almond milk, too. and all-purpose flour for the whole thing. worked out great.
Made these for christmas and they were perfect! Thanks!
I just made these and they are spectacular!
The dough turned out perfect, it rolled perfect, it cut and held shape!
And they are DELICIOUS!!
Could I use Almond Milk Instead of Soy Milk?
still goin strong on this recipe Isa
*praise hands*
So good! Made these with 7 grain milk, fresh ginger, and freshly ground nutmeg. The cookies were a big winner with my family.
I LOVE YOU, ISA
– ISA age 10
These are cool! O O
U
how do you make the frosting?
Made these on Sunday and all gone today so another batch just out of the oven – my Vegan daughter and veggie wife absolutely love them. My wife was always the biscuit and cake baker pre-vegan times and thought this were better than the butter based ones she used to make!
Thanks 🙂
I just made these cookies today using maple syrup instead of molasses because that’s what my family prefers. They taste really good and remind my of the recipe that I used years ago when I wasn’t vegan. As I have an affinity for gingerbread people cookies, I will be putting these on my must make holiday cookie list for years to come.
Oh my stars this is a fantastic recipe! Came out perfect the first time and the next time and…
This recipe yields great results and no sticky nightmares. We chilled the dough overnight, and when ready to roll out we halved the dough and did it in two batches working fairly quickly. This last part might not matter, but we chilled the cookies on the sheets for a bit before putting them in the oven. They cooked nicely and there were no burned toes.
don’t make these with white pastry flour. Or if you do, use 2.5 to 3 cups of flour.
I’ve made these every year for the past 12 years. I love these gingerbread cookies so much. They’re one of my fav cookie recipes of all time. <3
I make these every Christmas, I can’t even remember how many years it’s been since I discovered this recipe – but I’m now known for my delicious, perfectly spiced gingerbread every year 😉 thanks Isa!
2022 and have been making this recipe every year for almost 7 years! Wow!
I use almond milk, all purpose flour, and actually sub the molasses for honey since I like the flavor better. This recipe is so reliable I always get the same results every time: perfectly spiced, soft (since i roll them out a little on the thicker side), and sweet gingerbread cookies even my picky older sister begs me to mail to her! I have never even wanted to try a different recipe these are PERFECT.