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.
I guess the little punk gingerbread kids grew up and joined middle class suburbia lol.
I want to make these this weekend! Wonder if I’ll have the patience to decorate them…
I wouldn’t want to cross the one in the middle in an alley.
I made these last weekend. They were delicious, but my decorating skills need some improvement.
I loved loved loved this recipe and I’m really picky about Gingerbread Cookies. I even proclaimed them to be the best gingerbead cookies ever on my blog! http://veganguineapig.blogspot.com/2009/01/best-gingerbread-cookie-recipe-ever.html
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For those allergic to soy milk, I use almond milk. It works great still! And I don’t even like gingerbread all that much, and I LOVED this recipe. I had my Mom eat them, who also doesn’t like gingerbread, and she asked me to email her the recipe. Thanks!
I made these as christmas tree decorations at my stepmother’s house a couple of years ago (though as heart shaped cookies with stupidly adorable silly faces). They were a massive hit and didn’t stay on the tree long! I’m planning on making a load for a gig I’m organising this weekend (stars this time!), I’m sure they’ll be just as popular 🙂
Although I don’t find them very gingery (and I used fresh ginger instead of the dry powder) and I wouldn’t call them ginger bread – more like ginger snap because of the crispiness – they’re pretty good. To illustrate the state of my kitchen, my rolling pin was a wine bottle and the cookie cutter was a shot glass!
wow! these tasted just like regular gingerbread. i upped each of the spices (the spicier the better, in my book!) and used the “robust” molasses and it was perfect…very flavorful. mine turned out chewy and fluffy at the same time. awesome recipe. thank you!
I made them with palm sugar and coconut milk and the dough was way too runny so I had to add a lot of flour to balance off. Is regular white sugar the best. I will use soy milk from now on. Is there any way I can use brown sugar?
Can you substitute applesauce for the oil?
frosting recipe?
omg!! how good? mmm mmm. i can’t eat egg and these are AWESOME!!! yummmm 🙂
i used coconut oil instead of canola and muscavado sugar cos they were in my cupboard
thank you xxxx
My kids love these and thought the punk ones were really funny!!!
These turned out PERFECT!!!!!!! Everyone loved them!!!! My new favorite cookie!!!
My 9 yr old son made these for Christmas gifts. They were delicious. Everyone loved them.
Fanastic, looking forward to making a batch to use as part of my husbands 40th birthday cake (he wants a chainsaw, he gets a chainsaw, the saw will be made of gingerbread and the body will be chocolate pumpkin loafx2. Let’s hope it’s now dreadful (either way it’ll taste divine!)
Baking:
Where can I get vegan sprinkles? I bought some from an online vegan store in Portland but they are dull in color. You always use such brightly colored, pretty sprinkles. I’ve heard that confectioner’s glaze is not vegan and the product is in all the sprinkles I found at any standard grocery store. Thanks in advance for any advice.
Has anyone tried freezing this dough for later use? Should I go ahead and try? What could go wrong?!
I have to make zillions of these guys for a family party and want to get ahead. They’ve been specially requested because they always taste great – and kids love making them (and then slowly biting off all the limbs with cackles of glee).
great recipe. this is the one recipe that always works for me!