Nov 11, 2020

vegan gingerbread biscuits

Updated: Dec 10, 2021

It's only the second week in November and I'm already thinking about Christmas. Is it too soon or who's with me?

The shops are filled with Christmas decorations and baked goods and the Christmas tunes are already playing, how can I not feel in a festive mood.

These easy vegan gingerbread cookies make a lovely gift for loved ones or even make them into edible decorations for your tree.

BUY OR MAKE?

Are you a person who buys Christmas sweet treats or do you bake them yourself?

In the past I couldn't help myself but grab a bag of those German jam filled lebkuchen hearts covered in dark chocolate or a pack of Dominosteine. Nowadays I find myself reading through the ingredients list on the packaging, hoping one of my favourites might be vegan....

On the one hand it's probably not a bad thing that they are limited as it gives me a reason to develop vegan versions at home and I am having so much fun doing so!

Last year my mom and I recreated her famous "Nuss Schnitten" (a type of spiced pecan sheet-cake cut into squares) and we had a great time developing the recipe.

I have not decided yet what to recreate this year, but I will keep you updated.

In the meantime, why not try these gingerbread biscuits (whilst I work on my piping skills).

These biscuits are easy to make and great to involve the little ones to decorate them. They are a great gift for loved ones or can easily be made into edible Christmas decorations for your tree.

VEGAN GINGERBREAD BISCUITS WITH ORANGE ICING

These easy vegan gingerbread biscuits make a lovely gift for loved ones or make them into edible decorations for your tree.

Makes about 20 - 30 small biscuits, depending on the size you prefer.

Prep time: 20 min

Cook time: 12 min

INGREDIENTS

For the biscuits:

1/2 tbsp ground flaxseeds
200g all purpose flour
100g coconut oil, set
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp all spice
95g Muscovado sugar
25g golden syrup
pinch of salt

For the icing (optional):

1 cup icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp lemon juice or orange liqueur (like Cointreau)
1 tbsp orange juice (plus extra if needed)

INSTRUCTIONS

For the biscuits:

Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius
To make a flax egg: Add 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of water to the ground flaxseeds and set aside for 8 - 10min.
In a mixing bowl add the flour, salt and coconut oil and rub the coconut oil into the flour using your fingers. Make sure to break up all the coconut oil pieces and it's all well incorporated.
Add the ground spices and mix again.
In another bowl add the muscovado sugar, syrup, flax egg and 2 tbsp water and mix until well combined and all sugar lumps are broken.
Pour the sugar mixture into the flour mixture and mix until well combined. Knead the dough for a few minutes and roll into a ball.
Roll the dough out either on a lightly floured surface or between two sheets of baking paper to about 3-5mm thick, depending on how thick you want your cookies.
Cut out as many shapes as you can using a cookie cutter of your choice.
Roll the left-over dough into a ball and re-roll to cut out more shapes.
Continue until all the dough is used*
Place the cookies on your prepared backing tray(s) and bake in the oven for 8 - 12 min depending on the size/ crunch or softness you prefer.
Remove the trays from the oven and let the cookies sit on the hot tray for another 5 minutes before letting them cool on a wire rack. Let them cool completely before decorating.

To decorate (optional):

Mix the icing ingredients in a small bowl until a paste is formed. If the icing is too runny, add more icing sugar. If the icing is too thick, add more orange or lemon juice.
Transfer the icing into a piping bag and start decorating the cookies as you like.
Leave the decorated cookies for an hour before storing them in an airtight container.

Notes:

* You can store left-over dough in the fridge, wrapped in clingfilm. It will last about 1 - 2 days in the fridge. Let it sit at room temperate for about 30 min before kneading the dough for a few minutes and rolling it out to cut more cookies.