These cookies are adapted from one of my favourite old recipes. We made them vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free, and the results are so totally delicious, they are by far one of our most popular holiday items. So much so that people ask for them all year round.
Now, you can cut these into people shapes or Christmassy shapes, or you can buy a cookie-cutter kit to make your own gingerbread houses. These cookies work well for anything, but just be sure to increase the baking time by a few minutes if you’re baking anything larger than your average cookie, or to decrease it a little if you’re using a very delicate cookie-cutter shape. The maple nutmeg glaze works well for decoration, and the vanilla dip we use for our donuts is ideal for sticking your gingerbread home together.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ cup organic sugar
- 0.33 cup canola oil
- ¼ cup organic blackstrap molasses
- ¼ cup rice milk
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, molasses, and milk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Using a spatula or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine to form a soft dough. Divide the dough into two balls and flatten into discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- On a floured work surface, roll out the dough to about ¼ inch thick. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters, rerolling any scraps of dough and cutting out more shapes until the dough is used up. Place on the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until light brown and slightly puffy. Let cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Cool completely before decorating or eating.
