Soft Baked Gingerbread Cookies (Vegan)

Every holiday season needs gingerbread to be complete, can we agree?

When I was a kid it was a family tradition to make gingerbread houses every year. We usually had a little friendly competition to see who’s house was the best. It was fun motivation for the little ones to not give up as soon as they got bored and also to not eat all their sweet decorations before the process was done.

The downside of our tradition was always that we’d use those pre-assembled kits that tasted like drywall. They’re so convenient if you have kids and don’t want to spend hours baking and assembling, but for eating they are a no-go. That’s why every household should have a classic gingerbread cookie recipe to make when eating is the goal. These cookies won’t be stable enough for house building, but that’s just because they’re so soft and chewy.

This recipe is so quick and easy. I’ve probably made it a dozen times this season by popular request. They’re good iced or not iced, you can decorate them with the kids, they don’t need any fancy ingredients, and….they’re vegan. Need I say more?

Hope you’re ready for your house to smell like Christmas. Let me know what you think if you try them!

--Soft Baked Gingerbread Cookies (Vegan)--
Nothing says Christmas quite like the smell of gingerbread cookies coming out of the oven. These are a family favorite that always brings smiles and requests for more.
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 24 cookies (about)

--Ingredients--
Cookies:
1/2 cup room temperature vegan butter
1/2 cup plant-based milk
1/2 cup pure cane sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 1/4 teaspoons ginger
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for rolling cookies out
Frosting:
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup plant-based milk

--Instructions--
Cookies:
Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Beat butter, molasses, and sugar together until creamed. Mix in milk until combined then add vanilla, soda, and spices. Add in flour and mix only just until combined, trying not to over-mix.
Roll dough out to about 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick. Cut cookies with your chosen cookie cutters. Place them, at least 1-inch apart, on a parchment lined baking tray.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until very lightly darkened on edges. Remove from oven and cool completely before serving.
Frosting:
Stir together the ingredients for the frosting until completely smooth. If it seems a bit too thick add a few drops more of milk, if it seems a bit to thin, add a bit more powdered sugar.
Frost cookies as desired. You can add food coloring or sprinkles if you like. Allow icing to dry completely for about 45 minutes (or just eat them right away ;p). Store in an air-tight container for up to 1 week.