These Healthy Vegan Gingerbread Men Taste Like the Real Deal

This time of year, most cookie recipes use ingredients like sugar, butter, and white flour lavishly. And while there’s nothing wrong with indulging during (and after) the holidays, it’s nice to have a treat that doesn’t make you feel stuffed or queasy. Enter this vegan gingerbread cookie recipe.

These cookies pack a nutritional punch with whole grain from spelt flour, minerals like magnesium and iron from the molasses, and antioxidants from spices like ginger and cloves. Additionally, this recipe uses a flax egg, providing fiber and some protein. It’s easy to make: just take a tablespoon of ground flax, mix it with three tablespoons of warm water, and refrigerate the mixture for a few minutes. Then, add it to the recipe like a regular egg.

After baking, these cookies have a cakey texture and soft consistency, reminiscent of a warm loaf of fragrant bread. They are just the thing to have around the house to snack on with a cup of tea or hot chocolate during the winter.

Vegan Gingerbread Men

• Prep Time:1 hr
• Cook Time:8 mins
• Total Time:1 hr 8 mins
• Servings:24
• Easy

Ingredients

• 3 cups spelt flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking power
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 flax egg—1 tablespoon ground flax + 3 tablespoons warm water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 3 tablespoons applesauce

• Step 1

  Set out all of the ingredients.

  

• Step 2

  Mix the spelt flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg in a medium-sized bowl.

  

• Step 3

  Mix the maple syrup, molasses, flax egg, vanilla extract, canola oil, and applesauce in a large bowl.

  

• Step 4

  Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined.

  

• Step 5

  Cut the dough into two halves with a knife, then wrap it in plastic and refrigerate overnight.

  

• Step 6

  Take dough out of the fridge and allow to sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F.

  

• Step 7

  Mold the dough into a disk, then roll out on a floured surface with a rolling pin until about 1/4 in. thick.
  
  #SpoonTip: If you prefer a crisper cookie, roll out the dough thinner.

  

• Step 8

  Using cookie cutters, cut dough into desired shapes and place them onto a greased baking sheet.
  
  #SpoonTip: Though the gingerbread man is traditional, feel free to cut the dough into whatever shapes you prefer!

  

• Step 9

  Bake cookies in the oven for 8 minutes.

  

• Step 10

  Transfer cookies off the cookie sheet onto a cooling rack for 10 minutes.

  

• Step 11

  Enjoy warm! Decorate with vegan frosting, if desired.

  

For more vegan Christmas cookies, check out these gluten-free sugar cookies or these no-bake avalanche cookies. For more gingerbread-inspired treats, try this vegan gingerbread granola or whip up an easy gingerbread latte to accompany these cookies this winter.