Vegan Gingerbread Cookies with Almond Flour

Is there anything more Christmas-y than gingerbread cookies? The scent of these vegan gingerbread cookies baking in the oven will definitely put you in a holiday state of mind. Made with almond meal and arrowroot powder, they’re gluten free AND grain free and every bit as flavourful and fun as you remember.

Holiday baking is a big part of the Christmas lead up for me…but I still like to keep it simple. If it’s baking – and it’s complicated – I’ll mess it up, guaranteed. This is especially true if I’m baking with my kids and therefore distracted by preventing burns and massive dust clouds of flour!

Which is why I’m always on the look out for nostalgic plant-based recipes that are easy to make and aren’t too sweet. Like my 4 Ingredient Shortbread. Or my Fudgy Peppermint Brownies. Since I had yet to find a recipe for vegan gingerbread cookies that I love I thought it was high time I made my own. I’ll be making these in big batches this month and dropping them off on everyone’s door step for a little December pick me up.

As a dietitian, almond flour is one of my favourite nutrient-dense ingredients because it helps you eat more protein and fibre-rich almonds! I started using it back when I was developing recipes for my first cookbook, Eat More Plants, and I’m hooked. It can be a bit pricey, so I highly recommend you grab it at Costco where it is literally a quarter of the price.

What you’ll need for these vegan gingerbread cookies

These cookies are really simple: just five main ingredients, plus spices, and only ten minutes of prep! Really, the only thing that takes time is chilling if you want to do cut out shapes. Find yourself with some time to kill while the dough is in the fridge? Pour yourself a hot drink, sit down with a holiday movie cuz you probably need a little chill time yourself.

• Almond flour: almond flour produces a tender crumb and it has a really light naturally sweet taste so you don’t have to use as much sweetener. It’s also like half the price at Costco so if you (or a friend!) have a membership, grab yourself a big bag or two!
• Arrowroot powder: arrowroot is a grain free starch that helps firm up the structure while keeping things light. You could try substituting with cornstarch if you don’t have arrowroot but be warned…I haven’t tested this option so can’t guarantee it!
• Vegan butter or coconut oil: if you’re using coconut oil, it’s important to use the refined version or you’ll add a coconut flavour to the cookies. For vegan butter, the best choices from a nutritional perspective are Melt Organic or Miyoko’s.
• Maple syrup: maple syrup adds to the rich flavour of cookies without needing a lot of added sugar
• Blackstrap molasses: blackstrap molasses is super flavourful, and it’s such a nutrient-dense food for folks on a plant-based diet…but in a pinch, you can absolutely use regular molasses if that is what you have on hand!

Health Benefits of Blackstrap Molasses

Blackstrap molasses really is the dark horse of the plant-based world. It’s thick, richly flavoured and absolutely packed with important minerals for those on a plant-based diet.

• Calcium: a single tablespoon (15ml) of blackstrap molasses contains 180mg of bone-building calcium!
• Iron: you’ll find 3.5mg of energizing iron in each tablespoon of blackstrap molasses, that’s more than a third of a man’s daily need (8mg) and about 20% of a woman’s (18mg).
• Potassium: blackstrap contains a whopping 520mg of potassium, which is critical for electrolyte balance and heart health in the body.

Blackstrap molasses also contains smaller amounts of copper, selenium and niacin for energy. You see? Granny was right…a spoonful of molasses everyday is good for you!

Looking for more vegan cookie recipes?

• Damn Good Vegan Shortbread Cookies
• Vegan Peanut Butter Hemp Cookies