New York cookie baker Patti Paige, who created these cookies specifically for vegans, says some people prefer this recipe over her regular gingerbread. The cookies' mildly spicy flavour intensifies a little with time.
You'll need snowflake cookie cutters; a variety of shapes and sizes is nice.
After the cookies are baked and decorated, you can easily turn them into hanging ornaments. Drill a hole with a very fine drill bit, or gently twist the sharp tip of a scissors into the surface to create a hole, and insert a ribbon or string for hanging.
Vegan sugars and Ener-G Egg Replacer are available at natural foods stores.
The dough needs to be refrigerated for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. The cookies can be stored in airtight containers for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 3 months.
Dixie D. Vereen for The Washington Post
Ingredients
Servings: 18-30 cookies
For the cookies
2 cups unbleached flour, plus more for the work surface
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon canola oil
3/4 cup vegan granulated sugar (see headnote)
1/4 cup molasses
1/3 cup unsweetened or original soy milk
For the icing
1 tablespoon Ener-G Egg Replacer (see headnote)
1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons warm water, plus more as needed
1 1/2 teaspoons orange or lemon juice
1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
5 1/4 cups sifted vegan confectioners’ sugar (see headnote)
Light blue food colouring
White sanding or decorating sugar
Directions
Step 1
For the cookies: Whisk together the flour, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
Step 2
Combine the oil and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or handheld electric mixer; beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, add the molasses and soy milk, and beat until incorporated. Gradually add the flour mixture, scraping down the bowl as needed and beating just until the dry ingredients are incorporated. The dough will be wet.
Step 3
Divide the dough into two equal parts, flatten them into disks and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours (and up to 3 days).
Step 4
When ready to bake, position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 5
Liberally flour a work surface and your rolling pin. Working with one disk of dough at a time, place the dough on the work surface, then flip it over so both sides pick up a fair amount of flour. Roll out the dough to a thickness of a little more than 1/8 inch. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes; transfer the cut-outs to the baking sheet. (Collect and re-roll scraps to use all the dough.) Bake the cookies until the centres are slightly firm, 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the size, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back after 5 minutes. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
Step 6
While the cookies are cooling, make the icing: Combine the egg replacer powder and water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a balloon-whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed for 4 minutes, until thickened. Switch to the paddle attachment. Add the orange or lemon juice and the almond extract, if using, and beat for 1 minute on medium speed. Reduce the speed to low; gradually add the vegan confectioners’ sugar, scraping down the bowl as needed. Once the sugar is incorporated, gradually add the blue food colouring until the desired colour is reached, beating on medium-high speed until the icing is smooth and the colour is uniform, a minute or less.
Step 7
Spoon 1/4 cup of the icing into a piping bag fitted with a small (#1, #1.5 or #2) decorating tip. Cover the remaining icing with plastic wrap. Fill a shallow bowl or plate with a layer of white sanding or decorating sugar.
Step 8
Working with one cookie at a time, pipe lines of icing to create your desired snowflake design. Immediately, before the icing has a chance to dry, place the cookie face down into the bowl of sanding or decorating sugar and very gently move the bowl. Flip the cookie over and lightly shake off the extra sugar. If your icing lines begin to dry before you can dip them in sugar, pipe a few lines on one section of the snowflake, cover that section in sugar, shake off the excess sugar and repeat the process as many times as needed until the rest of the design is finished.
As you work, add more icing to the piping bag and more sugar to the bowl or plate as needed.
Let the cookies dry until the icing is set, or overnight. When the icing is completely dry, you can brush the surface of the cookie with a soft brush to remove any excess sugar.
Nutritional Facts
Per cookie (based on 30, without icing)
Calories
80
Carbohydrates
14 g
Fat
3 g
Sodium
65 mg
Sugar
7 g
This analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s advice.
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