Vegan Spelt Gingerbread Cookies
Perfectly crisp and chewy gingerbread cookies made with whole grain spelt flour. Vegan and refined sugar-free!
I’m ending the holiday season with a photo finish (literally) because I still have a few more cookie recipes left to share with you! Better late than never, right?
You guys, I don’t think I’m ever going to be one of those bloggers who starts with the Christmas cookies in October or November. For one, I just don’t move that fast with recipe testing and for two, I like to enjoy these things when it feels seasonally appropriate.
In other words, there’s some major side eye happening when I go into a retail store and see Christmas decorations in October.
But NOW is the time to bake all of the cookies! And I’ve made it my personal duty to provide you with healthier options. :)
These gingerbread cookies are based off of a recipe from who I consider to be the queen of blogging, Deb from Smitten Kitchen. I started healthifying her recipe by swapping spelt flour for the all-purpose. If you’re new to spelt flour, it is an ancient grain that’s not certified gluten-free, however, it is naturally lower in gluten than modern-day wheat, making it ideal for those with gluten sensitivities. I personally like to use it because it’s high in fiber, iron and protein, and also has a mild flavor.
In addition to using spelt flour, I made them less spicy, used coconut oil and applesauce in place of the butter and eggs, and coconut sugar and pure maple syrup in place of the refined sugar.
I couldn’t be happier with the result. We’ve made two batches in the past week and they were both perfect! Crisp edges and a slightly chewy center with a flavor that is slightly spicy and sweet, but not overpoweringly so.
For the icing I used a combo of vegan powdered sugar, almond milk and lemon juice. Simple and delicious!
If you haven’t made gingerbread cookies yet this year then I hope these will inspire you to give them a try! They’re so much fun and they taste amazing. In the meantime, I’ll be finishing off the twenty something ginger men we have leftover. Mwuahaha!!!
Ingredients
2 cups spelt flour*
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup coconut sugar
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon molasses
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup unrefined melted coconut oil
Icing
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon almond milk
juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Start by combining the dry ingredients (spelt flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cloves) in a medium-size bowl and sift together.
- In a separate large bowl, stir together the wet ingredients (molasses, maple syrup, coconut sugar, applesauce, and melted coconut oil) until well combined. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet and stir together with a spatula until a dough forms. It might look like the dough is dry but don’t worry, just keep stirring. After moist dough has formed, divide it in two separate halves and wrap each one with plastic. Refrigerate until cold and firm, for about one hour or up to 2 days.
- When you are ready to bake the cookies, take the dough out and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a hard surface with parchment paper and lightly sprinkle it and a rolling pin with flour. Gently roll the dough out on the floured surface to roughly 1/4” thick. If it is too hard to roll, try giving it a minute to warm up some.
- Using cookie cutters, press shapes into the dough and use your hands to pull away any excess pieces. Form the excess pieces into a large ball and continue to roll out and cut shapes until all of the dough is gone.
- Transfer the cookies to two baking sheets lined with parchment paper and bake for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool completely before icing.
- Meanwhile, make the icing by combining all of the ingredients in a small bowl and whisking together until smooth. Spoon it into a plastic bag and cut one corner off or use a pastry bag. Slowly pipe the icing on as desired.
- Store cookies in an airtight container between layers of parchment paper for up to one week.
Notes
*I used Bob's Red Mill light spelt flour but any spelt flour will work. You can also use whole wheat pastry flour if you can't find spelt.
Time does not include hands-off time to chill dough
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Aw, they’re so cute! I love gingerbread man cookies. They remind me of Toy Story! ;)
Hi, a great looking recipe, thank you! In the instructions in step #2, you didn’t specify the number of days the dough can be chilled before needing to be used. I would like to have the dough made and refrigerated but would like to know how long it is okay to keep it refrigerated…thanks! :)
Whoops, sorry about that Jerilyn! I meant to write up to 2 days. I hope you love them! Happy holidays! :)
Love that these are vegan and your decorating is so cute!
hahaha that last shot with the cookie!!! Oh that just made me laugh! I love it!
And these cookies look just perfect! I love a good healthier option!!
Would you believe I didn’t know what spelt was before reading this? :) Good work, Sarah! Happy to help you finish this batch if you need a friend.
I totally agree that Deb is the queen of all food blogging! I consider hers the top level.
We had the same idea of healthifying gingerbread cookies – mine are coming tomorrow ;) I definitely need to start using spelt flour more! I love how light it is.
Thank you so much for your reply! I am off to buy some spelt flour so I can make the cookie dough and refrigerate it for a day or two before I start rolling them out! :)
Awesome! I hope you love them, Jerilyn! :)
Eee! I LOVE it! It’s been a while since I baked gingerbread men, and I don’t know why since I freaking love them. I think it’s one of those things where I forget how much I like them until I have them and then it’s like… why don’t I make these more often!? And it’s been a while since I’ve used spelt flour as well, but I seriously need to pick some up because you’re right — it’s such a great grain!
These look awesome! Gingerbread cookies have always been a Christmas staple in my family. But my mom’s classic recipe uses shortening, which thank goodness I talked her out of using last Christmas. If I have time these next few days, I’d love to give these ones a go!
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Hi Sarah! I was wondering if I could make these GF with oat flour?
Hey Christine! I haven’t tried oat flour so I can’t say for sure but my suspicion is that the texture will be much different. I’ll have to give it a try and get back to you. If you decide to try it please let me know!
Are these cookies soft and chewy?
I wouldn’t say they are SUPER soft and chewy but they definitely have that texture. :)
Is this 350f fan or less if I’m using a fan oven?
Should be the same, if you’re referring to a convection fan.