Vegan glazed gingerbread cookies - These beautiful stamped gingerbread cookies are made with a soft baked chocolate gingerbread dough and topped with a cinnamon rum glaze to highlight their pretty patterns.
They are easy to make and are the perfect cookie for Christmas!
These vegan glazed gingerbread cookies are some of my favourite cookies that I have ever made, and I have baked a lot of cookies!
They are a soft, chewy gingerbread with a hint of chocolate and a buttery cinnamon rum glaze which not only adds flavour but also accentuates their pretty stamped patterns. They have a rich, complex flavour - the combination of warming spices, treacle, chocolate and rum is a real flavour sensation!
The patterns are made using cookie stamps, they are such a fun and easy way to make a basic batch of cookies look beautifully festive!
I adapted them from a recipe in Sweet by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh; the original recipe contains egg so obviously it needed tweaking to make it vegan friendly, but I've kept the flavourings the same and this vegan version is just as beautiful as the original.
Ingredient Details:
Treacle: I use black treacle but molasses should also work.
Spices: A mixture of ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper creates that classic gingerbread flavour. You can omit the black pepper if you prefer and the addition of a bit of cardamom would be nice.
Vegan butter: Please, for the love of holy baking, use a block butter/margarine to make these cookies, not the spreadable kind in a tub.
The spreadable kind contains too much water and may make your dough too soft and your cookies too cakey.
Non-dairy milk: Non-dairy milk replaces the moisture that would usually come from egg. You can use any kind you like except coconut milk, but I recommend using soy milk if possible. It has the highest protein content so is the closest swap for egg.
Plain flour: Just regular plain (all-purpose) flour is best here. I haven't tried making these gluten-free.
Cornflour (cornstarch): This helps to stop the cookies spreading so that they better retain their pattern.
Cocoa powder: Ideally you want to use a Dutch processed cocoa, not natural/cacao, I used black cocoa powder. It doesn't make the cookies taste overtly chocolatey, moreso it deepens the gingerbread flavour and makes the cookies darker in colour so that they contrast better with the glaze.
Sugar: You will need dark brown soft or muscovado sugar for the dough, and icing/powdered sugar for the glaze. I don't recommend swapping these for any other kinds of sugars/sweeteners.
Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda): Just a touch to give the cookies a bit of rise and a chewy texture.
Dark rum: The flavour of the rum works incredibly well with the gingerbread, but you can swap it for lemon juice if you don't want to use alcohol.
How To Make Vegan Glazed Gingerbread Cookies:
(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)
- Step 1: Whisk together the butter, treacle and brown sugar.
- Step 2: Whisk in the milk, cornflour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and spices.
- Step 3: Add the flour and mix to form a smooth dough. Wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Step 4: Roll out the dough on a floured surface and use cookie stamps to stamp patterns into the dough.
- Step 5: Cut out the cookies, either with a cookie cutter or by cutting around the stamp with a sharp knife. Place them spaced apart on 2 lined baking trays. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Step 6: Bake the chilled cookies for 10 minutes.
- Step 7: Make the glaze while the cookies are baking by whisking together icing sugar, melted butter, rum, cinnamon and warm water.
- Step 8: Use a pastry brush to brush the glaze over the warm cookies.
Top Tips:
As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
Tablespoon and teaspoon measurements are for proper measuring spoons, NOT regular kitchen spoons. A Tablespoon is 15ml and a teaspoon is 5ml and they should be level, not heaped.
I rolled my cookie dough out to 6mm thick which makes fairly thin cookies (as far as gingerbread goes at least), if you prefer fatter cookies then roll it out to about 8mm thick. A rolling pin with thickness rings is incredibly handy for rolling out dough to the right thickness while keeping it even throughout!
Brush the glaze on while the cookies are still warm, this helps it to evenly coat all the nooks and crannies.
You may need to add a drop more warm water to the glaze if it starts to become too thick, you want it to be on the runnier side so that it highlights the pattern without hiding it.
The number of cookies that the recipe makes will vary depending on how thick you roll out the dough, and what size cutters you use. I got 18 cookies rolling the dough out to 6mm thick and using an approx 8cm (3 in) cookie stamp.
These are soft baked gingerbread, but if you prefer them more on the crisp side then you can simply bake them for a bit longer. I would estimate around 15-20 minutes, but you may need to bake a couple of test cookies to determine exactly how long to bake them for for your preferred texture.
How To Get The Best Pattern On Your Cookies:
When using the cookie stamps you want to make sure that the pattern is deep enough that it will still be visible after baking, but not so deep that it goes all the way through or makes the cookie fragile. Stamping about one third of the way through the dough is about right.
Use firm, even pressure on the stamp so that the design imprints evenly across the dough.
Chill the dough before rolling it out, if it is too soft then you will struggle to stamp it.
Chill your cookie stamps and dip them in flour before using them to help stop the dough sticking. If the dough still sticks then it may need chilling for longer or a touch more flour.
Chill the stamped, cut out cookies before baking them, this helps them maintain their shape.
FAQ's:
If you don't own any cookie stamps and don't want to buy some then you have a few other options:
1: You can use an embossed rolling pin to pattern the cookies before cutting them out.
2: Check your glasses - often crystal cut glasses have a nice pattern on the base that you can use in place of a stamp.
3: Use small cookie cutters to gently press shapes into the dough - be careful not to go all the way through.
4: Leave them plain - just cut out rounds and top them with the glaze once baked, these vegan glazed gingerbread cookies still taste amazing without a pattern.
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
The dough will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days (make sure it is well wrapped to avoid it drying out). It may need to sit out at room temperature for half an hour before rolling if it has become too firm.
I wouldn't recommend freezing the glazed cookies but the unbaked cookies can be frozen. Cut out the cookies and freeze them in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-proof container. The cookies can be baked straight from the freezer, no need to defrost them first, they just may need an extra minute in the oven.
Stay in touch with me through social media @ Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok and Facebook, and subscribe via email to get all our latest recipes!
All images and content on Domestic Gothess are copyright protected. If you want to share this recipe then please do so by using the share buttons provided. Do not screenshot or post the recipe or content in full, instead include a link to this post for the recipe.
Vegan Glazed Gingerbread Cookies
Equipment
- cookie stamps (optional)
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 90 g (6 Tablespoons) vegan block butter softened
- 100 g (5 Tablespoons) black treacle or molasses
- 90 g (⅓ cup + 2 Tablespoons) dark brown soft sugar
- 15 g (1 Tablespoon) non-dairy milk (I use soy)
- 20 g (2 packed Tablespoons) cornflour (cornstarch)
- 8 g (1 Tablespoon) Dutch processed cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ teaspoons ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 240 g (2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
Glaze:
- 80 g (¾ cup) icing (powdered) sugar
- 15 g (1 Tablespoon) vegan butter melted
- 1 Tablespoon dark rum (or lemon juice)
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon hot water
Instructions
- Whisk together the butter, treacle and brown sugar with an electric mixer until well combined. Make sure to scrape the base of the bowl to incorporate any treacle that has stuck to the bottom.90 g (6 Tablespoons) vegan block butter, 90 g (⅓ cup + 2 Tablespoons) dark brown soft sugar, 100 g (5 Tablespoons) black treacle or molasses
- Whisk in the milk, cornflour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and pepper.15 g (1 Tablespoon) non-dairy milk (I use soy), 20 g (2 packed Tablespoons) cornflour (cornstarch), 8 g (1 Tablespoon) Dutch processed cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 ¼ teaspoons ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Add the flour and mix to form a smooth dough with no dry patches. Shape into a disc, wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour until firm enough to roll out. Place the cookie stamps in the freezer to chill and line 2 baking sheets with baking paper.240 g (2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
- Roll out the dough on a floured surface to 6-8mm thick, depending on how thick you want your cookies to be.
- Dust the chilled cookie stamps with flour, tapping out any excess, and press the cookie stamps into the dough applying a firm even pressure. Be careful not to press them too hard however, you don't want to go all the way through the dough, about ⅓rd of the way through is perfect.
- Either use a cookie cutter the same size or slightly larger than the stamp to cut out the cookies, or use a sharp knife to cut round the cookie stamp after pressing it into the dough.
- Place the cut out cookies spaced apart on the lined baking sheets. Knead together the scraps, re-roll and cut out more cookies. Place the trays of cookies in the fridge to chill for at least 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 190℃/170℃ fan/375℉/gas mark 5.
- Bake the chilled cookies for 10 minutes. They will still be quite soft but will firm up a bit as they cool. If you prefer crunchy rather than soft gingerbread then you can bake them for a little longer.
- While the cookies are baking make the glaze - sift the icing sugar into a bowl and stir in the melted butter, rum, cinnamon and hot water. Add a tiny drop more hot water if needed to make it the consistency of runny honey.80 g (¾ cup) icing (powdered) sugar, 15 g (1 Tablespoon) vegan butter, 1 Tablespoon dark rum , ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon hot water
- Remove the baked cookies from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes on the tray.
- Use a pastry brush to brush a thin layer of the glaze over the cookies, making sure that it gets into all the details of the design. Place the glazed cookies on a wire cooling rack and leave to set for about 30 minutes.
Notes
- See post above for tips, details, storage instructions and step-by-step photos.
- As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess
Alie
These are so good! This will be my go to gingerbread recipe from now on. Although I can’t review them fully as I didn’t add the cloves, black pepper or glaze. I made them into gingerbread men and stars to decorate with my grandson. The dough rolled out easily and the indentations from the cutters remained after baking. They really are so moreish! I like that you can make them into softer gingerbread too. I can’t wait to make another batch with the glaze. Thanks so much for another great recipe.