These vegan gingerbread crinkle cookies are rich, warming and spicy, with soft, chewy centres and a crisp, crackled sugar crust.
With their snowy, eye-catching appearance, these delicious cookies are the perfect festive treat for Christmas and they are so easy to make too!
What Are Crinkle Cookies?
Crinkle cookies, also known as crackle cookies, are soft, chewy, cakey cookies which are rolled in icing/powdered sugar before baking to create the distinctive, crinkled surface. As the cookie bakes and spreads, the powdered sugar coating cracks and ripples, leaving behind a white "crinkled" crust that contrasts with the cookie inside.
They are a popular holiday cookie in America and can be made in various flavors such as chocolate, pumpkin and lemon.
These vegan gingerbread crinkle cookies are made without the usual eggs but are just as spicy, chewy and satisfying as the originals.
Ingredient Details:
Treacle: I use black treacle but molasses should also work.
Spices: A mixture of ground ginger, cinnamon and cloves creates that classic gingerbread flavour.
Plain flour: Just regular plain (all-purpose) flour is best here. I haven't tried making these gluten-free.
Vegan butter: You need to use a block butter/margarine to make these cookies, not the spreadable kind in a tub.
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.
Sugar: You will need light or dark brown soft sugar for the dough, and both caster or graulated sugar and icing (powdered/confectioners) sugar for rolling the cookies in.
Baking powder and soda: Needed to make the cookies rise and form the crackle crust.
How To Make Vegan Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies:
(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)
- Step 1: Whisk together the melted butter, treacle, light brown soft sugar and milk until smooth.
- Step 2: Mix in the baking powder and soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cloves, followed by the flour. Chill the dough for at least 1 hour.
- Step 3: Roll the dough into 16 balls, about a heaped Tablespoon each.
- Step 4: Roll each ball in a light coating of caster sugar then roll them in a thick layer of icing/powdered sugar, making sure that they are generously coated.
- Step 5: Place them spaced apart on two lined baking sheets.
- Step 6: Bake for 12-18 minutes depending on whether you want them gooey in the middle or firmer textured.
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!
Rolling the cookies in caster/granulated sugar before the icing/powdered sugar helps the cookies to retain a better coating of sugar that doesn't go discoloured and see-through but you can absolutely skip this step if you prefer and just roll them in the icing sugar.
Only coat the cookies in the sugar when you are ready to bake them otherwise they will absorb it.
Make sure that the dough balls are fully coated in a thick layer of sugar, if it is too thin you won't get that satisfying crust.
You may need to bake a couple of test cookies to figure out exactly how long to bake them for. Baking for around 12 minutes will give you cookies with a soft, fudgy centre, or bake for 15-18 minutes for a firmer textured (but still chewy) cookie. I baked mine for 18 minutes as I prefer a less soft cookie that is better for dunking in tea.
FAQ's:
Store the baked gingerbread crinkle cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They will keep for around 5 days.
To freeze before baking:
Freeze the unbaked balls of dough without the sugar coating on a sheet pan until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Let the dough balls thaw for a few minutes at room temperature while you pre-heat the oven, then roll them in the sugar and bake. You may need to add an extra minute or two to the baking time.
To freeze the baked cookies:
Arrange the cookies in layers in a freezer proof container with parchment paper between each layer. The cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw the frozen cookies at room temperature.
The dough will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. Don't shape and coat the cookies in the sugar until you are ready to bake them however.
Yes absolutely, just roll the dough into balls and bake, you will still get delicious crackled cookies, just without the snowy crust.
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Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie Dough:
- 90 g (6 Tablespoons) vegan block butter melted
- 90 g (4 ½ Tablespoons) black treacle or molasses
- 120 g (½ cup + 1 ½ Tablespoons) light or dark brown soft sugar
- 30 g (2 Tablespoons) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- ¼ teaspoon fine table salt
- 3 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 280 g (1 ½ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
For Coating:
- 50 g (¼ cup) caster or granulated sugar
- 50 g (½ cup) icing (powdered) sugar
Instructions
- Whisk together the melted butter, treacle, light brown soft sugar and milk in a bowl until smooth.90 g (6 Tablespoons) vegan block butter, 90 g (4 ½ Tablespoons) black treacle or molasses, 120 g (½ cup + 1 ½ Tablespoons) light or dark brown soft sugar, 30 g (2 Tablespoons) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
- Mix in the baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cloves, followed by the flour. Stir until no dry patches remain.¾ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon fine table salt, 3 teaspoons ground ginger, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, 280 g (1 ½ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
- Cover the bowl and chill the dough in the fridge for about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 180℃/160℃ fan/350℉/gas mark 4. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment. Place the caster/graulated sugar in one small bowl, and the icing/powdered sugar in another.50 g (¼ cup) caster or granulated sugar, 50 g (½ cup) icing (powdered) sugar
- Divide the chilled dough into 16 portions, about a heaped Tablespoon each, and roll them into balls.
- Roll the balls first in the caster/granulated sugar, giving them a light coating, and then in the icing/powdered sugar, making sure that they have a thick, even coating.
- Place the cookies spaced apart on the lined baking sheets and bake for 12-18 minutes until firm around the edges but still slightly wet looking in the centre. Bake them for the shorter amount of time if you prefer them slightly gooey in the centre, and the longer amount of time if you prefer a firmer textured cookie.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5-10 minutes, then gently transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- See post above for tips, details, make ahead and freezing 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
Tanya
Hi my darlin, I don't usually make sweet things, I'm more of a savoury girl, but this recipe just screams Christmas, so I'm going to make these, thank you so much
Liz
I've just made a batch of these, and they have a lovely spicy kick to them. We couldn't wait for them to cool before testing them .
Dana
Just made these cookies for Christmas and they are delicious!
Tamar
Perfect! Like all your recipes ❤️