Vegan Gingerbread Cookies

Ho ho ho! It's almost time for Santa's visit on Christmas eve and he will fulfill good little kids' Christmas wishes. My 9 year old has been writing a letter to Santa since kindergarten days. Writing a letter to Santa is a wonderful Christmas spirit along with holiday decor, carols, stories, movies, red-green-golden twinkling lights and last but not least baked goodies. We will leave out some cookies and milk or eggnog for Santa and carrots for his reindeers as usual.

Every year we make different treats for Santa and we always keep in mind to make it healthy because we need to make sure Santa stays fit and feel good all the time. Sugar adds up very quickly during holidays. So I prefer to make a lot of things as much as possible to decrease sugar consumption. It's worth the effort and I am sure Santa will appreciate it.

I have made gingerbread cookies for Santa and kids yesterday after some years. They have less fat and sugar compared to the most gingerbread cookies without compromising on great flavor and taste. It's a wonderful project with kids during holiday break. I usually decorate some cookies with simple sugar icing for coffee table centerpiece. The rest is munched as is or paired with a mug of hot chocolate. 

To make these cookies more hearty I always replace half whole wheat pastry flour instead of all purpose flour and not only that I made these cookies vegan for first time. Kids and their friends gave these cookies two thumbs up and that's the best part! They stay fresh in an air tight container for up to a week.

Ingredients~

1 1/2 cups sifted whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground Cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup flavorless oil

1/2 cup dairy free milk( I use coconut milk)

3/4 to 1 cup jaggery powder

1/4 cup vegan powdered sugar for dusting(optional)

Special equipment ~

Large bowl and medium bowl

Rubber spatula or wooden spoon

2 large baking tray

Parchment paper

Rolling board and pin

Cooling rack

Method~

Mix together first 8 ingredients. In a big bowl whisk oil and jaggery powder. Add in coconut milk and stir well. Gradually add the dry ingredients, 1/4 cup at a time and mix everything together with a spatula or wooden spoon until a firm dough forms.

Transfer dough onto a well floured board and just knead it lightly to form a smooth ball. Divide the dough in 2 pieces and wrap each piece in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or until firm.

Preheat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit and line parchment paper on the two baking sheets. Take two large pieces of parchment paper and place one on the counter. Put one piece of the dough in the center and dust with flour both sides. Place another piece of parchment paper on top. Using a rolling pin roll it out until the dough is about 1/8 inch thick (just eyeball it).

Cut out your shapes using a gingerbread man/round or any cookie cutter. Carefully lift cookies using a blunt knife and place them  onto the parchment lined baking sheets and bake for about 10-12 minutes or until light brown.

Remove from the baking sheet and transfer cookies on wire racks. Let them cool completely. Dust little confectioner sugar if you want. Store them in an air tight container. Enjoy home baked holiday cookies with your loved ones and it's always comforting when served with a cup of steamy hot chocolate or coffee for cold days. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from our home to yours!