Vegan Gingerbread Men

Name: Vegan Gingerbread Men
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 110 min
Ingredients: 150 g Plain flour; 150 g Wholemeal flour; 150 g Light brown sugar; 1 tsp Mixed spice; 1 1/2 tsp Ground ginger; 1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda; 60 ml Golden syrup; 1/2 tbsp Black treacle; 140 g Dairy free butter/margarine; 75 g Icing sugar; Enough water to make a thick paste

26/11/2017 by thebakingexplorer 32 Comments

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There are many symbols of Christmas, from holly to Santa Claus, and crackers to Christmas pud. One of my favourites is the gingerbread man with his cute smiling face and rosy cheeks. I am always drawn towards gingerbread man decorations for my tree, and Christmas cards featuring these adorable characters. These Vegan Gingerbread Men are a fun and delicious way to enjoy one of the most charming symbols of Christmas time. It would be great fun to make them with kids and let them get creative with the decorations! They have the perfect balance of sweetness against spicy ginger, making them a tasty treat for the whole family this Christmas.

Aren't these friendly smiling vegan gingerbread men just the cutest? Almost too cute to eat, but only almost! They are absolutely yummy - crispy round the edges, then nice and soft in the middle. The punch of ginger flavour is just right, and you get bits of sweet icing in every bite.

Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information

You can use a dairy free baking block or a dairy free baking spread to make the biscuit dough, but either way it should be used cold.
If you don't want to use wholemeal flour, you can replace it with regular plain flour.
Mixed spice is a British spice blend containing cinnamon, coriander seed, nutmeg, clove, pimento and ginger. If you can't get hold of it, you can use a pumpkin spice mix instead.
I really recommend using light brown soft sugar if you can for these biscuits, but caster sugar will work well too.
Golden syrup is sold all over the world, so check the international section in your supermarket if you're not based in the UK. You can also buy it online from Amazon (see link below). If you can't get hold of it, you can substitute it with light corn syrup, maple syrup or honey, please note I've not tested this recipe with these substitutions.
Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

How to make Vegan Gingerbread Men

Start by putting all of the dry ingredients into a bowl and stirring them together. In a small pan, melt the dairy free spread with the golden syrup and treacle.

Pour the syrup mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until a dough forms. Wrap it in cling film and chill it in the fridge for 1 hour. Roll the dough out onto a well floured surface.

Cut out gingerbread man shapes using a cookie cutter and lay them onto baking trays. Put the cut out shapes on the trays into the freezer for 10 minutes, then bake them for 8-10 minutes.

Once they are fully cool, make some icing and pipe it onto the biscuits to decorate them.

For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

How long do the gingerbread men last and can they be frozen?

The gingerbread men biscuits will last for 1 week stored in an airtight container in a cool place. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. Freeze them in a freezer bag, a tupperware container, or wrap them well in cling film. You can also freeze the dough before rolling it out, wrap it well in cling film and freeze for up to 3 months.

Can this recipe be made gluten free?

Yes! For gluten free you can replace the plain flour with a gluten free plain flour blend. I also recommend adding ¼ tsp Xantham Gum for better texture.

Do you need any special equipment to make these biscuits?

You can make the dough completely by hand, but if you have a food processor it does make it a little easier and quicker. For rolling out the dough you will need a rolling pin, I also like to use a silicone mat to make clean up a little easier. To bake the biscuits you will need some baking paper and some baking trays. And of course you will need a gingerbread man shaped cookie cutter!

More tips for making the Vegan Gingerbread Men:

You can cut the dough into any shapes you like besides gingerbread men.
If you are using a metal cookie cutter, to stop it from going rusty wash it in warm soapy water, then pop it in a warm oven to dry it out.
You could also use chocolate to decorate them, or leave them plain.

Troubleshooting

If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!

Recommended equipment & ingredients*

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