raw vegan gingerbread cookies
What if you could have all the holiday comfort of a soft, chewy gingerbread cookie with all the health benefits of chia, oats, almonds, blackstrap molasses, and adaptogens? In one mood-boosting, guilt-free bite? What if you could give your family & littles cookies all season that actually nourish them? And what if the recipe was easy, raw, vegan, and refined sugar free? And gorgeous?!
Most importantly: what if these raw vegan gingerbread cookies tasted like actual freaking cookies and not some sad facsimile! If that all sounds too good to be true: it’s not. Made with a few scoops of adaptogens and Wooden Spoon Herbs magical cocoa, these are the chewy gingerbread cookies of your dreams that you can feel good about AND get addicted to.
I hear you…vegan cookies?!
Now, if you’re like me at this point you might be like…eh, lies. Pass the “real” cookies, please. No raw vegan gingerbread cookies for me. And you might even have an involuntary contempt for the very idea of a “healthy cookie” because that sounds like…well…not a cookie at all but rather something masquerading as a cookie, a cruel trick. I feel you.
Because I’m also wary of cookie pretenders and weird superfood balls with carob chips that call themselves cookies. When I want a cookie, I want a damn cookie. If I wanted a salad, I’d get a salad. But these are different. Just try them. Just once. If you detest them, feel free to write me cookie oriented hate mail.
To ye of little faith…
Give them a chance before you move on to another, more traditional recipe. Because I didn’t just create these raw vegan gingerbread cookies for us hippie millennials (well, technically I’m an “xennial” but that’s neither here nor there…). I created them for all cookie lovers. Because with cookies like these, you don’t need a special occasion to make them. They can happily be consumed all winter as the perfect company with cocoa or another of my favorite cozy drinks like the adaptogen matcha latte, golden cocoa, or our adaptogen walnut milk latte. The latter recipe also has a beginner’s guide to adaptogens if you aren’t familiar.
This recipe also reduces kitchen waste by using up pulp from making coconut milk. If you don’t make coconut milk you can just grind shredded coconut to a “flour” in a food processor or high powered blender. But I suggest making you own! It’s easy: a bag of coconut flakes with 4 cups of hot water plus a pinch of salt and a pitted date or two blended in a high power blender and strained through a nut milk bag, panty hose, or a paper towel lined sieve! Use the milk in lattes and these cookies and use the pulp in these cookies or bliss balls!
So if you’re looking for a new holiday ritual that vibes with how you want to treat your body OR you’re a skeptic and maaaaybe just willing to give these raw vegan gingerbread cookies a shot because I won’t shut up about it…I hope that these are the cookies you’ve been looking for! And did I mention how gorgeous these bebes are?! I mean, c’mon. I got the beautiful pattern using Nordic Ware cookie stamps that I’ve had for a YEAR and been waiting for the holidays to use!
About these vegan gingerbread cookies…
You can make these in a dehydrator or a low oven (as low as your oven will go). I personally hate extraneous kitchen tools so I just dry them in a low, 100 °F oven. If your oven doesn’t go that low you can just switch it on and off periodically to keep it warm but not hot. For the cookies to be considered truly “raw” they need to not get internally above 107 °F.
But I’m not really a stickler for that, so I don’t worry about it. If you’re a real raw foodie, you probably have a dehydrator. If you aren’t, go with the low oven and you’ll be as happy as I am!
For the ultimate holiday ritual serve a raw vegan gingerbread cookie with a cup of one of Wooden Spoon Herbs magic cocoas (or collect them all like I did!) I use the Mushroom Cocoa in my version of this recipe but I think it would be great with any of them!
About the Magic Cocoa…
I whisk mine into warm coconut milk but regular milk or any other “mylk” will work great! Totally a matter of your preference. I also sweeten mine up with a small scoop of low glycemic monkfruit sweetener.
Mushroom Cocoa – Adaptogenic, full of bioavailable medicinal mushroom extracts and astragalus, sweetened naturally with mesquite, great for overall well being, stress reduction, building deep immunity, balancing hormones and blood sugar. Perfect for the wellness guru.
Rosy Cocoa – Adaptogenic aphrodisiac fertility promoter that tastes like chocolate and roses. Perfect for the lovers.
Golden Cocoa – golden milk with ashwagandha meets hot cocoa. Adaptogenic and anti-inflammatory. Perfect for the frazzled entrepreneur or the mama (or papa) juggling it all during the holidays.
You can make these in a dehydrator or a low oven, so fancy equipment isn’t essential. I think they’re best made with homemade coconut milk & the leftover pulp, but you could buy coconut and grind it to a powder that would work too, though I imagine it might be a little less fine and less moist. As such, I’d use a bit less of it to keep the dough from getting too dry. Maybe 100 grams to start and increasing to 125 if needed to make the dough not sticky. This is a super forgiving recipe since it isn’t actual “baking”, but make sure to budget enough time to chill the dough and dry the cookies—about 4 hours of hands off time total. Recipe can be easily doubled.
Ingredients
- 125 grams (1 1/4 cup) coconut pulp leftover from making coconut milk (see blog post for how I make it) or finely ground coconut flakes
- 100 grams (1 cup) almond flour (or finely ground almonds)
- 50 grams (1/2 cup) oat flour (or finely ground rolled oats)
- 2 tablespoons finely ground white or black chia seeds (I grind them in a mini food processor but spice of coffee grinder would work too or even a mortar and pestle if you’re patient)
- 2 tablespoons monkfruit sweetener or other low glycemic sweetener (can sub coconut sugar or regular sugar)
- 2 tablespoons Wooden Spoon Herbs Cocoa or raw cacao powder
- 1 tablespoon mixed adaptogens (I use Yin Powder or my own custom mix)
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ⅛ allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher or other flaky salt
- 80 grams (⅓ cup) coconut milk
- 40 grams (2 tablespoons) blackstrap molasses
- 30 grams (2 tablespoons) coconut butter or oil (we used coconut butter), melted but not hot
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1 teaspoon tightly packed finely grated fresh ginger (on the small holes of a box grater)
- 1 scant tablespoon coconut milk
- 3-4 tablespoons of sifted icing sugar
Instructions
- Mix all dry ingredients thoroughly in a large mixing bowl.
- Mix all wet ingredients thoroughly in a medium mixing bowl.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
- Form the dough into a ball, pat into a 1” thick disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least half an hour. An hour is better.
- Remove from the fridge, roll out until about ½”-¼” thick and cut out with desired cookie cutters or a knife. The shape is up to you! I cut out circle with a biscuit cutter and then used Nordic Ware cookie stamps to get these beautiful designs!
- Place on a cookie sheet in a low oven, as low as your oven goes, 100-150 F, for 2-3 hours until edges are dry. Turn cookies over during the last half hour of drying.
- Alternately dry in a food dehydrator set at 100 F for about 3 hours. For truly raw cookies they should not rise above 107 F, but I’m not a stickler about it.
- Whisk the sugar with the coconut milk to form the glaze and brush onto room temperature cookies.
- Store in an airtight container for a week or so. Will keep longer in the fridge.
- Serve with a cup of magic cocoa!
Shop My Kitchen:
- Wooden Spoon Herbs Cocoa
- Coconut Flakes
- Monkfruit Sweetener
- Blackstrap Molasses
- Almond Flour
- Oat Flour
- White Chia Seeds
- Coconut Butter
- Vanilla Bean Paste
- Pink Milk Glass Mixing Bowls
- Nordic Ware Cookie Stamps
- Brass Measuring Spoons
- Copper Cooling Rack
- Copper Pour Over Kettle
- Food Dehydrator
- Wooden Stirring Spoon
- Brass Cake Server
Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored! Some of the links to shop the items in my kitchen are affiliate links, and some are not. Affiliate links means I get a small commission from the seller that keeps this blog up and running if you buy. I personally use everything recommended in my posts!
Can you tell me a little more about your experience with the monk fruit sweetener? I am a big fan of low glycemic sweeteners- diabetic hubby and also a fan of preventing sugar highs and crashes for my small humans…. Love coconut sugar and agave, but the monk fruit sweetener says zero net carbs? How is the flavor profile? Does it taste like a sugar substitute- I’ve tried Swerve- ick. Anyhoo – would love to know a little more about flavor before I order. Thank you!
These look incredible. You are amazing!
I will definitely be trying these! I dont like gingerbread typically because I hate dried ginger, it’s like they sucked the life out of the magical root. Using fresh ginger I’m sure add so much extra flavor.
Thank you for this recipe. I need to try these!
Oh. My. Word! I wanted to eat these as I read about. (I did refrain from licking the screen). I cannot wait to try them.
I will definitely try this cookies. I love raw food! Beautiful and inspiring post as always.
Gorgeous recipe! And what about using honey instead of molasses? It’s kind of difficult find molasses but I have to try these cookies!
it will change the flavor a lot but will still be good! molasses is what makes gingerbread taste “gingerbready”! If you can’t find it or order online try honey or maple…I’m sure it’ll be yummy!
Oh my. This is my kind of cookie! I am going on Nordicware’s website right now and buying these stamps! I know Christmas is over… I will just practice for next year! 😉