Grandpa's Easy Vegan Gingerbread Cookies

Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Servings: 36
Yield: 36 servings

Description

Perfect for the holidays or any special occasion, these vegan gingerbread cookies look like something you'd buy in a bakery!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups molasses
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
2/3 cup cold water
6 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
cooking spray

Directions

1 Combine molasses, brown sugar, and shortening in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add cold water and blend until smooth. (Shortening may separate a bit; this is fine.)
2 Sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, ginger, and salt in a separate bowl. Add flour mixture to molasses mixture, blending until incorporated and dough is soft. Shape dough into 2 balls and place in the refrigerator until chilled, 10 to 15 minutes.
3 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
4 Working in batches, place one ball of chilled dough on a lightly floured surface and roll to 1/4-inch thickness, or 1/2-inch thickness for softer cookies. Cut out cookies with desired cookie cutters and place 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
5 Bake cookies in the preheated oven until edges are firm, 12 to 13 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack immediately after baking to cool. Allow to cool completely if frosting.