What do winter holidays smell like? Gingerbread.
Gingerbread is either a form of cake or cookie that is spiced and often used as decoration for the winter holidays. Originally, it was used a way to treat indigestion, which makes sense because many of the spices traditionally used are fantastic for the digestive system and blood sugar regulation. The combination of spices vary as well as the texture and form that it takes.
My gingerbread is loosely based on a Slovak recipe from one of my grandmother’s cookbooks. The dough for this gingerbread is nice and thick, because it’s quite a dense and rich dessert. If you want, you can just roll out the dough and use it to make cookies! But if you make it like a cake, when this is all baked and ready to eat, it should be just like a giant gingerbread cookie.
When we put up our decorations this weekend, I popped some gingerbread in the oven to better get into the holiday cheer. My icing skills are not that great, especially with a toddler pulling on my leg, so it’s a bit messy in appearance. But this loaf of awesomeness won’t last long enough to need to be pretty.
This crumbly, sweet, and spicy gingerbread is sure to make your house smell like Christmas. It is definitely not a cake, it’s essentially a thick cookie with it’s crumbly and dense texture. It’s so delicious that it’s hard to stop going back for more.
Gingerbread
Ingredients:
- 2 1/3 cups flour (whole wheat pastry or all-purpose)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 cup vegan butter or coconut oil, melted
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1 chia egg (1 Tbsp chia seeds soaked in 4 Tbsp water until thick, about 5 minutes)
- 1/2 cup nondairy milk or black coffee
- Easy Vegan Icing (recipe below)
Directions:
- Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar, molasses, chia egg, and milk. Pour the wet into the dry and mix until a soft and smooth dough forms.
- Let the dough sit for about 30 to 60 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a cake pan or 8 x 8 casserole dish.
- Press the dough into the pan and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 325 and continue to bake for 45 minutes. Let cool completely on a cooling rack.
- Top with Easy Vegan Icing and enjoy!
Easy Vegan Icing
Ingredients:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 2-4 Tbsp almond milk
Directions:
- Whisk all the ingredients together until a smooth icing forms. If it’s too cool and thick, heat it up to thin it out again. Use the icing on your dessert and let firm up. Enjoy!
