Ginger Cookies

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 1/2 cup room temperature vegan or vegetable butter
• 3⁄4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup molasses
• 1/2 Tbs vanilla extract
• 3 cups white flour
• 1/2 Tbs powder baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 Tbs ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp salt

For the glaze: 

• 1 cup sugar powdered
• 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 to 2 Tbs unsweetened plant based milk (soy, almond, coconut, etc.)

Preparation

1. Take the butter out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before you start.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Add the salt and mix everything until smooth. Set aside.
3. In another large bowl, add the softened vegan butter, molasses, and brown sugar. Using a mixer, mix everything together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and mix until all is incorporated.
4. Carefully add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix until smooth with a spatula or wooden spoon.
5. Gather the mixture in your hands and “knead” it into a large ball. Put it back in the container and cover it with a stretch film and let it rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
6. After an hour, take the dough out of the refrigerator. Next, you will need to roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/2 to 1cm with a rolling pin, cup, etc.
7. Divide the dough into 3 pieces to spread it out. To make things easier and also not to distort the shape of the cookies, we roll and cut our cookie dough directly onto a lightly floured silicone baking mat (or parchment paper) that we will be baking them on. This way we could pick up the paper and place it directly on the baking tray. Be sure to leave about ½ inch between each cookie so they don't bake into each other. If you don't want to do this, simply roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface, cut out with your cookie cutters, and use a spatula to transfer them to a lined baking sheet.
8. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes, cut cookie dough on a baking sheet. We also like to place our leftover dough in the fridge when we're not using it to keep it cold.
9. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 340º F. Once the cookies have cooled, place them into the oven and bake for 11-13 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them rest on the baking sheet for 2 minutes; then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
10. Once the cookies have cooled completely they can be decorated.
11. To prepare the frosting, all you have to do is whisk together all the ingredients for the frosting, transfer it to a piping bag, and have fun! Just be sure to let the frosting sit to harden.
12. Store in an airtight container and enjoy!