Dairy-free

Name: Orange Iced Ginger Molasses Cookies
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: 22 Cookies
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/2 cup vegan butter stick, softened; 2/3 cup coconut sugar; 3 Tbsp molasses; 1 large egg, room temp; 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour; 3/4 tsp baking soda; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger; 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg; 1/4 tsp ground cloves; 1/4 tsp ground cloves; 3-4 Tbsp granulated sugar for rolling (optional!); 1 cup powdered sugar; 1/2 tsp vanilla extract; 3-5 tsp plant-based milk; Zest from 1 medium orange

Orange Iced Ginger Molasses Cookies (DF)

December 12, 2019 by Rachael Ng Leave a Comment

When I set out to compile a list of new (and old) holiday cookie recipes for my 12 Days of Dairy-Free Cookies over on Instagram, I knew I needed a ginger cookie of some sort. Last year, I made these Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies with coconut oil, but I’ve since fallen for the tase and texture that dairy-free (vegan) butter adds to a cookie dough! For this recipe, I adapted the cookies from last holiday season, swapping the coconut oil for vegan butter and adding a delicious (and perfectly festive!) orange icing. You can think of these as the easier version of those stamped and iced gingerbread cookies that are all over the internet. No special tools required!

The dough comes together like any other traditional cookie dough. You’ll cream the butter and sugar together, add molasses and egg, and then stir in the dry ingredients. The dough will be sticky. Too sticky to scoop or roll. But popping the dough in the refrigerator uncovered allows the dough to dry out and firm up just enough to get the dough balls rolled. I don’t recommend chilling the dough for any longer as the cookies might not spread!

Once your cookies are baked and cooled, you’ll make a simple icing flavored with a bit of vanilla extract and fresh orange zest. Then you’ll dip the tops of each cookie into the glaze, careful not to submerge the sides, allow the excess icing to drip off, and voila! You’ve got beautifully iced, totally delicious, soft ginger molasses cookies!

Some of the ingredients I like for this recipe:

Coconut sugar is my favorite, better-for-you sweetener. It’s low GI, unrefined, and tastes nothing like coconut. It makes a great 1:1 replacement for regular, high GI sugars like granulated sugar and brown sugar.

Molasses brings that seasonal taste we all know and love to these cookies. It also adds necessary moisture to keep these cookies nice and soft.

Egg adds moisture, fluff, and chewiness to these cookies. For a classic cookie texture, eggs are best.

Yield: 22 Cookies

Orange Iced Ginger Molasses Cookies

Soft and chewy ginger molasses cookies topped with a simple icing made with fresh orange rind! A pretty and extra delicious way to enjoy your favorite ginger cookies!

Prep Time 35 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes

Ingredients

Cookies

1/2 cup vegan butter stick, softened
2/3 cup coconut sugar
3 Tbsp molasses
1 large egg, room temp
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3-4 Tbsp granulated sugar for rolling (optional!)

Orange Icing

1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3-5 tsp plant-based milk
Zest from 1 medium orange

Instructions

Make the Cookies

Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Bring your egg to room temperature (if it's not already) by placing it in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, cream together the vegan butter and coconut sugar until fluffy. Beat in the molasses and then the egg; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add dry ingredients to wet and use a large wooden spoon or spatula to gently mix. The dough may seem dry when you begin mixing, but it will turn out quite sticky. Chill dough, uncovered, for 15 minutes - this helps dry it out a bit.
Scoop six dough balls 1.5 Tbsp in size. Roll each dough ball and then roll in the granulated sugar (totally optional). Place on prepared baking sheet and flatten slightly. Bake at 350°F for 7 minutes or until cookies have puffed up.
Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute before gently moving to a cooling rack. Continue baking the rest of your dough. There's no need to re-chill the dough. Be sure to use a room temp baking sheet each time - this is why two baking sheets are handy!

Make the Icing

Once your cookies have totally cooled, you can make your icing. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, vanilla, and 3 tsp of the plant-based milk. Add milk 1 tsp at a time until you've reached a thin, drip-from-your-spoon consistency. Finally, stir in the fresh orange zest.
Dip just the top of each cookie into the icing, allowing excess icing to drip off. This process is a bit tedious but necessary. Ideally, you want only the tops of the cookies iced, so be careful not to submerge the sides of the cookies while dipping. Turn each dipped cookie over and allow to set on a cooling rack.
Once icing has set, you can store cookies in an airtight container at room temp, placing a piece of parchment paper between each layer to keep the cookies from sticking to each other.

Notes

You won't use all of the icing, but it's nice to have the icing deep enough to dip (which is why I recommend mixing it in a small bowl!).
Feel free to leave the icing off. These cookies, especially when rolled in granulated sugar, are delicious and sweet as-is. Alternatively, the granulated sugar can be left off the dough balls if you're icing the cookies. I chose to do both.

Chocolate Peppermint Cookie Cups (vegan)

December 11, 2019 by Rachael Ng Leave a Comment

Some of the ingredients I like for this recipe:

Flaxseed meal mixes with warm water to create a thick egg replacement. You don’t taste the flax at all in this recipe, but if you’re not vegan, feel free to use large eggs instead.

Semi-sweet chocolate is the perfect chocolate for these cookie cups! With just the right amount of sweet, you can use it for both the cups and the chocolate ganache. If you like your desserts extra rich, you can use dark chocolate (72%) for the ganache.

Coconut oil is a simple, dairy-free alternative to butter in this recipe. It sets up quickly in the refrigerator, so you’ll only need to chill the dough for 30 minutes. Plus, the coconut taste doesn’t come out in the final product!

Dutch-process cocoa powder has a richer chocolate flavor and deeper color.

Peppermint extract makes these peppermint cookie cups! Make sure to use peppermint extract and not mint extract (which tastes like spearmint toothpaste!).

Coconut cream (or full fat coconut milk) thickens the chocolate ganache. It’s a wonderful replacement for dairy cream, and you won’t taste any coconut in the final product.

Yield: 16 Cookie Cups

Chocolate Peppermint Cookie Cups

Rich and indulgent dark chocolate peppermint cookie cups topped with a decadent chocolate ganache, creamy white chocolate drizzle, and festive peppermint pieces!

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes

Additional Time 2 hours 15 minutes

Total Time 3 hours 8 minutes

Ingredients

Cookie Cups

2 flax eggs* or 2 large eggs, room temp
6oz dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/3 cup solid coconut oil
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 coconut sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp peppermint extract

Toppings

5oz dairy-free semi-sweet or dark chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup coconut cream or full fat fat coconut milk
3-4 Tbsp dairy-free white chocolate chips
1-2 Tbsp crushed peppermint pieces
1-2 Tbsp sugar sprinkles

Instructions

Make the Cookie Cups

Make your flax eggs by combining the flaxseed meal and warm water in a small bowl; set aside to allow time to thicken. OR bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, fill a medium pot with about an inch of water and place over medium heat. Grab a heatproof bowl (one that will sit on your pot of water without touching the water), place it on your pot of water, and add the chopped chocolate and coconut oil. Stir frequently until everything is melted; set mixture aside.
In a medium bowl, sift the flour and cocoa powder. Whisk in the baking powder, baking soda, and salt until flour and cocoa are combined; set aside.
Return to your chocolate mixture and stir in the coconut sugar. Add the flax eggs and peppermint extract and stir to combine. Finally, add the dry ingredients and stir until totally combined. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 350°F and liberally spray a mini muffin pan with non-stick spray - I used olive oil spray. Remove dough from the refrigerator and scoop 1" balls (a little more than 1.5 Tbsp). Roll dough balls smooth and place in the prepared muffin wells.
Bake at 350°F for 7-8 minutes. Immediately press small, circular wells into the tops of each cookie cup, making them as shallow or deep as you'd like. I used the top of a sesame oil bottle with a 1" bottle cap - it worked perfectly! Allow cookie cups to cool in the muffin pan.
Once your cookie cups are cool, use a butter knife to very gently loosen the top edges of each cup. Turn your muffin pan over and hit the back until all muffin cups have released - this may take a bit of finagling, but all of your cups should come out clean.

Prepare the Toppings

Using the same double boiler method as above (heatproof bowl sitting on top of a pot of simmering water), melt the chopped chocolate and coconut cream, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes, stirring here and there. Ganache should thicken quite a bit.
Use a ziploc bag or piping bag fitted with a small, circular tip to pipe the ganache into each cookie cup.
Melt the white chocolate chips by microwaving in 15 second intervals until smooth, careful not to over-heat them. Pour white chocolate into a ziploc bag, snip the corner, and drizzle the chocolate over the ganache.
Immediately (and quickly!) top the cookie cups with a mix of sugar sprinkles and crushed peppermint pieces.
Store cookie cup leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

*2 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 6 Tbsp warm water
Make sure you use peppermint extract, not mint extract (which tastes like toothpaste!).
The piped ganache and melted white chocolate will begin to set soon after piping, so make haste with sprinkling the crushed peppermint pieces and sprinkles onto the tops!
It's important to bring your eggs to room temperature because cold eggs could affect the coconut oil, solidifying the melted oil into little chunks

Chocolate Swirl Marshmallows

December 7, 2019 by Rachael Ng Leave a Comment

Before setting out to make these marshmallows, I had only made my own homemade mallows once. It was for my toddler’s first birthday, and I found this beautiful recipe online for a purple, blueberry marshmallow. I was sold. So I spent a lot of time anxiously working through the recipe only to be not so thrilled with the results. They tasted…off. After attempting homemade marshmallows for a second time (with a different recipe) I realized that the “off” taste was the gelatin. The marshmallows I’d made before tasted like gelatin, which is not a pleasant taste.

For these marshmallows, I looked to the pros: Alton Brown and bon appétit . Then I followed the advice from The Flavor Blender and used agave instead of corn syrup and THESE MARSHMALLOWS. They’re so much better than store-bought. They’re perfectly sweet, marbled with chocolate, and much easier than I ever expected homemade marshmallows to be. I’ve since used this same recipe on two other recipe: Peppermint Hot Cocoa Brownies and Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie. It’s that good. And you don’t taste the gelatin!

For this recipe, you will need a candy thermometer. A stand mixer is also extremely helpful as the marshmallow needs to be whipped for anywhere from 5-15 minutes. I’m sure you can use a hand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, but I’ve learned how much of a pain that can be. You’ll also need to use gelatin for this recipe. I buy the small boxes of powdered gelatin packets from the baking aisle at the grocery store.

And then there’s the agave. This low GI, sweet syrup is an excellent replacement for corn syrup (which is found in most marshmallow recipes and store-bought mallows). It helps keep the boiling sugar from crystalizing and keeps your marshmallows nice and smooth. For the chocolate swirl you’ll simply melt some chocolate chips and slowly (and barely!) stir that into your marshmallow fluff before pouring it into your pan to set. Don’t let this recipe intimidate you! After you make these marshmallows once, you’ll feel like a pro and you’ll be able to whip them up in no time!

Some of the ingredients I like for this recipe:

Gelatin is a main ingredient and helps these marshmallows set.

White granulated sugar is the best sugar to use for this recipe as you’ll need to boil the sugar mixture to a specific temperature. I don’t recommend using raw or unrefined sugar as I don’t know how it would turn out.

Agave is a low GI, sweet syrup that perfectly replaces corn syrup (which is typically used) in this recipe. It helps keep the sugar from forming any unwanted crystals during the boiling process.

Vanilla extract adds necessary flavor to these marshmallows. You don’t want to skip it! Though you could also use peppermint extract or any other extract flavors that you like.

Powdered sugar & corn starch are used to coat the outside of each marshmallow, so the finished marshmallows don’t stick together.

Yield: 9x13" Pan of Marshmallow

Chocolate Swirl Marshmallows

Perfectly fluffy, wonderfully sweet homemade vanilla marshmallows with a swirl of semisweet chocolate. The BEST kind of marshmallows to top your favorite cup of hot cocoa!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Additional Time 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 40 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup cold water, divided (1/2 cup + 1/2 cup)
3 packets powdered gelatin (~7 tsp)
2 cups white granulated sugar
1/2 cup agave
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup corn starch

Instructions

Prepare a 9x13" baking dish by liberally spraying it with non-stick spray (I like to use olive oil); set aside.
Melt your chocolate chips. Add them to a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30 second intervals until nearly melted, stirring between each interval. Stop heating the chips when they're nearly all melted, and then stir until all chips are totally melted; set aside to cool.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, mix 1/2 cup of water with the gelatin. Leave it to thicken while you begin your sugar mixture.
In a medium saucepan, add the sugar, agave, salt, and additional 1/2 cup of water, gently swirling the pan until all the sugar is soaked and agave is distributed around the pan. Place over medium heat for a gas range (or medium-high heat for an electric range) and bring to a boil. Boil mixture until it reaches 240°F. Immediately remove from heat.
With your stand mixer on low, slowly pour the hot sugar mixture into the gelatin. Turn the mixer to medium-high and whisk until marshmallow fluff forms. The mixture should be fluffy, white, and thick. This can take anywhere from 5-15 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla extract (this can be done at any point in the whisking process).
Once your marshmallow mixture has thickened, remove the bowl from your stand mixer. Immediately spoon the melted chocolate over the top of the mixture and then very gently and slowly mix or swirl the chocolate into the the marshmallow, making sure you don't over-mix as that will result in loss of the swirl.
Gently spoon the mixture into your oiled baking dish. Quickly smooth out the top, doing your best not to mix the chocolate in - mine mixed a bit on the surface but didn't affect the swirls on the inside!
Allow marshmallow to set out in the open, uncovered for at least four hours. If you plan to leave them overnight, go ahead with the next step, covering the top surface with the powdered sugar/corn starch mixture and covering it to keep the marshmallow from drying out (if you cover the marshmallow before powdering it, your cover will stick!).
After about four hours, your marshmallow should be set enough to slice. Start by mixing the powdered sugar and corn starch in a small bowl. Use a sieve to powder the top of the marshmallow with the mixture.
Use a butter knife to loosen the edges of the marshmallow, and then you should be able to pull the whole marshmallow out of the dish. Slice the marshmallow into desired pieces. Then use your hands to powder all of the sticky edges, wiping away any excess powder.
Store marshmallows in an airtight container at room temperature. I recommend enjoying within a week.

Notes

This recipe is slightly adapted from Alton Brown and bon appétit

Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie with Marshmallow Topping (DF)

December 5, 2019 by Rachael Ng Leave a Comment

This post is sponsored by Diamond Nuts and all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Sugared & Stirred possible!

Set a few pies in front of me, and I will always go for whichever has chocolate in it. I know. Big surprise. Don’t get me wrong. I love a good fruit pie, but chocolate pie? I’m all over it. This chocolate pie has a simple pudding-like filling made with lots of dark chocolate and coconut cream, which sets up beautifully when chilled. Pre-chill, the filling goes into a delicious ready-to-use Diamond Nuts Walnut Pie Crust – I love walnuts in my baked goods! Then once the filling is set, it’s all topped off with a homemade marshmallow. Yes! An easy 5-ingredient marshmallow! This is one dreamy pie.

If you’re like me, and you don’t bake cream pies often (or ever), don’t let this recipe intimidate you! The Diamond Nuts pie crust is all ready to go. You’ll cook most of the filling ingredients in a saucepan until thick and bubbly, mix it with the chopped chocolate and vanilla, and you’ll have a delicious chocolate filling in about 15 minutes! Then once that’s chilled for a couple of hours, you’ll get started on the marshmallow topping. You’ll mix gelatin with a bit of water and then bring your sugars (along with some water) to a boil. Once the sugars reach 240°F, you’ll slowly pour the mixture into the gelatin, letting your stand mixer do all of the work. In around 10 minutes (maybe less, maybe more) you’ll have a thick, fluffy, and totally delicious marshmallow topping! No odd gelatin taste. Just perfect marshmallow sweetness!

Some of the ingredients I like for this recipe:

Dark chocolate adds a rich chocolate flavor to the filling. It also helps thicken the filling so it sets up perfectly when chilled. Feel free to use your favorite dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate bar. I used a 72% dark chocolate.

Dutch process cocoa powder has a deeper flavor than regular, natural cocoa powder. It also has a darker color. I prefer both for this recipe!

Coconut cream thickens the chocolate filling and adds a delicious coconut flavor. It’s thicker and creamier than coconut milk. You can find it in a can in the baking aisle, or along with other Asian foods at a regular grocery store.

Corn starch is the only starch you want to use for this filling. In order for the filling to set properly, you must use corn starch.

Agave makes for perfect and delicious marshmallow! Traditional recipes call for corn syrup, but agave works wonderfully in its place. It helps keep the boiling sugar from crystalizing, making all of our lives easier!

Gelatin is necessary for the marshmallow to set up. You can find it in a small box in the baking aisle. The boxes I’ve found come with four packets each. You’ll need three packets for this recipe.

Yield: 8 Slices

Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie with Marshmallow Topping

A dairy-free dark chocolate + coconut cream pie with a delicious and nutty Diamond Nuts walnut crust! All topped with a sweet homemade marshmallow!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 6 hours

Total Time 7 hours

Ingredients

Crust

1 Diamond Nuts Walnut Pie Crust

Filling

4oz dairy-free dark chocolate, chopped (I used 72%)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup white granulated sugar
1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
1/4 cup corn starch
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs, room temp
3 large egg yolks, room temp
13.5oz can coconut cream
6.5oz unsweetened almond milk

Marshmallow Topping

1 cup water, divided (1/2 cup + 1/2 cup)
3 packets of gelatin powder (~7 tsp)
2 cups white granulated sugar
1/2 cup agave
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a bowl of warm water for around 10 minutes. Meanwhile, add the chopped dark chocolate and vanilla extract to a medium bowl. Place a large sieve (sifter) over the bowl and set all aside.
In a medium saucepan, add the sugar, cocoa powder, corn starch, and salt. Whisk until combined. Add the eggs and egg yolks and generously whisk until everything is thoroughly combined, making sure to scrape bottom edges of the pan.
Place the chocolate egg mixture over medium heat, whisking frequently. Watch for the mixture to begin to bubble and then whisk constantly, turning heat to low, until the mixture thickens. Whisk for 3 minutes and then remove from heat. Your mixture should have bubbled and should be thick and pudding-like.
Allow the mixture to cool for 3-5 minutes, whisking frequently. Then pour the chocolate mixture into the sieve that was placed on the bowl of chopped chocolate. Shake the sieve or push the mixture through it. Toss out any lumps left in the sieve. Stir all of the chocolate together until the chopped chocolate is totally melted. Pour the mixture into the Diamond Nuts pie crust and chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
Once your pie has set, you can make the marshmallow topping. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, mix 1/2 cup of water with the gelatin.
In a medium saucepan, add the sugar, agave, salt, and additional 1/2 cup of water, gently swirling the pan until all the sugar is soaked and agave is distributed around the pan. Place over medium heat for a gas range (or medium-high heat for an electric range) and bring to a boil. Boil mixture until it reaches 240°F. Immediately remove from heat.
With your stand mixer on low, slowly pour the hot sugar mixture into the gelatin. Turn the mixer to medium-high and whisk until marshmallow fluff forms. The mixture should be fluffy, white, and thick enough that it's close to soft peaks - that way it won't overflow when added to the pie.
Bring your chocolate pie out of the refrigerator and begin to scoop marshmallow onto the middle top of the pie. Add as much as you'd like, being careful not to add too much as the marshmallow will spread (and could overflow). You will have leftover marshmallow! (See note) Once your pie is topped, immediately transfer it back to the refrigerator to keep the marshmallow from overflowing (do not cover pie!).
Allow topping to set for at least 4 hours (or overnight) before slicing. Lightly oil a sharp knife and slice pie, wiping the knife clean and re-oiling between each slice. I like to add a bit of olive oil to a paper towel that I can then wipe the knife to oil it. You can use another, dry paper towel to wipe the knife clean between each slice. The marshmallow topping will be sticky.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You don't want to cover this pie with plastic wrap as it will stick to the marshmallow topping!

Notes

This recipe requires cornstarch for the proper consistency. Do not use tapioca or arrowroot starch.

You will need 2 1/2 cups total liquid for the filling. 1 can of coconut cream + almond milk. You can measure out 1 cup of coconut cream, and then measure out the remaining cream (from the can) and top it off with however much almond milk you need to reach another 1 1/2 cups of liquid.
The extra marshmallow - you will have extra! - can be scooped into a small baking dish. Spray the dish with non-stick spray first. Once set, pull the marshmallow out, pat all sides with powdered sugar, slice into squares, and pat the new, exposed sides with powdered sugar. Store in an airtight container. Enjoy homemade marshmallows in your favorite hot cocoa!

Ginger Molasses Cookie Bars with Frosting (DF)

December 3, 2019 by Rachael Ng Leave a Comment

What’s better than a fresh-baked, soft ginger cookie around this time of year? Frosted ginger cookie bars! They have all the great flavors of a traditional soft ginger molasses cookie, but they’re easier and quicker to bake! Plus they’re topped with a dreamy vanilla buttercream frosting made with vegan butter. And you don’t miss out on any chewiness, because these bars have it all – soft and chewy!

The recipe for these cookie bars involves a simple dough. No refrigeration is required as the dough gets immediately pressed into a baking dish – like I said, easy. Once the bars have totally cooled, you’ll whip up my favorite vegan buttercream with just a handful of ingredients – an easy, no-fail, can’t-tell-it’s-vegan frosting. If you love molasses, spicy ginger, and the sweetness of a sugary frosting, then these bars are for you! Top them with your favorite sprinkles for an extra festive feel!

Some of the ingredients I like for this recipe:

Coconut sugar is my favorite low GI, unrefined sugar. It makes for a great replacement for granulated sugar and tastes nothing like coconut. It tastes less sweet than regular sugar, which balances out the sweetness of the frosting on these bars.

Solid coconut oil beats together with the coconut sugar like in a traditional cookie dough. Feel free to use softened vegan butter instead. I don’t recommend melted (or liquid) coconut oil as I don’t know how the bars would turn out.

Egg yolk adds an extra bit of chewiness to these bars!

Vegan butter acts as the perfect dairy-free alternative to regular butter in this frosting. It’s delicious and creates the perfect frosting texture! Plus, nobody can tell the frosting is vegan!

Vegetable shortening stabilizes the vegan butter, giving it the perfect texture to swirl your frosting on top of the cookie bars!

Yield: 16 Bars

Ginger Molasses Cookie Bars with Frosting

Soft cookie bars flavored with spicy ginger and sweet molasses - all topped with a simple, dairy-free buttercream frosting. A festive and delicious holiday treat!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 2 hours

Total Time 3 hours

Ingredients

Bars

3/4 cup coconut sugar
2/3 cup coconut oil, solid
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, room temp
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups + 2 Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Frosting

1/3 cup vegan butter stick, softened
3 Tbsp vegetable shortening (or more vegan butter)
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
3-5 tsp plant-based milk

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare an 8x8" baking dish with non-stick spray + parchment paper. I like to cut one long strip of paper, folding the excess over two of the edges and trimming. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, beat together the coconut sugar and solid coconut oil. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and molasses; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add dry ingredients to wet and use a large wooden spoon or spatula to combine. The dough may seem dry, but it will come together with enough mixing (and may even seem greasy).
Press the dough into your prepared baking dish, using your fingers or the back of a spoon to smooth out the top. Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes, being careful not to over bake the bars - you want them nice and chewy!
Allow bars to cool in the dish for at least an hour. Gently remove the whole cookie bar by running a butter knife along the edges without parchment paper, and then using the excess parchment paper to lift the bar up and out of the dish. Allow cookie bar to cool completely on a cooling rack.
Once the bar is cool, you can make the frosting. Beat together the vegan butter and shortening until smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract and then the powdered sugar. Add plant-based milk 1 tsp at a time until the frosting reaches a spread-able, but still-thick-enough-to-create-swirls, consistency.
Scrape all of the frosting onto the cookie bar and use an offset spatula to evenly spread over the surface, making swirls as you go along. Top with sprinkles or other topping of your choice.
Slice into 16 bars, wiping your knife clean between each slice. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 254 Total Fat: 16g Saturated Fat: 11g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 4g Cholesterol: 47mg Sodium: 157mg Carbohydrates: 27g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 0g Sugar: 25g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 1g

calculated nutrition information may not always be accurate

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