Healthy Vegan Gingerbread Cookies

Dear Turkey,

These don't taste healthy

And in my house they were gone

In less than a day

Healthy Vegan Gingerbread Cookies

(adapted from cookie and kate)

Ingredients:

For the dough:

- 3 c whole wheat flour

- 2 t ginger (all spices are ground)

- 2 t cinnamon

- 1 t salt

- 1/2 t cloves or allspice

- 1/2 t black pepper

- 1/2 t baking soda

- 1/2 t baking powder

- 1/2 c canola oil

- 1/2 c molases

- 1/2 c brown sugar

- 2 T flax or chia seeds (whole or ground) soaked in 1/2 c warm water for a couple minutes

For the icing:

- 1 c confectioners sugar

- 1/2 t lemon peel or zest (dried is fine)

- 4.5 t lemon juice (from a jar is fine)

Instructions:

- For the cookies: mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and add wet ingredients. Knead with your hands until a ball forms. Chill for 20 mins in the fridge if you have time. Divide the dough in half and knead some mini chocolate chips, nuts, raisins, seeds, etc. into half (optional, but I definitely recommend mini chocolate chips). 

- Roll out the dough on wax paper, using some flour, to about 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Cut out shapes or just slice into squares. Place cookies on a parchment-covered baking sheet (they don't spread out much) and bake at 350 F for 8-14 mins, depending on thickness, size, and how crunchy you want them. They will crisp up a bit as they are cooling as well.

- Allow the cookies to cool completely while you mix up the icing ingredients in a small bowl. This doesn't make a ton of icing, so you may want to double it. Pipe the icing out of a small ziplock bag with a hole cut in the corner. It won't adhere to the cookies or dry quite as beautifully as real royal icing, but it's pretty easy to work with and it tastes amazing.You can also drizzle the cookies with melted chocolate or sprinkle with confectioners sugar.

Enjoy,

Tofu