These Gluten-Free Vegan Gingerbread Cookie Bars are soft and chewy, fragrantly spiced and covered in a rich "cream cheese" frosting! They're perfect for Christmas and make an excellent (and easier) alternative to Gingerbread Cookies.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword gingerbread cookie bars, gluten-free gingerbread cookies, vegan gingerbread cookies
1teaspoonmixed spice(or a mixture of ground nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon)
For the frosting:
100g(⅔cup)raw cashew nuts soaked in cold water overnight or in hot water for 15 minutes
6tablespoonsmaple syrup(or sub any other sweetener)
3tablespoonslemon juice
To decorate (optional):
Dried cranberries, roughly chopped
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave.
Add the date syrup and vanilla and mix well.
Measure out the dry ingredients (ground almonds, gluten-free flour, ginger, mixed spice) and mix well.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well - add a splash of any type of plant-based milk if it's too dry to combine at this stage.
Transfer the mixture into a loaf tin lined with greased baking paper – I used a one-pound loaf tin.
Use your fingers to push the mixture all the way to the edges, then use a spatula to press down on it until the surface is completely even.
Bake in oven for around 10 minutes until lightly browned at the edges - don’t worry if it’s quite soft when you take it out as it will firm up as it cools.
Leave to cool completely before applying the frosting.
For the frosting:
Drain the soaked cashews and add to a food processor or blender with the maple syrup and lemon juice.
Whizz until completely smooth, adding some plant-based milk or water to thin out if necessary.
To frost and decorate:
Use a knife (or palette knife) to spread frosting over the top of the cookie bars.
Decorate with chopped dried cranberries, if desired.
Cut into squares.
Tastes best when fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.
Notes
*You can alternatively use almond flour.**These gingerbread cookie bars do end up being quite gingery, so if making this for children or for people who don't like ginger, you might want to use a little less than the amount listed in the recipe.