These Vegan Gingerbread Skillet Cookies are like a soft & chewy vegan chocolate chip cookie stuffed with molasses, ginger, and chocolate chunks. Plus, you better believe this cookie has a warm and just barely cooked gooey cookie center!
If you loved my Vegan Cookie Cake, you are truly going to love these skillet cookies! Believe it or not, this mini cookie skillet recipe is perfect for two. This gingerbread cookie recipe contains ingredients to make two 5-inch mini skillet cookies or one 9-inch skillet cookie.
Feel free to cut the recipe in half to make one individual 5-inch skillet cookie too or even two 3.5-inch skillet cookies. I don't know about you, but I just love the idea of a mini dessert all to myself!
How to make a mini gingerbread skillet cookie
Cream butter and sugar
The first step to making the gingerbread chocolate chip cookie dough is to cream the cold vegan butter, white sugar, and brown sugar together. To get the right cookie texture, you will need to use room temperature butter and an electric mixer to cream the sugar and butter together until it is pale yellow in color.
This step helps to incorporate air into the batter which is super important for vegan cookies! I also don't recommend replacing the brown sugar in this recipe with normal sugar as the molasses in brown sugar adds to the gingerbread flavor.
However, the sugar in this recipe can be subbed 1:1 for coconut sugar or maple sugar if you want to make this refined-sugar free.
Mix in wet ingredients
After that, mix in the ground flaxseed (must be ground, not whole flax seeds), vanilla bean paste/extract, molasses, and oat/soy milk. I prefer oat or soy milk for baking as it's extra creamy.
What molasses should I use in gingerbread cookies?
The type of molasses used in gingerbread cookies is VERY important. Please avoid using blackstrap molasses in this recipe. Blackstrap molasses is a byproduct of sugar production that contains a ton of nutrients and is very dark in color. While it has a lot of nutritional benefits, it's super bitter and will not work in this recipe.
I pretty much exclusively bake with Brer Rabbit mild molasses which is light molasses. If you can't find light molasses, medium molasses will also work but will give this gingerbread skillet cookie a stronger flavor. In case you don't like the flavor of molasses or cannot find it at your store, it can also be replaced 1:1 with maple syrup in this recipe (though the cookies will lack that classic gingerbread taste).
Add in dry ingredients & mix
The dry ingredients in this recipe include all-purpose flour, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Sift them together in a small mixing bowl, then add them to the larger mixing bowl with the wet ingredients. Mix together until a smooth dough forms.
Once the dough is ready to go, use a spatula to gently fold the chocolate chunks into the dough. For this recipe, I used Theo Dark Chocolate bars and smashed them into large chunks to create those big pools of chocolate! Only some of their chocolate is vegan, so check closely if you use this brand!
Chill gingerbread dough
If you are making 2 mini cookie skillets, divide the gingerbread cookie dough in half, press it into the 5" cast iron skillet pans, and put them in the fridge for just 30 minutes. I promise you, this 30 minute waiting period will lead to a super chewy vegan gingerbread cookie.
It's the same method I follow in my popular Vegan Funfetti Cookies and I highly recommend following this step. I personally like to quickly clean my kitchen while I wait so I can sit down to enjoy this cookie skillet fresh out of the oven without dirty dishes on my mind!
Bake the gingerbread chocolate chip cookies
If you are making mini skillets bake at 350F for 20-22 minutes. Great news- you can also bake this recipe in 1 medium 9" cast iron skillet! For the larger skillet cookie, check it at 22 minutes- it may be done or it may need 3-5 more minutes than the smaller skillets.
To tell if the cookie skillet is done, stick a toothpick in the center. It will still be moist and produce a crumb, but it will no longer be gooey. Believe me- you want those barely cooked centers for this vegan pizookie (pizza cookie!).
Vegan cookie skillet toppings:
First, let me start this by saying that these chocolate chip cookie skillets are DELICIOUS all on their own. However, to bring them to the next level I like to top my mini skillet cookies with ice cream and with my homemade sugared cranberries.
For the ice cream, any flavor works, but I honestly prefer a simple vegan vanilla ice cream. Coconut Bliss is my favorite store-bought brand.
If you are looking for a festive and delicious vegan gingerbread recipe, let this Mini Gingerbread Skillet Cookie be it. Happy Holidays & enjoy!
-TSG
More festive vegan holiday dessert recipes you will love:
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Vegan Gingerbread Cookie Skillets
Ingredients
- ½ cup vegan butter cold (I used Miyokos brand)
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 3 Tablespoons oat milk or soy milk
- 2 Tablespoons light molasses not blackstrap
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup vegan dark chocolate, chopped or vegan chocolate chips
Instructions
- First, cream the cold vegan butter and sugar together until pale yellow in color. Then, add the wet ingredients including the ground flax seed, oat milk, light molasses, and vanilla extract and stir to combine.
- Sift together the dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl and then add them to the bowl of wet ingredients. Mix until a smooth dough forms, then use a spatula to gently fold in the chocolate chunks/chips.
- Divide the dough in half and press the gingerbread cookie dough into the 2 5- inch mini cast iron skillets. Cover and place in the fridge for 30 minutes-1 hour.
- When ready to bake the skillet cookies, preheat the oven to 350F. Add the skillet cookies to the oven and bake for 20-22 minutes until the edges are cooked and the center is just barely cooked but no longer gooey.
- Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Serve warm topped with vegan ice cream and sugared cranberries!
Notes
- Skillet cookies are truly best enjoyed the day of baking but can be stored in a closed container at room temperature for 2 days or wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge for 2-3 days. If topped with ice cream, they will not store well as leftovers.
- Skillet cookies can be frozen and will keep up to 3 weeks in a closed container in the freezer.
- I pretty much exclusively bake with Brer Rabbit mild molasses which is light molasses. If you can't find light molasses, medium molasses will also work but will give this gingerbread skillet cookie a stronger flavor.
ShortGirlTallOrder says
So glad you agree! All the chocolate helps too 🙂
Jacob says
Gingerbread recipes are pretty hit or miss for me but this recipe is delicious. It has just enough ginger flavor without being overpowering. Thanks for sharing!