Gingerbread Chanukah Gelt – delicious and vegan!

Delicious Chanukah gingerbread cookies are iced to resemble coins.
Let Gingerbread Chanukah gelt be your new festive tradition!

If you celebrate Chanukah, chances are you’ve eaten Chanukah gelt. And chances are it was made of chocolate. Foil-wrapped chocolate coins have become a pretty ubiquitous part of our festive celebrations at this time of year.

Money, money, money!

But did you know that Chanukah gelt used to be real coins? It’s likely that your grandparents and maybe even parents were given money on Chanukah, to treat themselves to a gift, and to encourage giving tzedakah – charity. As times have changed and presents have become the norm, Chanukah gelt has morphed into an edible reminder of the tradition. 

Check out my Ultimate Guide to Chanukah Food Traditions here!

Looking for ideas to help make Chanukah extra special? My Ultimate Family Chanukah ebook is available now! It’s packed with resources, recipes, family activities, information and printables for every night of the festival.

Chanukah Gelt – Why does it have to be chocolate?

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve nothing against chocolate at all! But if the purpose of modern gelt is simply to remind us of a custom from a by-gone age, surely it can be made of anything we like? 

That was the thought that was drifting through my mind a few weeks ago, when I was also called upon to bake some refreshments for my daughter Kipper’s school open morning. As I lovingly cut out four dozen spicy gingerbread cookies it hit me – gingerbread gelt! 

In praise of gingerbread

Hailing from Northern Europe and particularly popular in Scandinavia, gingerbread cookies or gingersnaps are widely enjoyed. They are a favourite treat in the winter months, as their rich spiciness is deliciously warming. They also go marvellously with a cup of hot chocolate or mulled wine.  

Traditional shapes for gingerbread cookies include hearts, stars and snowflakes, animals, and of course gingerbread men. Gingerbread houses, reminiscent of the tale of Hansel and Gretel, have been made since the early 1800s, with the blue and white frosted ‘Hanukkah House’ making an appearance in the last few years. 

Coin shapes

Since coins are simply circle shaped, making them from gingerbread dough was a matter of simplicity! I made some plain circles and some using a fluted cutter to give a reeded edge. I also used cutters of different sizes so that I would have different denominations of coinage!

Decoration

Gingerbread is traditionally decorated using royal icing. I made a simple vegan version that sets hard and shiny, just like the original. I used it to pipe coin-inspired designs onto the cookies. You can add numbers, currency symbols, mottos, Chanukah shapes like menorahs and dreidels, or even a portrait of the queen, if you’re feeling ambitious! 

What are the ingredients in gingerbread Chanukah gelt?

These delicious spicy cookies use ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry! The only thing you may need to buy specially is treacle (molasses). You can substitute golden syrup for the treacle in a pinch, but the cookies won’t have such a rich flavour or dark colour. They’ll still be good though!

Gingerbread Chanukah gelt – have a go!

As you can see in the photos, my icing skills are not what you’d call professional! My piping did improve as I worked my way through the gingerbread Chanukah gelt cookies though. Don’t be afraid to have a go – I think slightly wonky decoration makes these gingerbread cookies look charmingly homemade. And they’ll taste delicious either way!

Decorative options

If you’re short on time or just don’t rate your icing skills, you can also decorate the Chanukah gelt gingerbread by pressing designs into the surface before baking. Cut out festive shapes like candles or menorahs from card, wrap in foil, then gently press onto the cookie. The dough is fairly robust and should hold the pattern during baking.

You can also use a Chanukah embossing rolling pin, then simply cut into shapes, for a very quick and easy way to make ‘ready decorated’ gingerbread cookies!

Chanukah gelt cookies – totally moreish!

This recipe makes 48 gingerbread Chanukah gelt cookies. It sounds a lot, but my family managed to polish off a dozen before I’d even had a chance to ice them! 

They’ll keep for a while in an air-tight box. If you hide it somewhere!

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📖 Recipe

Gingerbread Chanukah Gelt

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Delicious seasonal gingerbread cookies are iced to resemble coins. Let Gingerbread Chanukah gelt be your new festive tradition!

5 from 9 votes

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Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Cookie, Dessert

Cuisine European, Jewish, Vegan

Servings 48 cookies

Calories 70 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 100 g dairy-free margarine (or butter)
• 100 g golden caster sugar
• 100 g golden syrup
• 70 g treacle
• 400 g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice

For the vegan royal icing

• 150 g icing sugar (powdered/confectioners sugar)
• ⅛ teaspoon xanthan gum (I eyeballed the measurement by taking half of a ¼ tsp)
• 25-30 ml water

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Line a large baking sheet with parchment or a silicon baking liner.
• 100 g (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp) dairy-free margarine (or butter), 100 g (½ cup) golden caster sugar
  In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy.
• 100 g (⅓ cup) golden syrup, 70 g (3½ tbsp) treacle, 400 g (3⅓ cups) plain flour, 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, 1½ teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon mixed spice
  Add the syrup, treacle, flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and mixed spice. Turn the motor to a medium speed. The ingredients will initially come together to a crumbly consistency, so continue to mix until a soft dough forms – this might take a few minutes.
• Tip out the dough onto a floured surface and knead very briefly. Divide the dough into halves or thirds for easier rolling out.
• Roll out one piece of gingerbread dough to a thickness of 4mm. Use plain or fluted round cutters to cut out cookies. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet, leaving some room between the cookies, as they will spread slightly as they bake.
• Repeat with the remaining dough. You will probably have to bake them in batches.
• Bake the gingerbread at 190°C (375°F) for approx. 8 minutes, until they are just beginning to colour at the edges.
• Remove from the oven and cool on wire racks. Once completely cold, decorate with icing.

To make the icing

• 150 g (1¼ cups) icing sugar (powdered/confectioners sugar), ⅛ teaspoon xanthan gum, 25-30 ml (1½-2 tbsp) water
  Mix the icing sugar and xanthan gum, then add most of the water and stir well to give a smooth icing. The consistency needs to be quite thick – it shouldn't 'collapse' or run away – but if it's too thick it will be hard to pipe. Use your judgement to add just enough water to give the right thickness.
• Transfer the icing to a piping bag fitted with a no. 2 writing tip. Decorate the gingerbread cookies with numbers, currencies, Chanukah symbols etc. Allow to dry.
• Enjoy your Gingerbread Chanukah gelt!

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Gingerbread Chanukah Gelt

Serving Size

 

1 cookie

Amount per Serving

Calories

70

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

1

g

2

%

Saturated Fat

 

1

g

6

%

Trans Fat

 

1

g

Sodium

 

37

mg

2

%

Potassium

 

32

mg

1

%

Carbohydrates

 

13

g

4

%

Fiber

 

1

g

4

%

Sugar

 

7

g

8

%

Protein

 

1

g

2

%

Vitamin A

 

80

IU

2

%

Vitamin C

 

1

mg

1

%

Calcium

 

5

mg

1

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keyword baking, chanukah, ginger

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If you love gingerbread you might also like to try Lebkuchen Hamohns – traditional Alsatian gingerbread men for Purim.