Grain Free Gingerbread Cookies
Tasty grain free gingerbread cookies
These are the best ever grain free gingerbread cookies. They are perfectly soft with just enough chew and even better, are refined sugar free, refined flour free, gluten free, paleo, and perfect for a Christmas get together.
I made these gingerbread cookies to enjoy with some mulled apple cider (which also had no added sugar!) while we stood in the chilly outdoors to watch the santa claus parade. It’s quickly becoming a family tradition - a hot drink and a sweet treat for the parade!
The ingredients you’ll need
Almond flour
Coconut sugar (or evaporated cane sugar)
Molasses
Cinnamon (I like to use Ceylon cinnamon)
Ground ginger
Allspice
Ground nutmeg
Ghee or butter
Egg
Vanilla extract
Baking Soda
Almond flour is naturally gluten free and can be purchased from most grocery stores. I get good sized bags of blanched almond flour at Costco. It’s also good to note that blanched almond flour is low in lectins because the skin of the almond has been removed - the skin is where most of the lectins are! In case you were wondering, lectins are an “anti-nutrient” naturally found in foods and especially grains, beans, and legumes, and can cause inflammation and damage to the gut. Most people can tolerate them to a certain extent but some people, especially those with inflammatory conditions, do well to decrease lectins and anti-nutrients.
How to make the gingerbread cookies
First, you put the dry ingredients in to a bowl - almond flour, baking soda, coconut sugar, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg. Mix it well with a whisk then add the wet ingredients - the molasses, egg, melted and cooled ghee, and vanilla extract.
Mix it all up until it makes a nice dough then put the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Before you take the gingerbread cookie dough out of the fridge, preheat your oven to 350F.
The dough should firm up a bit in the fridge making it easier to work with.
Next you’ll roll about 1.5 tbsp. of dough in to balls and place on to a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
After you’ll use a fork or the back of a spoon to flatten the cookies slightly.
Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes and voila!
They’ll feel a little soft when they come out of the oven but they will firm up as they cool.
Let them cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
What to serve with the cookies
These cookies are perfectly delicious on their own but also pair very well with some hot apple cider or a glass of cold milk. I tried them with both and the flavours go well with either. These gingerbread cookies, even though they are grain free, soak up milk nicely, making them a perfect cookie to dip in a cold glass of milk.
As always, eat these healthy cookies after eating a balanced meal with fibre, protein, and fat, and you won’t get a glucose spike. They have a good amount of healthy fat and some protein in them as well, making them fairly balanced.
Substitutions
Coconut Sugar: You can try substituting the coconut sugar for another dry sweetener like evaporated cane sugar or birch derived xylitol (a sugar alcohol).
Eggs: You could experiment with a flax egg in place of the egg but I haven’t personally done this so I have no idea how it might turn out! A lot of grain free recipes require lots of eggs for recipes to bind well - a plus to add more protein, not so great if you don’t tolerate eggs.
Ghee: use butter or coconut oil in the same way - melted and slightly cooled. Avocado oil should work too.
Enjoy the cookies over the Christmas season!
Grain Free Gingerbread Cookies
Makes 12 cookies
Prep time: 10 minutes (+30 minutes to set)
Cook time: 10-12 minutes
Ingredients
2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp allspice
pinch of ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp molasses
2 tbsp ghee, melted and cooled
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt
Directions
Place dry ingredients into a mixing bowl - almond flour, coconut sugar, spices, salt and baking soda. Mix well with a whisk.
Next add wet ingredients, molasses, ghee, egg, and vanilla extract. Mix well with a spatula until a dough forms. Alternatively, you can use a food processor to mix the ingredients.
Place dough in fridge for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Remove dough from fridge. Take about 1.5 tbsp. of the dough and roll in to balls. Place balls about 2 inches apart.
Use a fork to press down gently on the balls to flatten them slightly.
Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes.
Let cool for about 10 minutes and enjoy!
