Gingerbread Cookies
#COOKIEWEEK2020 continues!
I need to start with a confession… it’s been years since I’ve attempted to make gingerbread cookies.
Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE gingerbread cookies! The spices and molasses and brown sugar — YUM. But the thought of rolling out the dough and using a bunch of cookie cutters and then carefully transferring each cookie to a baking sheet. and then rolling out the dough AGAIN and cutting out more cookies and transferring THOSE to a baking sheet.
and so on and so forth.
It just feels like a lot of effort. and if there’s one thing you need to know about me, it’s that I prefer to cook and bake things that don’t take a ton of time OR have a million steps.
Weird ingredients? Sure, sometimes. Forty-seven steps and a three day-long cooking process? No thank you.
So here we are. The year is 2020, and I’m finally trying my hand at some gingerbread cookie cutouts!
Let’s mark this momentous occasion, shall we? I have one more dark chocolate peppermint crunch cookie left, so imagine that I’m using it to cheers!
Don’t get me wrong… gingerbread cookies still ARE a lot of work. That definitely didn’t change! However, they were just calling my name this year.
Well that, and I stumbled across this recipe, and just HAD to give it a shot.
As you may have expected, this is not a “traditional” gingerbread cookie recipe. There’s no butter, no eggs AND it’s made using a little bit of nut butter.
WHAT.
Now before you run away in fear, hear me out — the results were DELICIOUS. and not just for a gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan recipe — but just in general! SO GOOD, you guys.
AND you can eat the cookie dough raw without fear of salmonella. #winning
These gingerbread cookies are a tiny bit chewy when they first come out of the oven (because I needed to try one warm, obviously), and then crisp up nicely over time. The flavor is spot on — perfectly spiced, with hints of molasses and brown sugar peeking through. I adjusted the original recipe a bit to decrease the bitter molasses flavor, which rounded out the sweetness perfectly.
If you’re in the market for an allergen-friendly gingerbread cookie to include as part of your holiday celebrations, this is the one, my friends. Decorated or not, they are sure to have you coming back for seconds.. or thirds.
In fact, I’m already on my fourth cookie as I type this… #tistheseason
- ½ cup coconut or brown sugar
- ¼ cup almond butter (see Notes)
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 2 tablespoons milk (see Notes)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups almond flour
- ½ cup oat flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk (see Notes)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F; line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Add the sugar, almond butter, molasses, milk, lemon juice and vanilla extract to a large bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer). Using an electric hand mixer, beat on medium-high until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients, and mix on low until combined. If the dough is still too crumbly, add another tablespoon (or two) of milk until the consistency is correct. Using your hands, knead to form a ball of dough.
- Put down a piece of wax paper, and flour lightly. Roll out the dough to roughly ¼" thickness.
- Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out your cookies, and transfer carefully to cookie sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until edges are firm. Re-roll any scraps, and repeat until all dough is used.
- Mix icing ingredients together in a small bowl until no clumps remain. If icing is too thin, add more powdered sugar, about1 teaspoon at a time. If the icing is too thick, add more milk, about ¼ teaspoon at a time.
- Drizzle over cookies, and wait 5-10 minutes until the icing is set. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Feel free to use another nut/seed butter in place of almond - I prefer cashew (Trader Joe's, of course!).
If preferred, you can use all almond flour, instead of the combination of almond and oat flours.
Instead of making icing from powdered sugar and milk, use melted coconut butter to decorate instead! I always have Nutivaon hand (and often eat it straight from the jar!).
RECIPE FROM: Feasting on Fruit | Gingerbread Cutout Cookies
Catch you tomorrow for cookie #5!
