Secretly healthy, soft and chewy gingerbread cookies !!
I got so many messages and requests for a recipe for healthier gingerbread cookies, consider this my Christmas gift to you.
Subtly sweet, perfectly spiced, thick and fluffy, soft baked gingerbread cookies – aka the Christmas cookie of my dreams!
It’s no secret that I love me some gingerbread but it has to be good gingerbread. A lot of the time store bought gingerbread can be a bit dry and tasteless or waayyyyy to spicy, and that’s coming from a spice lover.
So here I am, delivering to you, as requested THE PERFECT soft baked gingerbread cookie.
Thick and fluffy, soft and chewy, subtly sweet, perfectly spiced, simply, divine!
Finished with a generous sprinkling of my fave heart and belly-warming gingerbread spices (think → cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom and cloves) then, before baking, I rolled them in a little cinnamon sugar (made with monk fruit and ground cinnamon) which although is totally optional, it’s highly recommended as it adds the most incredible, slightly crispy, gloriously caramelized, not to mention glittery, cinnamon, spiked, crust.
Sooooo good!
Crispy on the edges, soft, tender and deliciously chewy in the middle . . .
I mean would you just look at that texture?!
Serve them simply as they are, honestly, the flavor and texture of these gingerbread cookies are so on point and truly incredible they really don’t need anything else but, for those of you who insisted that you need a frosting, I have delivered not 1, not 2 but 3 options for you to choose from because I could not decide which one I liked better!
1 – A traditional glaze
2 – A white (or dark) chocolate drizzle – which if I’m going to add any kind of frosting might be my personal fave and last but not least,
3 – If you’re feeling a little fancy you could do a white chocolate ganache . . . even though it sounds a little fancy it’s super simple, oh so dreamy and 100% worth it !
However you choose to do it, you really can’t go wrong.
Subtly sweet, perfectly spiced, truly magical, secretly healthy soft and chewy gingerbread cookies!
A few tips before you go get your soft-baked, secretly healthy, sugar free, paleo gingerbread cookie on:
♦ Em, do I really need to chill the dough?
Answer = Yes! Im sorry, I know its kind of a pain especially if you, like me, have zero patience for baking but DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP (Im sorry for yelling but this is VERY important!) Chilling the dough is what helps your cookies maintain their shape and ensures they get that dreamy chewy texture!
♦ Tips on how to chill the cookie dough –Place your cookie dough in the fridge for 30-60 minutes or you can pop it, bowl and all, in the freezer for 10-15 (which is what I usually do – see above to me having zero patience for baking.*Note – You can chill for longer than 30 minutes! You can even mix it up and leave it to rest and chill in the fridge overnight if you like.
Em , can I use this recipe to make sugar free, paleo cut out cookies ?!
Answer = YES! You absolutely can!
Follow the recipe as written, skip the cinny-sugar coating. Chill the dough. Then roll it out between 2 pieces of parchment (baking) paper and use your fave cookie cutters to create whatever shapes you like. We have done all the gingerbread peeps, snowflakes, bells, stars, trees, even a reindeer!
Then just choose your fave frosting (I have listed 3 options for you – or you can just buy a tub of your fave store-bought brand – I ♥ simple mills!) add all of the festive sprinkles and enjoy!
Ok, I think that’s it but as always, pleaseif you have any questions feel free to send me an email, DM on Instagram or leave a comment on the blog post anytime. Always.
Now, its time for you to get your bake on!
Gluten Free – Dairy free – Grain free – Refined sugar free – Low Carb – Paleo – Keto – Vegan friendly but most importantly they really do taste all kinds of magical and I hope you love them as much as I do. Which FYI – is a lot – I’m talking, if a cookie could be a spirit animal, this would be mine!
1 bowl + 5 ingredients and a handful of spices . . .
For my visual learners, click here for step-by-step pics / to cook along with me. Let me know if you have any questions. Anytime.
From my heart to yours, enjoy xo
Soft Baked Gingerbread Cookies (aka- gingerdoodles)
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Difficulty: Easy
- Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1/2 C almond butter
- 1/4 C monk fruit sweetener – I use a golden blend because it gives that hint or caramel like regular brown sugar does & it is SO GOOD!
- 2 Tbsp C maple syrup – I use sugar free/monk fruit maple
- 1 C almond meal
- 2 (heaping) tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- A pinch each (I use my 1/8th tsp) of nutmeg, cardamon & cloves
- A pinch of salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 scp unflavoured collagen – will not change the taste or texture but adds a hit of protein (which makes me feel better about eating cookies for b/fast) & is great for hair, skin, nails & gut health
- Optional cinny-sugar coating –
- 1/4 cup of monk fruit sweetener
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- Optional frosting –
- Traditional glaze –
- 1/2 cup of powdered monk fruit sweetener – or powdered/icing sugar
- 1-2 Tablespoons of almond milk or water – to desired consistency
- White (or dark) Chocolate Ganache –
- 1/4 cup coconut (or regular ) cream
- 1/4 cup white chocolate
- 1 pinch of salt
- Option 3 –
- Or just drizzle with melted white chocolate – hello dreamy!
- Instructions
- Place egg, almond butter, monk fruit sweetener, maple syrup and vanilla in to a bowl and stir until smooth, creamy and well combined.
- Add almond flour, baking soda, spices and salt and stir to combine.
- Now comes the hard part – place your cookie dough in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill (or freezer for 10-15) DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP this is what helps your cookies maintain their shape and ensures they get that dreamy chewy texture!
*Note – You can chill for longer then 30 minutes, you can even mix it up and leave over night if you like. - Once your dough has chilled – and you’re ready to bake –
- Preheat your oven to 175’C / 350’F line a baking tray with baking/parchment paper (or a silpat mat) and set aside.
- Use a cookie scoop or spoon to portion out your dough and roll into desired shape and size.
*Note – they should not spread too much, just a little & they do puff up so shape them roughly how you want to eat them. - Combine 1/2 C monk fruit sweetener and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and stir to combine.
- Gently press each cookie into the cinnamon sugar, toss to coat and place on to your prepared baking sheet.
- Repeat until all cookies have been coated.
- Bake smaller cookies for 6-8 minutes – larger cookies for 8-10
- DO NOT OVER BAKE – they will still be slightly soft, that’s what you want – set them aside for 2-3 minutes to cool – they will now be nice and chewy.
- If frosting – combine glaze ingredients (or melt chocolate) until smooth, creamy and well combined
- To make the ganache –
- Melt chocolate by your preferred method – I like to do mine on the stove, double broiler style but a microwave will work just fine too.
- Add cream, vanilla, salt & stir to until well combined.
- Drizzle cookies with frosting of choice
- Devour
- Enjoy xo
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Question of the day –
What’s your fave Christmas cookie??
Feel free to share recipes, or links to your fave recipes in the comments below or on the Facebook page and please for the love of all that is good in this world when you do make your cookies (or any of the recipes you find on this blog of mine) go ahead and snap a pic and share it either on the Facebook page, or tag me on twitter or Instagram. Sharing is caring remember.
Do it, do it You know you want to ox
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