Almond Gingerbread Cookies

I can’t imagine Christmas without the Ginger Bread Cookies. To give a twist to the classic recipe, we came up with gluten-free almond flour cookies that are also refined sugar free!

The icing is prepared with the natural sweetener erythrol so that you can garnish your mouth-watering sweet creations without loading them with sugars. Erythritol is a sugar alcohol that occurs naturally in fruits but has zero-sugar and zero calories.

To color the icing, turn to your pantry. When it comes to working with natural dyes, powders are a great place to start. This time, I used matcha powder, however you can play around with many other powders like spirulina, turmeric, beet powder and cocoa. Start with a small amount and taste as you go to ensure even color saturation, texture, and flavor.

Preparation time 1 hr
Cooking time 15 min
This recipe keeps for 14 days

Ingredients (15 servings)

Dry

• 1 1/2 cup Almonds flour
• 1/2 cup Tapioca flour
• 2 tsp Ginger, powder
• 1 tsp Cinnamon, ground
• 1/8 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Baking soda

Liquid

• 2 tbsp Coconut oil (melted)
• 1/4 cup Maple syrup

Optional - Icing

• 3 tbsp Erythritol (powder)
• 3 tsp Water
• 2 tsp Matcha green Tea Powder
• 10 g Pistachio nuts, raw (finely chopped)

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Instructions

1. Prepare the dough
   Add all dry ingredients to a mixing bowl and stir to combine.
2. Add the coconut oil and maple syrup and slowly mix until well incorporated. You should end up with a cookie dough that is thick and sticky.
3. Wrap the dough in a plastic wrap (or other eco friendly alternative) and let it chill in the freezer for 30 to 50 minutes, to help it firm up. You can also prepare the dough in advance and let it chill in the fridge overnight.
4. Preheat the oven to 180C (360F). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (more as needed) and set aside.
5. Place the dough in the center of a large baking sheet. In case the dough is too sticky, sprinkle with tapioca flour.
6. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough until 1/2 cm (1/4 inch) thick. The dough may crack and be crumbly as you roll. In that case use your fingers to help meld the cracking edges back together.
7. Cut into different shapes
   Cut the dough sheet into your favourite shapes. Place the shapes 2 cm (0.8 inch) apart on the baking sheets. Pull away the excess dough to reveal each shape, and re-roll the dough to create more.
8. Bake the cookies
   Bake the cookies for 10 minutes and they will result soft in the middle, or 15 minutes for crispy cookies. Allow them to cool completely on the pan before icing and serving. They will firm up as they cool.
9. Decorate
   To prepare the green icing, whisk all icing ingredients in a mixing bowl until smooth. Transfer the mixture in a small piping bag and decorate your cookies. Sprinkle the cookies with finely chopped pistachio. Leave them on a straight surface until fully dried.
10. How to store
    Leftover cookies can be stored uncovered on the counter for up to 3 days, or you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

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Nutrition

One serving contains 106 calories, 2 grams of protein, 7 grams of fat, and 10 grams of carbohydrates.

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