Gingerbread cookies

Soft sugar-free gingerbread cookies. Great to bake at home with little ones. Fab all year round, but even more special at Christmas! You can't beat the smell as they're baking and then all that fun decorating makes them a firm favourite for many

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Snacks

Cuisine: American, British

Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: cookies, ginger, gingerbread

Free or Subscription Recipe: Free Recipe

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 20

Resting Time: 4

Total Time: 4 40

Servings: cookies

Calories: 91kcal

Author: Jo Paterson

Ingredients

Gingerbread Cookies

300 grams ground almonds
100 grams xylitol or erythritol sweetener
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
50 grams unsalted butter (or plant based margarine, or coconut oil)
1 medium egg (or a flax egg)
2 tbsp agave nectar
1 tsp lemon juice

Sugar Free Royal Icing

12 tbsp powdered erythritol sweetener or ground xylitol
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp warm water
1/8 tsp xanthan gum

Instructions

Gingerbread Cookies - Day 1

Add the almonds, xylitol, bicarb soda, xanthan gum, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg into a bowl and stir well to combine and break down any lumps
Add room temp softened butter in small chunks and then rub between fingers into the dry ingredients (if substituting with coconut oil, melt the oil and leave to cool before pouring in, then mix well)
Make a hole in the middle of the mixture, crack an egg (or add the flax egg) into the hole, add the agave and lemon and then stir using your fingers to combine. Use your hands to mix the ingredients into a dough. Ensure the ingredients are well mixed so that the dough is the same consistency throughout and form a large ball (the dough will be sticky, slightly wetter than pastry dough)
Wrap the dough ball in cling film or grease proof baking paper and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours. Ideally leave to chill overnight so that the flavours are well absorbed and the dough is well chilled

Gingerbread Cookies - Day 2

Preheat the oven to 160°c (fan)
Line 2 baking trays with grease proof baking paper
If using cookie cutters: Roll out the gingerbread dough between 2 pieces of grease proof baking paper to your desired thickness. (I rolled mine around 3-4mm thick) The dough can become quite sticky, therefore it is important to use the baking paper when rolling the dough. Use cutters to cut out cookie shapes and place onto the baking trays leaving plenty of space between each cookie
If making free hand ginger cookies: Divide the mixture into small balls and place onto the baking trays, leaving plenty of space between each ball. Using a fork press down gently one way, then press down again the opposite way to create a round cookie with a criss cross pattern on top
Place the cookies into the freezer on the baking trays for 10 minutes (or fridge for 30 minutes if you do not have space in the freezer)
Place the chilled cookies straight into the oven on the chilled baking trays for 15-35 minutes (Cookies of different sizes and thickness will vary in the amount of time they need baked) - KEEP A VERY CLOSE EYE ON THEM! The cookies are baked on a low temp for a long time to avoid burning and to help crisp them up as much as possible. The cookies will darken in colour, but should not blacken. Dark cookies are fine, black ones are burnt! After 15 minutes, check the cookies by gently pressing them. They should feel firm to the touch. If they are soft, then add another 5 mins to the baking time and then test them again. Continuing adding 2-5 mins at a time until you are happy with them
Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the tray for 10 minutes
Place the gingerbread cookies onto a wire cooling rack. Once cool they are ready to ice, or to eat!

Sugar Free Royal Icing

Prepare an piping bag or bottle ready to put your icing into
Add powdered erythritol and lemon juice into a small bowl or cup
Add 1 tsp of warm water and mix well, then add the 2nd tsp of warm water bit by bit, mixing well until a thick icing is formed If adding any colouring, add it at this point. If the colouring thins out the icing, then add more erythritol until you regain the right consistency
Add in the xanthan gum and mix well
Add the icing into a piping bag, twist the bag round tight and snip the end off
Test your piping on a plate before decorating, then you are ready to go!

Notes

This recipe works well with orange zest added, or you can add more ground ginger if you want a bigger ginger kick. Avoid adding fresh ginger (it is too wet), or stem ginger which is seeped in syrup. You can also melt some 70% cocoa dark chocolate to pipe, drizzle or dunk these in.

The cookies themselves are low-carb, but if you decide to add a small amount of normal icing to these, remember that normal icing sugar will increase the carb content, so it is best to increase your pairing when eating them. Icing sugar is pure sugar and will instantly impact blood sugar levels.

SWEETENERS

Artificial powdered sweeteners such as sucralose (like Splenda) or aspartame (like Canderel) can be used in this gingerbread cookie recipe, but they may raise blood glucose levels and can leave a nasty bitter aftertaste, and you need to use MUCH MUCH LESS (approx. 6 tbsp but please double check your sweeteners label as they can all differ and this type of sweetener will not work for icing). Xylitol and erythritol weigh the same as granulated sugar, so you must work out the equivalent amount to use if you use these sweeteners instead.

NOTE: For the best outcomes with this recipe, it is best to use the ingredients recommended and in the quantities stated.

Nutrition