Baking cookies during the holidays has been one of my favorite family traditions. I can remember my sister and I being young girls, baking cookies at my grandmothers house, while listening to Christmas music playing in the background. It was a time of year that I truly looked forward to.
Now I will say, I no longer make those exact same versions of those traditional Christmas Cookies, since we all know they don’t necessarily have the cleanest of ingredients (I mean…who uses white flour, refined white sugar and pounds of butter anymore, lol). If you do, I won’t judge you, instead I’ll just give you this healthier recipe that will blow your mind! (If you know anything about me it is that I truly love making unhealthy recipes, healthy, and these cookies were no exception.)
For this holiday season, I felt inspired to add these Healthy Chewy Gingerbread Cookies to the holiday cookie collection and boy did they not disappoint! Gingerbread cookies are not something we eat often and I am not sure why exactly, since they are pretty stinking delicious. But now that the weather has cooled down a bit, these just seemed perfect for the occasion. They really pair lovely with your favorite hot tea or coffee.
Oh and have I mentioned how chewy, and flavorful they are? Some people prefer a crisp gingerbread cookie, but I am one of those cookie lovers who prefers their cookies chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside, which is exactly how these turned out! They are also made using real and clean ingredients.
For the flour, we used both almond flour and oat flour. Both of these flours are gluten free but you would never know the difference. * Be sure to use oat flour that states they are gluten free if you are intolerant.*
For the sweetener, we used coconut sugar, which is low on the glycemic index and better for you than traditional white sugar. We also used unsulphured molasses, which is a KEY ingredient when making gingerbread cookies. It is full of important vitamins and minerals and also extremely low on the glycemic index.
We chose to use ghee in place of butter or coconut oil, simply because I had it on hand and also because it is easier on your stomach than butter (if intolerant to dairy). Ghee is clarified butter that contains fewer dairy proteins and can be used in place of butter or oil.
These cookies truly are the perfect addition to your holiday desserts. I really hope you get a chance to make them. If you do, please tag me at #Healthymommamanda or leave me a comment below!
Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup blanched almond flour
- 1 cup organic oat flour (use gluten free if needed)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp Himalayan sea salt
- 1/4 cup ghee
- 1/2 cup organic coconut sugar
- 3 tbsp blackstrap or unsulphured molasses
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp unsweetened almond milk or non-dairy milk of choice
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, then line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, oat flour, ginger, cinnamon, clove, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk it all together and/or sift together and set aside.
- In a large bowl, blend together the ghee, coconut sugar, molasses, vanilla extract, and milk using a hand mixer. Cream together on medium speed for about 1 minute.
- Slowly add in the dry mixture in two parts, keeping the mixer on low speed. Mix together until a dough forms. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides to ensure it is all fully incorporated. If your dough is too sticky to handle, chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Roll dough into 1-1 1/2 in balls. Sprinkle with additional coconut sugar or organic sugar (if desired). Bake cookies for 10 minutes until they flatten and spread out.
- Allow cookies to cool for at least 10 minutes before eating.
- Store in an airtight container.
- Enjoy!