gluten-free Gingerbread Cookies, Go Ahead Honey!

As you may know if you follow my blog, I've been recreating Scandinavian cookies to be gluten-free, casein-free, and refined sugar-free. I'm half Danish, and we like to incorporate as many traditions into our Christmas holiday as possible. First I made Thumbprint Cookies, and lots of you tried them and loved them. Then I had to make Coconut Dreams. We can't resist anything coconut after all ;-)

My husband has fond memories of making gingerbread cookies with his mom and sisters when he was little. I'm afraid I've been putting off making spunky gingerbread cookies for far too long. But when Carol at Simply Gluten-Free announced her theme for Go Ahead Honey was Family Traditions I decided it was time.

We always make cookies with cookie cutters, but these are our first gingerbread cookies. None of us could be happier about how they came out. I'm so excited to have another cookie to add to our Christmas traditions =)

After we finished decorating our bears and Scandinavian hearts Ashley got to go wild with the leftover frosting in the piping bag =) She squeezed it all over her cookies, and then ate the rest with a spoon. It was great—everyone got to make their own cookies.

This recipe was really easy. I just took my chocolate chip cookie recipe, left out the chips, and added spices. I also added more coconut sugar to make them sweeter and darker in color. Usually the gingerbread cookie color comes from brown sugar and molasses. Using low glycemic index coconut sugar worked out perfectly instead.

gluten-free Gingerbread Cookies

Add to bowl:

1/2 cup applesauce

3 tbsp flax seed meal or 1.5 tbsp Chia Seed meal

1/2 tsp guar gum

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

12 drops vanilla liquid stevia

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup coconut sugar (which is low glycemic index, but has that nice brown color)

1/4 cup coconut oil or ghee (which is casein-free), liquified

1/4 tsp allspice

1.5 tsp cinnamon

1.5 tsp ginger

Mix with electric mixer.

Add:

1 cup almond meal flour

1/2 cup coconut flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder (Grain-free Baking Powder Recipe)

Mix again.

Lightly flour the side you're rolling out with a little coconut flour.

Roll to desired thickness and use cookie cutters.

Bake on unbleached parchment paper at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, depending on the thickness.

Makes about 14 cookies.

Frosting

Puree in food processor:

1/2 cup macadamia nuts

1/4 cup honey or agave

1 tsp ghee or coconut oil

1 tbsp coconut milk

Add the frosting to a plastic bag and cut the tip just barely to pipe your cookies after they have cooled.

♥, Kelly