Almond Flour Gingerbread Cookies (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
Servings:18 cookies
These sweet and spicy Almond Flour Gingerbread Cookies are a must for the holiday season! They're vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, filled with warming spices, and super easy to make. You can cut the dough with your favorite cookie cutters or shape it into round, soft gingerbread cookies. Yield: Makes 15-20 cookies, depending on the size of your cookies.
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ⅓ cup smooth almond butter - I used raw, unsalted
- ⅓ cup molasses - unsulphured or dark
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon non-dairy milk
- 2 cups blanched almond flour, packed
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
For the icing:
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons non-dairy milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats (preferred) or parchment paper. Note: If using parchment paper on dark metal baking sheets, reduce the oven temp to 335°F.
- In a large mixing bowl combined the wet ingredients (sugar, almond butter, molasses, vanilla, and milk). Stir until fully incorporated. Add the dry ingredients (almond flour, spices, and salt). Stir until mostly combined - the mixture will look very dry at first. Once mostly combined, use your hands to continue to mix the dough. If it seems too dry and crumbly, mix in just 1 teaspoon non-dairy milk (careful, as too much liquid will make the dough very sticky).
- Divide the dough in half. To make cut-out gingerbread cookies, form half of the dough into a disc and place on a piece of parchment paper. Roll out evenly until about ⅓-inch thick. If the dough sticks to your rolling pin, place another piece of parchment on top. Alternatively, instead of cut-out cookies you can simply roll the dough into balls (about 1½ tablespoon per cookie), flatten between your palms, dip the tops in sugar, and place on the baking sheet.
- Press the cookie cutters into the dough, then pull away the excess surrounding each shape. Transfer the cookies to the baking sheet, and repeat the process until you've used all of the dough.
- Bake cut-out cookies for 10-12 minutes (about 10 min. for a soft and chewy cookie or 12 min. for crispy edges and chewy centers). Note that if you made thicker, hand-formed cookies, bake time will be 11-13 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely on the pan.
- Once cool, whisk together the icing ingredients. Using a squeeze bottle or piping tip, decorate the gingerbread cookies as desired. Allow to set before serving/storing.
Notes
Helpful Tips:
The thickness of the cookies and the bake time are the two main factors that affect the texture. Thick, round cookies will be softer, while thinner, cut-out shapes will have crisp edges and chewy centers.
To make rounded cookies instead of cut-outs, roll the dough into balls and then flatten between your palms. Dip the tops in sugar and then place them on the baking sheet.
If using parchment on dark metal baking sheets (instead of silicone mats), be sure to reduce the oven temp to 335°F and keep a close eye on the edges in the last 2-3 minutes to make sure they don't burn.
Store the cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 145kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g
