Healthier Gingerbread Man Recipe

It’s Christmas!

(nearly).

 

To celebrate this festive month, I have been busy in the kitchen with one mission in mind – to make the perfect gingerbread man that is dairy free, egg free and refined sugar free. Sounds like a mission impossible, but I’ve cracked it!

These little men have had the gingerbread connoisseur’s seal of approval; my 3 year old sister and my mum. My sister has probably tasted every gingerbread man under the sun, so definitely knows her stuff. The only problem is, she keeps asking for more of these! Also, my boyfriend who isn’t even much of a gingerbread man lover ate most of this batch. So there you go, you can take their word for it – they’re good!

Instead of the usual plain white flour, I have used spelt flour. Spelt contains more nutrients and minerals, and is easier to digest. To replace white refined sugar, I have used coconut sugar and maple syrup, which are both natural sugars containing more vitamins and minerals, and slowly raises blood sugar levels.

 

Gingerbread Man Ingredients

2 cups Spelt Flour

1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

1 tbsp Ground Ginger

1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1/4 cup Coconut Oil

1/4 cup Almond Milk (or other non-dairy milk)

1/4 cup Maple Syrup

1/2 cup Coconut Sugar

1 tbsp Blackstrap Molasses

 

1. Start by mixing together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ground ginger and cinnamon in a large bowl, then set aside.
2. In a small saucepan melt the coconut oil until warm, but not hot. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted coconut oil with the almond milk, coconut sugar, maple syrup and blackstrap molasses. It helps if you use an electric whisk.
3. Slowly pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir to combine until a dough forms. If the mixture is looking too wet, add a little more flour.
4. Roll the dough into a ball and wrap in cling film. Keep in the fridge for an hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 180C. Flour a kitchen worktop and roll out the dough to about a 1/4 inch thick. Cut out the gingerbread men with a cutter, and once you have used up all the dough, use a smaller cutter in the middle of the gingerbread men. I like to keep some men whole, and some cut out.
6. Bake for 12 minutes on some greaseproof paper on a baking tray, and allow to cool fully before decorating.

 

Icing Ingredients

1/2 cup Cashews, soaked for minimum 1 hour

1/4 cup Water

1 1/2 tbsp Honey

Good Squeeze Fresh Lemon Juice

1 tsp Raspberry/Strawberry/Plum Powder

1. Drain the cashews and place in a high speed blender with the water, honey and lemon juice. Blend until totally smooth, and pour into a bowl.
2. Transfer half the icing into a separate bowl and stir in the pink fruit powder, so that you have one batch of white icing and one pink.
3. Add the white icing into a piping bag and decorate the men. Once you are done, repeat with the pink icing.

 

 

Enjoy! Don’t forget to share your photos with me by tagging me in your photos on Instagram or tweet me!