Gluten-free Gingerbread Cookies (Low Sugar)

I love gingerbread cookies because they smell so warm and cheerful as they are being baked in the oven, and then it’s so much fun decorating them with icing. However, most recipes include a ton of sugar, and Royal Icing, which is traditionally used to decorate cookies, is also made with an avalanche of powdered sugar! Needless to say, all that sugary sweetness is NOT good for anyone, especially if you are wanting to prevent diabetes, stay fit, and keep your immunity strong.

And that’s why I’m soooo happy to share this recipe with you! It’s a gluten-free, very low sugar version of the traditional gingerbread, and I’ve figured a what to make Royal Icing without sugar!

Ingredients:
3 cups Bob’s Redmill 1 to 1 gluten-free baking flour,
OR similar product

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/8 tsp stevia (leaf powder (natural green version)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground cloves

½ ground cardamom

1 Tablespoon ground ginger

¾ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

¾ cup butter, softened

¾ cup unsulphured molasses

2 Tbsp water as needed

Sugar-free Royal Icing

2 Tbsps egg white
6 Tablespoons Lakanto Sweetener (Classic), powdered*
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

*Place to Lakanto sweetener in an electric coffee grinder and grind into a fine powder

Directions

1.     In a food processor with the paddle attachment combine flour, brown sugar, stevia, spices, baking soda and salt. Add the butter and pulse or mix until the mixture looks sandy.

2.     With the processor or mixer running, add the molasses and milk and mix until the dough is moist. Remove the dough, wrap tightly in parchment paper and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.

3.     After chilling, remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide into two pieces. Keep one piece chilled while working with the other. Roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper to about 1/8-inch thickness. Cut the dough into desired shapes but leave the cookies on the parchment paper. Return to the refrigerator to chill, and repeat with the remaining dough.
Pre-heat oven to 350 F.

4.     After both pieces of dough have been rolled, cut and chilled, carefully remove the cutout cookies from the parchment sheets using an off-set spatula and transfer to the prepared baking sheets. The scraps of dough can be rerolled and chilled for more cookies.

5.     Bake the cookies in the preheated oven until the centers are firm, about 15-20 minutes, rotating the sheets about halfway through the baking time. Let cool completely before decorating.

6.     While the cookies are cooling, prepare the royal icing. In the bowl of a mixer, beat the egg white and vanilla extract until frothy. Gradually add the powdered sugar and mix on low until shiny (add any food coloring as desired at this time). Increase the mixer to high and beat until stiff and glossy, 5-7 minutes. Decorate cooled cookies as desired.**

**Icing can be placed into a small piping bag or use a parchment cornet for decorating.
Please note that this icing will take a bit longer to set than one made with regular powdered sugar.

Recipe adapted from Bob’s Red Mill.
Resouces:
Stevia Leaf Powder
Lakanto Sweetener (Classic)