I come from a family of bakers. My great-grandmother would argue with my grandmother over whose cake was the best. The truth was, they would both be DELICIOUS! That baking trait was passed down to my aunt and mother, then to me, and then to my daughter. I used to LOVE to get in the kitchen and bake. My husband even put in a special cabinet in our kitchen for me with a mixer shelf. I could easily lift the shelf when I wanted to bake and press a button to let it down when I was finished. Cakes, cookies, brownies… it even became a source of income for a while. I know, from selling cakes to being a health coach, really?
The Love Died
My love for baking disappeared when I had to make some lifestyle changes due to physical issues I was dealing with after my thyroid surgery. I have shared before, but at that time I was struggling with anxiety, panic attacks, heart palpitations, extreme fatigue, and had lost quite a bit of weight. All tests had come back normal and the next course was medications to deal with the symptoms. I was not ready to go that route quite yet after never having those problems to that extent before. That is when my research led me to lifestyle changes. One of the first changes I made was eliminating gluten from my diet. Not so fun for a person who loved almost anything made with flour. Biscuits were my weakness, I loved a pound cake, and let’s just say I could put away some cookies. That is pretty much where my love for baking died. I missed those foods, and if I am being completely honest, not all gluten free foods tasted great.
My Girl to the Rescue
I had started my gluten free journey thinking, “This won’t be so bad. There are so many recipes out there, I’ll find some that are good.” My hope quickly diminished as recipe after recipe did not meet my family’s approval. I had to agree that many things I made really did not taste great. I just wanted to find something that everyone would enjoy and not be on that journey alone.
I quickly moved away from baking. I just did not have the heart or the energy to try anymore. I let my daughter take over. If they wanted a treat, she could make it. The crazy thing is, she started baking for me. She would find gluten free recipes to try and surprise me. And guess what, she found some that were delicious and family approved! Especially a no flour chocolate torte that she made for me during a really hard time.
The Learning Curve
It was a learning process, and I will not lie and say it was easy. It was not. It took time, and it took support. Beginning a gluten free diet had its advantages for me. Crazy as it may sound, it really did have an affect on my anxiety. It also had an impact on my gut. Many people are sensitive to gluten because of the inflammatory affect it can have on the body even if they do not have celiac disease. Because of the healing in my body over the years, I can have some items with gluten occasionally, but for the most part, I still stay away from gluten.
It's Coming Back
My love for baking has started to resurface, and I have new desires to find yummy healthy foods to share. I want to help and support others on their health journey as they strive to find the right path for them. Our family’s needs changed again last year when we discovered that my daughter has a dairy allergy. Now I get to find recipes to support her in her dietary challenges. Especially with baked goods because EVERYTHING has butter! What better day than National Gingerbread Cookie Day to start sharing a yummy recipe!
Adjusting Recipes
I found the original recipe at Turmeric n’Spice years ago scrolling Pinterest for a soft chewy gingerbread cookie recipe. I love the amount of spices, and the smell of them mixed with molasses while mixing and baking is amazing! With a few adjustments, I was able to decrease the amount of sugar as well as make it gluten and dairy free to meet my family’s needs.
These cookies not only met my approval for a tasty treat to satisfy me without the guilt of “splurging” but also met the approval of my teenage son who also shared with friends.
Note
Before I get to the recipe, I do want to mention that, yes, these cookies do have sugar in them. My goal is moderation, and that is what I recommend for others UNLESS you have a diagnosis, addiction, or preference that warrants you avoiding some ingredients all together. For me, I strive to limit my sugar intake because of the health benefits that I have seen. That has not meant that I avoid it altogether. Each person must find the adjustments to their diet that fit their needs. So, without further ado, here is the recipe!
Ingredients
3 cups Bod’s Red Mill 1-1 Baking Flour (a little pricey but one of my favorite gluten free flours)
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp cloves
6 tbsp Country Crock Plant Butter with Olive Oil
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup monkfruit sweetener (if you would like to replace the brown sugar, use ½ cup)
1 large egg
½ cup molasses
2 tsp vanilla
Directions
Mix all the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices) in a large bowl.
In a mixer, beat the brown sugar, monkfruit sweetener, and plant butter together.
Once mixed, add the egg, molasses, and vanilla to the sugar and butter mixture.
Once that mixture is creamy, slowly add the dry ingredients until fully mixed together.
This mixture will need to be placed in the refrigerator to chill for a few hours.
Once chilled, bring the dough to room temperature as you preheat the oven to 375F.
The dough is a little crumbly when first breaking it apart but holds together well as you work with it at room temperature. I divided the dough in small sections because I found it easier to work with. Roll the dough out to about ¼ in. and cut shapes with cookie cutters. I did not have to use any flour rolling out the dough. Place the cut dough onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Place in the freezer for about 10 min. Then bake in the oven for about 6-9 minutes. Let cool on wire racks and ENJOY!
Calories
If you too are one that is interested in tracking calories, I use an app called cronometer to track my calories and nutrients. It is such a great tool because one feature allows you to input a recipe and get a breakdown of the calories and nutrients. The free version has really great features and is so easy to use. Check it out here. The calorie breakdown for one small cookie of this recipe (my recipe made 45 cookies) is as follows:
65 calories
0.7 g of protein
12.1 g of carbohydrates (2.9 g of sugar)
1.6 g of fat
Have a Happy National Gingerbread Cookie Day!
Be sure to sign up for access to the freebies page for a printable version of this recipe and TWO additional gluten and diary free recipes that are great for the holidays!
