Gingerbread cookies + Sugar-free Royal Icing

Gluten-free | Sugar-free | Dairy-free option | Vegan option 

Makes 12-24 cookies 

Why it’s delicious 

These very simple cookies are fun to make AND eat. They are well-spiced but not too overpowering, and combined with the almond icing, they are very moreish! 

Helpful Hints + Tips

To help maintain a sweet taste without adding refined sugar, I use my Zero as Sugar Pure Erythritol. You’ll find this ingredient in many reduced-calorie and sugar-free foods and drinks. If you want to purchase my Zero as Sugar Pure Erythritol, which is 100% natural, has zero calories, and registers zero on the glycemic index, you can find out more here.  

I also use my Sweet as Fibre Syrup as a refined sugar substitute in this recipe due to its natural sweetness. My fibre syrup is a low-calorie prebiotic fibre made from 100% pure chicory. Feel free to use your own fibre syrup, but read the labels. Many companies lace their syrups with malt extract and stevia to make them sweeter. If your fibre syrup isn't golden, it probably isn't 100% pure. Click here if you would like to purchase my Sweet As Fibre Syrup.  

Ingredients 

• 120 g (4.2 oz) almond flour or meal or a nut or seed flour of your choice 50 g (1.7 oz) Zero as Sugar Pure Erythritol 
• ½ tsp baking powder 
• ¾ tsp cinnamon 
• 1 ½ - 2 tsp ground ginger (add to taste. If you like them spicy, go for 2 tsp) ½ tsp nutmeg 
• ½ tsp allspice 
• ¼ tsp cloves 
• Pinch mineral salt 
• 1 egg, whisked or ½ tbsp chia seeds soaked in 1 ½ tbsp water for 10 minutes 20 g (0.7 oz) grass-fed butter or coconut oil, melted 
• ½ tsp pure vanilla extract 
• 1 tbsp Sweet as Fibre Syrup 

Sugar-free royal icing 

• 50 g (1.7 oz) Zero as Sugar Pure Erythritol 
• ¼ tsp xanthan gum 
• 1-3 tbsp coconut or almond milk 
• A drop or 2 of pure almond essence, optional 

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 170 C (320F) and line a baking sheet with non-stick baking paper.
2. In a mixing bowl, stir together the almond flour, erythritol, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and salt. 
3. Add ½ of the egg mixture or all of the chia gel along with the melted butter or coconut oil, vanilla and fibre syrup. Stir until a smooth but firm dough forms. 
4. Place the dough onto a large piece of non-stick baking paper and place another large square of baking paper over the top. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough until it’s 3-5mm thick (you can roll the dough out as thin or thick as you like). 
5. Either place the rolled dough in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm up a little or use your favourite cookie cutters to cut into desired shapes and place on the baking paper-lined tray. You can keep on re-rolling the dough until it's all done without any fear of overworking the dough, so go for it! 
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes or a couple of minutes longer if the cookies are thick. Keep an eye on the cookies as they bake, turning the tray once during the baking to ensure the cookies cover evenly. 
7. Remove the golden cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the tray for 15 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. 
8. At this point, you can ice them (recipe below) and store them in the fridge for 30-60 minutes until the icing firms up. Then, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. 
9. For the sugar-free royal icing, place the erythritol into a small food processor or spice/coffee grinder and blend until the sugar resembles icing or powdered sugar. Pour the powdered zero as sugar into a bowl and stir in the xanthan gum. 
10. Add 1 tablespoon of your chosen milk and stir in. Keep on adding more milk, a tablespoon at a time, until a smooth icing forms. It should be thick but still spreadable. 
11. Add the icing to a small piping bag and decorate your cookies as desired. Allow the iced cookies to set in the fridge for 30-60 minutes before eating or storing them.