My dear friends, today I bring you the quintessential Christmas cookie, the Gingerbread Man.
Is it just me or do you also think of Gingy every time you see a gingerbread man cookie? You know … Gingy … from Shrek … “not the gumdrop buttons!” Just me?
Based on some feedback I received on my Paleo Ginger Snaps, I made a promise to try a ginger cookie using almond meal.
I used my own recipe for an almond meal cookie and adapted the gingerbread spicing from the Smitten Kitchen. Although these cookies aren’t very sweet, the spicy Christmassy flavors are totally fabulous.
These cookies have that classic gingerbread crunch and keep well in an airtight container.
I used a 3” gingerbread man cookie cutter. I’ve also made them with a larger 6” cookie cutter. If you prefer larger cookies, just increase the baking time by about one minute.
Look! They’re friends … 🙂
Paleo Spicy Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups Sifted Almond Meal plus a little extra for rolling
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 2 teaspoons Ground Ginger
- 2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Pepper
- 1/3 cup Honey
- 2 tablespoons Liquid Coconut Oil
- 1 Egg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together (almond meal, salt, spices and baking soda).
- In a separate bowl, whisk the wet ingredients together (honey, oil, almond extract, and egg).
- Create a crater in the center of the almond flour mixture.
- Pour the completely mixed wet ingredient mixture into the crater.
- Using a fork, start stirring the wet ingredients into the dry from the inside out.
- Keep stirring until you achieve an even consistency.
- Roll the dough into one large ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for approximately 30 minutes.
- Dust a pastry board with some almond meal.
- Place the chilled dough on top of the almond meal and dust all sides thoroughly.
- Using a rolling pen, roll out the dough until it is about 1/4 -1/8 inch thick.
- Cut out the gingerbread men and place on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Re-roll the leftover dough after you’ve cut out all the cookies and repeat the process above.
- Remember that when the dough gets sticky, simply dust with more almond meal.
- Bake for 13-14 minutes.
- Let cool for about 5 minutes, then enjoy!
Approximate Nutrition Facts:
- Serving size: 1 cookie
- Makes 3 dozen cookies
- 78 Calories; 6 g Fat; 2.4 g Protein; 3 g Sugar
Recipe Notes
How much almond extract do I add? It’s not listed in the ingredients but is mentioned in the instructions. Yummy recipe!
Great recipe! I will make them this year. Just one thing: almond extract is not in the ingredient list but included with the wet ingredients. How much did you use? 1 or 2 tsp? Thanks so much!
Can you use hazelnut flour in place of the almond flour or use 1/2 hazlenut and 1/2 almond flour? I ask because I have 2 bags of hazlenut flour. Looking to use them before they expire.
I haven’t tried it myself so I’m not sure how it will come out, but it’s worth a shot! I imagine you could go with an even substitute.
How did that turnout for you?