MAKES 20 GINGERBREAD PEOPLE OR 30 COOKIES
Ingredients
• 3 cups (720 ml) almond flour
• ¾ cup palm sugar
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons (180 ml) coconut oil, softened
• ¾ cup blackstrap molasses
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) coconut milk
Preparation
1. Process the flour, palm sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt together in a food processor until combined (about 10 seconds). Add the coconut oil and process until the mixture is very fine and sandy (about 15 seconds). With the machine running, add the molasses and the coconut milk in a steady stream through the feed tube and continue to process until the dough comes together (about 10 seconds).
2. Divide the dough into two even pieces and roll each out to a quarter-inch thickness between two pieces of parchment paper. Leaving the dough sandwiched between parchments, stack them on a baking sheet and freeze until firm (15 to 20 minutes).
3. Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. Working with one piece of dough at a time, transfer dough to a clean counter and gently remove the top sheet of parchment. Stamp out cookies using cookie-cutters. Transfer the cookies to prepared baking sheets with a thin metal spatula, spaced about ¾ inch apart.
5. Bake the cookies until they are light golden brown and show a slight resistance to touch (8 to 11 minutes), switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking. (Do not overbake.)
6. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 3 minutes, then transfer to wire rack before serving.
More Recipes You'll Love
Thick and chewy gingerbread cookies roll out like a dream and bake up plush: blackstrap molasses, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in a dough firm enough for cookie cutters. They hold their shapes and stay soft for days. This is the gingerbread to decorate with the kids.
Pro Tips
- Process the dough until the molasses and coconut milk bring it together, then roll it between parchment. The dough is sticky and the parchment is the trick.
- Freeze the rolled, parchment-sandwiched dough 15 to 20 minutes until firm. Cold dough cuts cleanly and the cookies keep their shapes.
- Bake only 8 to 11 minutes, until the cookies are light golden with slight resistance to the touch. Do not overbake, or you lose the chew.
- Transfer the cut cookies with a thin metal spatula so the shapes do not stretch on the way to the sheet.
- The quarter-inch thickness is exactly what makes these thick and chewy rather than crisp.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my gingerbread cookies spread out of shape?
Usually the rolled dough was not chilled enough. The 15 to 20 minute freeze before stamping is what locks the shapes in.
Can I make the dough ahead?
Yes. Keep the rolled, parchment-sandwiched dough in the fridge for 2 days or the freezer for a month, and cut the cookies straight from cold.
What can I decorate them with?
Paleo fruit jams make a simple glaze, and melted cacao nibs thinned with a little coconut oil and coconut milk pipe beautifully.
Are these gingerbread cookies paleo?
Yes. Almond flour, coconut oil, palm sugar, blackstrap molasses, coconut milk, and spices, with no grains or dairy.
Recipe Card
- 3 cups almond flour
- ¾ cup palm sugar
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp salt
- 12 tbsp coconut oil, softened
- ¾ cup blackstrap molasses
- 2 tbsp coconut milk
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