These paleo gingerbread cookies are chewy and crisp with traditional flavor from molasses and spices. The dough is easy to work with and cut making them perfect for holiday baking and decorating!
I couldn’t be more excited to share these absolutely perfect gingerbread cookies with you today!
They’re everything you’d expect in a traditional gingerbread cookie, but better for you, though you’d seriously never know it.
*These cookies were originally tested with a paleo baking flour mix that is no longer in stock, so I retested using almond flour with great results!!
What You Need to Make Paleo Gingerbread Cookies
Simple ingredients make the cookie dough a breeze to throw together! Here’s what you’ll need for both the cookies, and icing.
- Ghee or grass-fed butter
- Coconut Sugar or maple sugar
- Molasses
- Vanilla Extract
- Egg
- Blanched almond flour
- Baking Soda
- Sea Salt
- Ginger
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Maple sugar or organic powdered sugar
- Dairy-free milk
How to Make Paleo Cookie Icing for Paleo Gingerbread Cookies
To make strictly paleo icing, you’ll need to make powdered sugar from maple sugar or coconut sugar (coconut will be dark.). Simply blend your sugar in a high speed blender or food processor until it reaches a powdery consistency. Then, measure and use it as you would use powdered sugar in the icing recipe.
Maple sugar will make a very light brown icing that contrasts great with the dark gingerbread cookies!
For a bright white icing, you can always use organic powdered sugar. It’s gluten and grain free, just not strictly paleo due to the cane sugar.
I hope you’re ready for some out of this world delicious, fun, and festive Cutout Paleo Gingerbread Cookies! Grab your ingredients and let’s get started!
Cutout Paleo Gingerbread Cookies
Cutout Paleo Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie Dough:
- 7 tablespoons grass fed butter or ghee, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar or maple sugar
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice or cloves
Icing:
- 1 1/2 cups organic powdered sugar or powdered maple sugar*
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 - 2.5 Tbsp almond milk or water
- pinch salt - optional
Instructions
For the Cookie Dough:
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In a large bowl using an electric mixer, (you can use a stand mixer as well if you prefer) cream together the ghee or butter with the sugar and molasses until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla until smooth.
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In a separate mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Beat the dry mixture into the wet slowly until well combined. Gather the cookie dough into a ball and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, flattening it into a disc for chilling. Chill for 2-3 hours or up to 2 days in advance of baking.
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Once ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350° F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Allow the dough to sit out for 10-15 minutes before rolling. Place the dough between two pieces of parchment paper and roll out gently to between 1/4-1/2” thickness. Thinner cookies will turn out crispier, thicker ones a bit softer.
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Use cookie cutters to cut dough into desired shapes, then carefully transfer to the prepared baking sheets with at least 1” of space around each cookie. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes or until just set. Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then carefully transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
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Repeat the rolling, cutting, and baking process with the leftover dough until all the dough is used up.
For the Icing:
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While the cookies cool, prepare the icing. In a small bowl. whisk all the icing ingredients together and drizzle over the cooled cookies, or use a squeeze bottle or piping bag to decorate as desired.
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Place back on parchment paper for the icing to set - it will harden after 20 minutes or so.
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Store loosely covered at room temperature for the first day, or place in a sealed container in the refrigerator to keep fresh longer.
Recipe Notes
*Making powdered sugar from maple sugar is surprisingly easy. Simply blend your maple sugar in a NutriBullet (what I use), high-speed blender or food processor until it has a powdery consistency. You’ll want to measure the sugar after blending to make sure you’re adding the right amount.
**Nutrition is calculated without the icing
Nutrition
Have you tried making the dough in advance and freezing it? Or after you baked the cookies, freeze them?
Thanks for your response 🙂