One December during my middle school years, my aunt flew out from Arizona to visit us for the holidays. On her first full day at our house, she suggested that we made gingerbread cookies as an afternoon project, and since Mom usually lacked the patience for baking anything besides boxed mix brownies, my brother and I immediately agreed.
We found a recipe in one of our faded old cookbooks and quickly set to work measuring and mixing together the ingredients. After rolling out the dough and slicing it into fun shapes with our eclectic collection of cookie cutters, everything from candy canes and Santa’s sleigh to Mickey Mouse and the Pillsbury Dough Boy, we popped the trays into the oven to bake.
A couple of hours later, we sat down at the kitchen table to decorate our treats. Instead of mixing up traditional royal icing, we just stirred together milk and powdered sugar in a handful of small bowls, then squirted in a few drops of food coloring to dye them pastel shades of pink, green, yellow, and blue.
When we finished icing the cookies, we arranged them on large dinner plates and safely tucked those away on top of the refrigerator. Our golden retriever could easily jump up on the counters and eat anything in sight!
That evening, I slipped into the kitchen to sneak a cookie before dinner when Mom wasn’t looking. After grabbing a small star, I hastily slid the plate back on top of the fridge and brushed the crumbs off my fingertips, but when Mom opened the refrigerator door a few minutes later to pull out some vegetables…
That plate tumbled down and shattered on the kitchen floor, sending broken pieces of stoneware and cookies into every nook and cranny. Whoops!
Ever since then, I’ve thought of my aunt and that little refrigerator incident whenever I’ve eaten gingerbread cookies… But since she passed away six years ago, I haven’t actually baked any homemade ones. However, I decided to change that this year, so I set out to create this recipe for the Ultimate Healthy Gingerbread Cookies. They’re full of the same cozy flavors as traditional recipes, but without any butter, refined flour or sugar, they come with none of the guilt. And I know my aunt would’ve loved these!
(And I stashed the leftover cookies on a shelf in the pantry this time, not the top of the fridge!)
To make these healthier gingerbread cookies, you’ll start with white whole wheat flour. That sounds a little contradictory, doesn’t it? Normally white flour and whole wheat flour are two totally different things! However, white whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of white wheat, whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. This gives white whole wheat flour a lighter taste and texture, similar to all-purpose flour, but it still has the same health benefits as regular whole wheat flour (like extra fiber!).
The gingerbread flavor comes from two main sources: ground ginger and molasses. I’m sure you guessed the first of those ingredients! The molasses provides the deep, rich, cozy undertones, and it’s absolutely crucial when making gingerbread cookies. Don’t skip it! Molasses is inexpensive, shelf-stable, and keeps for ages. This is the kind that I buy, and you can find it at most grocery stores near the honey or maple syrup.
In addition to the molasses, you’ll sweeten these cookies with one of my favorite ingredients: vanilla crème stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that’s clean eating friendly, and it’s very concentrated. A little goes a long way—you just need 1 teaspoon for this entire batch of cookies! This is the kind that I buy because I love its warm vanilla flavor and don’t notice any strange aftertastes like with some other stevia products. You can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, but I always buy mine online here because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
I have a special trick to share with you about how to easily roll out cookie dough with absolutely NO mess… You’ll roll it out between two large sheets of plastic wrap! With this trick, you don’t need to flour your work surface OR the cookie dough OR the rolling pin. It works like a charm for pie crusts and my sugar cookies, too! (Bonus: Your rolling pin won’t get dirty, so you don’t have to wash it!)
Here’s another pro tip for how to create perfectly shaped cut-out cookies… After pressing down the cookie cutters into the dough, peel the extra dough away from those shapes. (If you pull the cut-out cookie dough away from the extra dough, it usually stretches and turns misshapen!) Then slide a knife underneath the cut-out cookie dough to loosen it from the plastic wrap, and transfer it to your baking sheet. Ta da! Perfectly shaped cookies!
Then after a quick trip to the oven…
Time to pour a glass of milk and enjoy your cookies! Although with how much my family loved these, you may need to bake a second batch to make sure you have enough for Santa on Christmas Eve… ??⛄️?
And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! ?) I’d love to see your gingerbread cookies and feature them in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| The Ultimate Healthy Gingerbread Cookies | | Print |
- for the cookies
- 1 cup + 6 tbsp (165g) white whole wheat flour (measured like this)
- ¾ tsp cornstarch
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60mL) molasses
- 1 tsp vanilla crème stevia
- for the icing (optional)
- 10 tsp confectioners’ style stevia
- 2 tsp nonfat milk
- To prepare the cookies, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg, and vanilla extract. Stir in the molasses and vanilla crème stevia. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Transfer the dough to the center of a large sheet of plastic wrap, and shape into a 1”-tall rectangle. Cover the top with another large sheet of plastic wrap. Chill the dough for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- Leaving the cookie dough between the sheets of plastic wrap, roll it out until ⅛” thick. Lightly flour your cookie cutter, and press it into the dough, making sure each shape lies as close to its neighbors as possible to minimize unused dough. Peel the unused dough away from the shapes, and place them onto the prepared baking sheets. Reroll the unused dough, and repeat.
- Bake the cut out cookie dough at 325°F for 8-10 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- To prepare the icing, stir together the confectioner’s style stevia and milk in a small bowl. Spoon into a zip-topped bag, and snip off the corner. Pipe onto the cooled cookies.
Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends will work as a substitute for the white whole wheat flour, if measured like this.
The molasses is essential to create the gingerbread flavor. It’s inexpensive, shelf-stable, and keeps for ages. I do not recommend substituting for it! In a pinch, you can substitute pure maple syrup, honey, or agave, but the cookies will no longer have that classic gingerbread taste.
I highly recommend using the vanilla crème stevia! It's one of my favorite ingredients, and you'll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too. You cannot substitute additional molasses, pure maple syrup, honey, or agave for the vanilla crème stevia because cookies require a precise balance of wet and dry ingredients. However, you may substitute ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (120g) coconut sugar (or granulated sugar, if you aren’t concerned about keeping these cookies clean eating friendly) for both the molasses and stevia, but the cookies will appear “speckled” if using coconut sugar because it doesn’t dissolve as well.
This was the exact cookie cutter that I used.
The cookie dough can be refrigerated for up to two days. If the cookie dough has been chilled for longer than an hour, it may need to “thaw” a little on the counter for a few minutes before rolling.
I recommend re-rolling the scraps of cookie dough no more than twice. If you re-roll the scraps too many times, the cookie dough becomes tough and the baked cookies won’t have the same soft and chewy texture.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk, and regular powdered sugar may be substituted for the confectioners' style stevia.
As written, the icing recipe only yields enough for a “minimalist” decorated appearance. If you like more icing, feel free to make more!
{clean eating, low fat, low calorie, lower sugar, gluten-free option}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also enjoy Amy’s other recipes…
♥ Soft-Baked Ginger Cookies
♥ Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookies
♥ Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
♥ Classic Gingerbread with Maple Glaze
♥ Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Mini Muffins
♥ Gingerbread Protein Overnight Oats
♥ Single-Serving Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Mug Cake
♥ Baked Gingerbread Donuts with Maple Glaze
Note: The recipe video was sponsored by SweetLeaf®. As always, all thoughts, text, photos, videos, and recipes are my own.
How many calories in these tho?
The full nutrition information, including calories per cookie, is included directly underneath the recipe box! I know it can be easy to miss. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of these gingerbread cookies if you try making them, Kylie!
Are the calories in the nutrition section including the frosting?
Since the icing is optional, the nutrition information excludes the icing. I’ve updated the nutrition information page to reflect that — I’m so sorry for the confusion! If you decide to try making these gingerbread cookies, I’d love to hear what you think of them, Julia! 🙂
This recipe sounds great! My daughter & I want to bake our own gingerbread houses this Christmas. Would this recipe work?
I’m honored that you’d like to try my recipe, Kelly! That sounds like such a fun thing to do this Christmas. I haven’t yet tried making this recipe into a gingerbread house (although it’s on my to do list!), so I’m not sure and don’t want to lead you astray. If you do end up trying to turn this into a gingerbread house, I’d definitely recommend baking your cookies longer. When made exactly as written, these gingerbread cookies turn out soft and chewy, rather than stiff and crunchy, which would likely cause your gingerbread house to collapse!
As soon as I’m able successfully turn this recipe into a gingerbread house, I’ll add that to the Notes section. 🙂 In the meantime, if you and your daughter decide to try making these cookies, I’d love to hear what you think of them!
Hello Thank you for your recipe for gingerbread cookies Please let me know if what I am understanding is correct I do not use stevia so the substitute could be 1/2 cup plus 2 tab for the 1tsp of stevia . It sounds very sweet so please confirm this
Thank you
It means a lot that you’d want to try my recipe, Eileen! If you don’t want to use the stevia, then you’ll omit the stevia AND the molasses. In their place, you’ll need ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (120g) of coconut sugar or brown sugar. The stevia that I use is very concentrated. One teaspoon has the sweetness equivalent of nearly ½ cup of sugar! 🙂
I’d love to hear what you think of these gingerbread cookies if you try making them!
Thank You Amy for your response, I will let you know how it goes. I really wanted to use the molasses but i will try without.
Eileen
It’s my pleasure, Eileen! I’m happy to help. 🙂 If you’d really like to use molasses to make cookies but not stevia, then I’d suggest this cookie recipe of mine instead. You can’t roll out the cookie dough to cut it into shapes from that recipe, but it has the same flavors as traditional gingerbread!
Thank You Amy I got to the recipe as soon as I read your response
The cookie turned out EXCELLENT
This is a definite keeper for me
Have a wonderful Holiday
Keep up your great work you are doing for all of us It is appreciated
Eileen
I’m so glad you loved the cookies, Eileen! Thank you for taking the time to let me know. It truly means a lot! 🙂
Hey!
I am celiac do you think these will work with a gluten free flour?
It means a lot that you’d like to try my recipe, Abby! I’ve actually covered that in the Notes section of the recipe (located directly underneath the Instructions!). I know it can be easy to miss! 😉 As long as your gluten-free blend is a 1-for-1 substitute for wheat-based flour and contains xanthan gum, it should be fine to use!
I can’t wait to hear what you think of these gingerbread cookies!
Hi Amy,
Could we use a flax egg to keep these vegan?
Thank you 🙂
I just made these cookies and I followed the recipe exactly but they taste terrible… They’re not sweet at all, all I taste is molasses (very strongly) and the texture is almost rubbery.
I’m honored that you tried making my recipe, Elise! That sounds disappointing and not like how these cookies are supposed to turn out, so I’d love to help figure out what happened with your batch. In order to do so, I have some questions for you! 🙂
Did you make any substitutions or modifications to the recipe, including those listed in the Notes section?
Did you use the same exact stevia that I linked to in the recipe’s Ingredients list?
Did you use a kitchen scale or measuring cups/spoons for the ingredients, especially the flour and molasses?
Did you use a stand mixer or hand-held mixer to make the cookie dough?
How thick did you roll out the cookie dough?
What size were your cookies (if you used a traditional gingerbread man cookie cutter, how tall was it?), and how long did you bake them?
I know I just asked a LOT of questions, but I’ll have a much better idea of the culprit (and how to fix it!) once I know your answers to all of them!
Hi Amy
Your Gingerbread Cookies look so so good can’t wait to make them
What can l substitute the 1 tsp of Vanilla steveia with?
Can l use another sugar sweeter substitute? ( not coconut sugar ) And what quantity would l use please?
Thanks so much Amy
Bella
I’m honored that you’d like to try my recipe, Bella! What’s the exact sweetener (brand and product name) that you’d like to substitute?
It means a lot that you’d like to try my recipe, Prianka! I don’t have much experience with flax eggs, but I know that Ener-G will work. My brother is actually allergic to eggs, and Ener-G is my favorite substitute. It’s is a shelf-stable powder that keeps for ages. It works perfectly as an egg replacer in nearly all of my recipes, including this one! For my recipes, use 1 ½ teaspoons Ener-G + 2 tablespoons warm water for each egg white, and you’ll need an additional ½ tablespoon of butter or coconut oil {or Earth Balance, if you’re vegan!} for each egg yolk. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of these gingerbread cookies if you try making them!
Thank you, I will look into that egg replacer 🙂 Thanks for all the info!
It’s my pleasure, Pri! I’m happy to help! 🙂
Hi Amy
I have a quick baking question! For a different gingerbread cookie recipe that I’m looking at, it says preheat the oven to 350 F and bake for 11-13 min using almond flour. If I substitute all purpose or white whole wheat does the preheat time stay the same or should I reduce or increase it? Also will the baking time get affected? If so, how much? Sorry for all the questions!
I’m honored that you’d ask me for advice, Sue! In general, the recipe creator will usually have a better idea of the answers than me. 😉
For cookies, you can generally use the same baking time and temperature when substituting one flour for another. (The main exception is coconut flour!) Almond flour is a bit less absorbent than wheat-based flours, so if you’re substituting all-purpose or whole wheat flour for almond flour, then I typically recommend starting with 2 tablespoons less per cup (ie if the recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of almond flour, start with ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons of wheat-based flour). You may need to add the rest, but this helps prevent drying out the cookie dough or batter too much to start!
Hi Amy ,
I want to try your recipe but I don’ t have stevia nor coconut sugar. What can I l substitute them with? Without omiting the molasses too, I really like its taste in the cookies and I don’t want to miss it out.
Thank you 🙂
It means a lot that you’d like to try making my recipe! If you’d like to use molasses, then you really do need to use the stevia. With only molasses and no stevia, your cookies will have more of the sweetness level of muffins or scones (because stevia is so concentrated in its sweetness level!).
If you don’t have coconut sugar or granulated sugar, then brown sugar will also work (but you’ll need to omit the molasses).
If you’re completely against omitting the molasses, then I recommend this recipe of mine instead. You aren’t able to roll out the cookie dough and cut it into shapes (it’s too wet and moist for that!), but it does use molasses and has about the same flavor as this gingerbread cookie recipe. 🙂
I’d love to hear what you think of your cookies if you end up trying either of my recipes!