Healthy Gingerbread Blossoms

Yields: 30 cookies

These cozy cookies are perfect for holiday parties, hostess gifts, cookie exchanges… Or anytime you’re craving holiday sweets! They’re chewy and full of warm spices, and the dark chocolate centers add an irresistible indulgent flavor. They’ll keep for at least a week if stored in an airtight container on the counter—if they last that long!

1 ¾ cups (210g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
1 ½ tsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
1 ¾ 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
1 large egg white, room temperature
2 ¼ tsp vanilla stevia
2 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup (60mL) nonfat milk, room temperature
¼ cup (60mL) molasses
30 dark chocolate kisses (unwrap them before you start making the cookie dough!)

Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg, vanilla stevia, and vanilla extract. Stir in the milk and molasses. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated.
Divide the dough into 30 equal portions, and roll each into a ball. Place onto the prepared baking sheet. Using the flat bottom of a drinking glass, flatten the cookie dough to be slightly larger than the bottom of the dark chocolate kisses. (Note: These cookies don’t spread while baking!)
Bake at 325°F for 7-9 minutes. Once the cookies come out of the oven, immediately (but gently!) press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie. Cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes: Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends will work, if measured like this. (I love this one!)

Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour

The cornstarch helps keep the cookies soft and chewy. Don’t skip it!

Any type of milk can be substituted for the nonfat milk.

I do not recommend substituting anything for the molasses! Along with the ground ginger, it’s what creates the iconic gingersnap flavor: deep, complex, rich, and cozy. This is the kind that I use, and it’s completely shelf-stable. You can generally find it near the honey on the baking aisle, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine too!

I highly recommend using the vanilla stevia! It’s one of my favorite ingredients, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too. Although you can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, I buy mine online here because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found.

If you prefer not to use the vanilla stevia, then substitute 1 cup (192g) of coconut sugar, brown sugar, or granulated sugar AND omit the milk. If using this substitution, chill the cookie dough for at least 1 hour after Step 2. After chilling, if the cookie dough is still too sticky to roll, then using a spoon and spatula (or a cookie scoop), drop one portion of cookie dough into rounded mounds in the bowl of sugar. Rotate it until it’s fully coated; then roll it between your palms into a ball. Drop it back in the spiced sugar, coat again, and place on the prepared baking sheet. Do not flatten the cookies; they should spread fairly well while baking.

These are the dark chocolate kisses that I used. For a fun flavor variation, I bet these caramel-filled kisses or these pumpkin spice kisses would taste amazing! If you try that, leave me a comment and report back! If you prefer a “clean eating” version, then substitute a small ½” square of your favorite dark chocolate instead.

{gluten-free, clean eating option, low fat}

Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2017/12/14/healthy-gingerbread-blossoms/