The Ultimate Healthy Gingerbread Cookies
These cookies taste just like traditional recipes — lots of cozy spices and irresistible sweetness — but they come with none of the guilt! Leftover cookies without icing will keep for at least five days if stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Leftover cookies with icing will keep for around a week, possibly longer, if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
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 (not blackstrap!)
- 1 tsp vanilla crème stevia (see Notes!)
FOR THE ICING (optional)
- 10 tsp confectioners' style erythritol (see Notes!)
- 2 tsp nonfat milk (or adjusted to achieve your desired consistency)
Instructions
- 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 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 erythritol and milk in a small bowl. Spoon into a zip-topped bag, and snip off the corner. Pipe onto the cooled cookies.
Notes
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It’s extremely important to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much flour will dry out your cookie dough and give your cookies a cakey, bready, or crumbly texture.
IMPORTANT ROLLING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: I recommend re-rolling the scraps of cookie dough only once. 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.
CHILLED COOKIE DOUGH NOTE: 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.
COOKIE CUTTER NOTE: This was the exact gingerbread man cookie cutter that I used.
ICING NOTE: As written, the icing recipe only yields enough for a “minimalist” decorated appearance. If you like more icing, feel free to make more!
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: Whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour. Regular whole wheat flour may be substituted in a pinch, but the cookies will have detectable “wheat-y” taste.
MOLASSES NOTE + ALTERNATIVES: The molasses is essential to create the gingerbread flavor, so I do not recommend substituting for it! This is the kind I use, and it’s inexpensive, shelf-stable, and keeps for ages. I don't recommend substituting blackstrap molasses because it has a more bitter flavor.
In a pinch, you can substitute pure maple syrup, honey, or agave, but the cookies will no longer have that classic gingerbread taste.
STEVIA NOTE + ALTERNATIVES: I highly recommend using the vanilla crème stevia! I usually buy it online here. (It's one of my favorite ingredients, and you'll use it in all of these recipes of mine too!) Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they’re not necessarily 1-for-1 substitutes for each other. For the best results, use the same liquid stevia that I do.
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. The cookies will appear “speckled” if using coconut sugar because it doesn’t dissolve as well.
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
ERYTHRITOL NOTE + ALTERNATIVE: I generally buy my confectioners' style erythritol online here. Regular powdered sugar (confectioners' style sugar) may be substituted for the confectioners' style erythritol. However, regular powdered sugar isn't as absorbent, so start with ½ teaspoon of milk in the icing and add more as needed to achieve your desired icing consistency.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends will work as a substitute for the white whole wheat flour, if measured like this. I like this one from Bob's Red Mill. For the best results, make sure your gluten-free blend includes xanthan gum!
DAIRY-FREE OPTION: Use the coconut oil option or stick-style vegan butter (I like this one and this one), and use your preferred non-dairy milk in place of the nonfat milk.
HOW TO STORE: Store leftover cookies in an airtight container. Ones without icing will keep for at least five days if stored at room temperature (or longer if stored in the refrigerator). Ones with icing will keep for around a week, possibly longer, if stored in the refrigerator.
Cookies without icing also freeze and thaw quite well!
HOW TO SHIP: If you'd like to mail some to your loved ones, I have a handy guide that covers the best way to ship these gingerbread cookies!
{clean eating, low fat, low calorie, lower sugar, gluten-free option, dairy-free option}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.