"Go head on and break 'em off with lil' previews of the remix"
If you love Christmas cookies as much as we do, then you’ll surely enjoy this simple recipe for a delicious and healthy cookie. Without compromising on the taste! Because who wants to waste calories on an average cookie? Yeah, I didn’t think so.
My partner in crime for this epic Christmas cookie hacking extravaganza was the “Queen of Christmas”, Kaersten Meitz.
Now first of all, if you don’t know Kaersten Meitz, shame on you. She is not only one of the best professional athletes in the world, but also a Wisconsin native with a ever particular taste for delicious food. With her competition and training schedule, Kaersten has to keep herself in tip-top shape during certain times of the year. Making cookies for the “Queen of Christmas” healthier so that she may also enjoy some Christmas cheer is the icing on the cake for this project.
So throw on your favorite Christmas sweater and let’s get to the remix (aka hacking)!
Cookie Number 1: Traditional Gingerbread
Who doesn’t love a good gingerbread cookie? According to Kaersten, it is a Christmas cookie staple on your baking list. With only 39 sleeps until Christmas, can’t you just taste the ginger?
First I looked to Pinterest for some inspiration. I had to find what ingredients went into the traditional gingerbread cookie. I knew I’d find all kinds of unwanted, processed junk, and my thoughts proved me right. But how would we make a great tasting cookie without traditional ingredients? That’s the mystery…keep reading and we’ll let you in on the secret.
Recipe Alert (you’ll want to screen shot this)!!!
Erica and Kaersten’s Traditional Gingerbread Cookie – The Remix
Ingredients
5 TBSP Organic Butter, Room Temperature
1 Cup Coconut Sugar
1 Egg White
4 1/2 TBSP Molasses
1 TBSP Orange Zest
1 Cup + 3 TBSP Almond Flour
1 Cup + 3 TBSP Coconut Flour
1 TBSP Ground Ginger (plus a little dash extra)
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Nutmeg (ground)
1 tsp Allspice (ground)
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Cloves (ground)
Directions
1. In a large bowl, using a stand mixer, cream together the butter and coconut sugar until mixed well and crumbly. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl as necessary.
2. Add in the egg white and molasses and mix on medium/high until the consistency becomes fluffy and lightens in color. Add in orange zest and mix until well combined.
3. In a separate medium bowl, stir together all the remaining dry ingredients until well mixed. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until well combined.
4. Scrape the dough onto a large piece of BPA free plastic wrap and form a disc. Wrap tightly and place in freezer for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
5. Once chilled, pre heat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat (make sure it’s oven safe).
6. Roll the dough between two layers of parchment paper (one on top, one on bottom) using a rolling pin until it’s about 1/4 inch thick.
7. Using your cookie cutters of choice, cut out cookies and transfer to prepared baking pans. Allow yourself to be extra festive here with your cookie cutter selection.
8. Bake until edges are a golden brown and top appears set. About 14-16 minutes. Cookies will firm more as they cool. Cool on pan completely.
9. Eat as many as possible!
Double Hack Alert – Turn this Recipe Vegan
1. Use ghee instead of butter.
2. Use a flax egg (1 TBSP Flax Seed + 3 TBSP Water) instead of an egg white (may make the cookies a bit softer)
Kaersten’s Review
As a classic, traditional Christmas cookie, this paleo gingerbread recipe will give you the same festive feelings as any other gingerbread, but with some healthier, less processed, alternative ingredients. Adding orange zest is a great way to spice up this cookie and never feel obligated to limit the amount of spices you put into the dough. The more the merrier!
Erica’s Review
Don’t call me Scrooge, but typically, I am not the gingerbread cookie’s number one fan. Something about the spicy/sweet cookie never really settled with my taste buds. However, this cookie is the perfect balance of a hint of spice with sweet. You can really taste the unprocessed ingredients in this cookie, which gives it a much more hearty taste and festive feeling. The cookie is so good, you don’t even need icing.
