Wholefood gingerbread biscuits are great for the Christmas gingerbread lovers who are still healthy conscious. A wholefood, refined-sugar free, variation on a Christmas favourite.
Why make these?
- Well number one - because gingerbread!
- They have a delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture, with a subtle chewiness from the wholemeal flour. They're definitely not a break-your-teeth gingerbread.
- With the perfect balance of spices, they taste just like a good old classic gingerbread man, but I made them using wholefood ingredients to up the nutrition.
Ingredients
To make these you will need:
BISCUITS
- Butter - pure butter
- Maple syrup - again the pure stuff not maple ‘flavored"‘
- Honey
- Rapadura sugar - unrefined sugar
- Egg yolk - (keep the white for the icing)
- Ground ginger
- Mixed spice
- Bicarb-soda
- Wholemeal spelt flour - or regular spelt or wholemeal flour
- Baking powder
ICING
- Rapadura sugar - or use regular icing sugar for white icing you can colour
- Egg white
The first time I made these they were for a Mother's Group Christmas morning tea and another friend turned up with gingerbread with white icing (ie made with icing sugar).
Unfortunately my plate lost out to the white-icinged beauties she whipped up.
I used rapadura sugar for my icing which made it brown which I think was a beautiful contrast against the rustic, wholesome dough (see sounds amazing right?).
I thought maybe it would trick people into thinking that it was chocolate and make them the more popular biscuit but alas nope.
The white won out.
When all the other’s had been eaten, more people gravitated to my plate and the resounding thought was that they were delicious so what they lack in appearance they make up for in taste.
Instead of regular white flour, I used wholemeal spelt and instead of brown sugar, I use a combo of maple sugar, honey and rapadura sugar (which you can get at health-food shops).
3 reasons to use wholefood ingredients
No additives - wholefood ingredients contain no nasty additives that can harm health.
Nutrients - whole foods are less-processed (or unprocessed) than their refined counterparts which means they retain more of their natural vitamins, minerals and other beneficial nutrients.
Richer flavour - generally wholefood sweet options like rapadura sugar give a richer flavour than refined sugars like caster sugar.
They’re not what I’d call ‘healthy’ but all the ingredients are real food with all the nutrients in tact (as far as I know!).
FAQs
You might need to add a little extra flour if your dough is too sticky.
If you like crispier cookies, bake them a bit longer.
Also don’t leave them out in the crazy Queensland humidity.
Enjoy!
p.s. If you're looking for a classic gingerbread cookie recipe then this is our best ever.
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Recipe
Recipe
Wholefood gingerbread biscuits
Ingredients
- BISCUITS
- 125 g 1 stick butter
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup honey
- ½ cup rapadura sugar
- 1 free-range egg yolk keep the white for the icing
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoon mixed spice
- 1 teaspoon bicarb-soda
- 3 cups cups wholemeal spelt flour
- 5 teaspoon baking powder
- ICING
- 1 egg white
- 1 cup rapadura sugar
Instructions
- Combine butter, maple syrup, honey and rapadura sugar in a small pan and heat, stirring, over low heat, until melted.
- Remove to a bowl and cool (you can put the bowl in an ice bath for a little while if you’re feeling impatient).
- Stir in the egg yolk and remaining dry ingredients to form a soft dough.
- Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a flat disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour to firm up.
- Preheat the oven to 160C (350F) fan-forced and line two baking trays with baking paper.
- Take one portion of dough out of the fridge and on a lightly-floured surface, roll it out to 7-8mm.
- Use floured cookie cutters to cut the dough.
- Place on the trays leaving 2cm between each one and bake for 7-10 minutes or until firm.
- Leave them to rest on the trays for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the biscuits are cooling, make the icing - place the rapadura sugar in a food processor or blender and process until it is fine like icing sugar.
- Whisk the egg white to almost firm peaks.
- Slowly whisk in the sugar.
- Ice the biscuits however you like and then leave for a few hours to dry.
Mary says
These look delicious!
Claire says
Thanks Mary!