Decorated Low-Carb Gingerbread Cookies

Decorated Low-Carb Gingerbread Cookies

It’s nearly Christmas! In my early days of keto I really struggled with cooking at Christmas. I love to cook and prepare food for my family, or for gifts, and it felt like an impossible task to adapt my favourite recipes to low carb.

Now that I’ve been at it for a while, I know better. Keto Christmas treats are as good, if not better, than those carb-laden ones of old.

These gingerbread cookies are perfectly soft and spiced and so easily decorated. You can cut out the traditional gingerbread men or any shapes you fancy. You can decorate them with your children and they make wonderful gifts. Enjoy!

Preparation time

Hands-on:    20 minutes
Overall:      2 hours 45 minutes

Nutritional values (per cookie)

Total Carbs	3.1	grams
Fiber	1.1	grams
Net Carbs	1.9	grams
Protein	3.6	grams
Fat	5.6	grams
of which Saturated	1.4	grams
Energy	73	kcal
Magnesium	22	mg (5% RDA)
Potassium	92	mg (5% EMR)

Macronutrient ratio: Calories from carbs (11%), protein (20%), fat (69%)

Ingredients (makes 30 servings) Gingerbread:

• 2 cups almond flour (200 g/ 7.1 oz)
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp protein powder (60 g/ 2.1 oz)
• 1/2 cup Sukrin Gold (80 g/ 2.8 oz) - see below for alternatives
• 3 tbsp ginger powder
• 2 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 stick butter (57 g/ 2 oz)
• 1 tsp sugar-free vanilla extract or vanilla bean powder
• 2 tsp yacon syrup (10 ml)

Royal Icing:

• 1 large egg white
• 1 1/2 cups Swerve confectioners or powdered Erythritol (240 g/ 8.5 oz)
• 1/4 tsp fresh lemon juice

Tips:

• Sukrin Gold can be switched out for a different sweetener, but really does help with that golden colour and rich flavour.
• Yacon syrup (5.6 g net carbs per 2 tsp) can be substituted with blackstrap molasses (8.5 g net carbs per 2 tsp), or omitted, but it really does help with that golden colour and rich flavour.
• If you want to make these cookies 100% dairy-free, instead of butter you can use an equivalent amount of sustainably sourced palm shortening.*

Instructions

1. Prepare all ingredients. (In low-carb baking it's always best to use a kitchen scale.)
   
2. Mix all of the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Melt the butter and add it, along with the eggs and vanilla, to the mixing bowl.
   
3. Beat on low until a soft dough forms.
   
4. Tip out onto a sheet of cling-wrap and shape into a thick disc. Refrigerate for two hours or overnight.
   
5. Preheat the oven to 170 °C/ 340 °F. Remove dough from fridge and divide into three or four sections.
   
6. Working on one at a time and storing the remainder in the fridge, roll out between two sheets of silicone paper until about 1/2 cm (1/4 inch) thick. Cut cookies out using your choice of designs. Repeat with remaining dough. Note: If the dough starts to feel a bit soft and difficult to handle, just pop it back in the fridge for five minutes or so.
7. Bake for between 8 and 12 minutes, depending on the size if the cookies. Set on to cooling racks until cool.
   
8. To make the icing, sift the powdered sweetener into a mixing bowl and add the egg white and lemon juice. Mix on low until combined the beat until smooth.
   
9. To test your consistency, do an eight-second test; trace a pattern in the top of the icing with a knife and then count down the seconds until it disappears back into the surface. Eight seconds will give you perfect piping consistency. If you need it thinner, add a very small amount of water at a time.
   Tip: To get the frosted look, I used a shallow plate of xylitol crystals and put the fresh piped cookies face down in the crystals.
   
10. Set aside to harden at room temperature.
11. Store in a covered container, for up to a week.
    

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