Nothing says the holidays quite like the smell of gingerbread baking in the oven.
Scripps News food and wellness contributor Jessica DeLuise is sharing her warm, spicy gingerbread recipe. It's a nostalgic, family-favorite treat that couldn’t be easier to make. This version gets a healthier twist, made with whole-grain flour and olive oil, without sacrificing any of that classic holiday flavor.
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Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups whole grain, all-purpose flour (use a gluten-free all-purpose option if needed)
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 3 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ cup avocado oil or olive oil
- ½ cup molasses (use regular molasses for lighter, somewhat spicy cookies or blackstrap molasses for very spicy, intensely flavored cookies or a mixture of both)
- ½ cup packed granulated sweetener
- 1 large egg
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar – use a non-nutritive option for a lower-carb, lower sugar option
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 (ish) tsp milk +/- more as needed
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Add the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl, flour, spices, baking powder and baking soda.
- Whisk to combine.
- In a separate bowl, add the wet ingredients: egg, oil, molasses, and sugar. Mix to combine.
- Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
- Begin to mix the dough. The dough will seem dry and shaggy at first, but keep mixing! It will come together. Using your hands helps.
- On a clean work surface, lay our a large piece of parchment paper, about 2 ft long. Fold it in half.
- Place the dough inside the fold, so it sits on one half and the other half covers it up.
- Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out until it is about 1/4 – 1/3 inch thick.
- Then, use the bench scraper to cut the dough into squares.
- Stamp the cookies with your design.
- Line your baking sheet pan (or two) with a silicone mat.
- Carefully transfer your cookies to the mat, leaving about 1/4 inch between cookies.
- Bake for 28 minutes.
- Check the cookies and bake for additional 2-5 minute increments until done. When done, they will be firm and easily lift off the silicone mat in one piece. If they are crumbly or break, they are not done.
- Cook in the pan on the stovetop or on a trivet on the counter.
- Eat as is or add icing. They are delicious both ways!
