Gluten Free Crispy Keto Gingerbread Cookies With Quick Sugar Free Royal Icing
Gingerbread cookies are delicious and pretty much a must have on our dessert table around the holiday time. Of course gingerbread cookies are great anytime but if a person is on a restricted diet one may have to skip the delicious crispy treat.
Being on a low carb diet can be hard enough to find a good gingerbread cookie but being low carb, gluten free and on a strict keto diet can be almost impossible to find a gingerbread cookie that tastes and feels like a traditional gingerbread cookie. This recipe is so easy and tasty that even my picky nine year old enjoys them,
The Secret To Great Gluten Free Keto Gingerbread Cookies
One of the best aspects of this recipe is the fact that it requires no refrigerating before baking.
Most shaped cookie recipes require the dough to set and be refrigerated for 2 hours or more so that all the ingredients can bind together and be sturdy enough to be able to hold shape. This recipe does not require refrigerating which makes this recipe not only easy but also quick.
How ever there is a secret to this process. The secret is combining the right flour combination and the use of xanthan gum.
What Is The Best Flour Combination
The right flour combination is extremely important for this recipe to be successful. The bulk of it is made up of almond flour but it also calls for a fourth cup of coconut flour. The coconut flour is essential to make the texture come out tasting and feeling like traditional gingerbread cookies.
Other low carb flour combination will work for this recipe but this combination is what makes this recipe almost identical to traditional gingerbread cookies
Why Use Xanthan Gum?
Xanthan gum is another item that is a must for this recipe to be successful. Almond flour and coconut flour are gluten free flours as a result they have no binding agent in them to keep the ingredients together. Xanthan gum acts just like gluten. When it comes in contact with the liquid in the recipe it turns into a gluey texture which helps “glue” or bind the ingredients together.
Xanthan gum is not only necessary but the right amount of it is so important. A little xanthan gum goes a long way. Too much and you will end up with a goopy mess. This recipe contains just the right amount to make the ingredients stick together without making the cookies sticky.
Molasses Is Not Keto
Thus recipe does call for molasses. Now molasses is not keto friendly but there is not enough of it to make a difference in carb count. One of the main flavors in gingerbread cookies is molasses and there really is no way to replicate the flavor of real molasses. It is absolutely necessary to add molasses if you want these cookies to taste like “the real thing.”
What Ingredients Are Needed ?
We’ve already mentioned four ingredients that are essential for this recipe to turn out perfect. Besides almond flour, coconut flour, xanthan gum, and molasses you also need a sweetener of some kind, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, salt, egg, butter and vanilla extract
How To Make Cookies
These cookies take no time at all to make. Just whisk together dry ingredients, Beat in the wet ingredients, roll, shape and bake. Can’t get much easier than that
Sugar Free Royal Icing
There is a defining difference between royal icing and other frosting. Royal icing is designed specifically for the purpose decorating. It is thicker, firmer and the main difference is it hardens when it dries.
Other frostings do not harden. Royal frosting hardens which helps it stay in place and keep it’s shape. This is extremely important in cupcake and cake decorating.
This royal icing is the easiest icing you will ever make. It requires only two ingredients and is whipped up in one minute.
This icing can also be used in cake decorating all you need to do is add some more powdered sweetener to reach the desired texture.
Gluten Free Crispy Keto Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 cups almond or seed flour
- 1 cup monkfruit sweetener or sweetener of choice
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 2 TBS ground ginger
- 1 TBS ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 2 TBS honey or molasses
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper
- In a large mixer bowl whisk together almond flour, monkfruit sweetener, coconut flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt, and nutmeg until fully combined
- Add eggs and beat on low 20 seconds or until combined. Add melted butter, molasses, and vanilla extract. Beat on low 20 more seconds. Then on medium 20 more seconds or until no dry ingredients are left in the bowl
- Lightly flour a clean work surface. Divide the dough into 4 portions. Place one portion onto the floured work surface and roll out to 1/4 inch thick
- Use cookie cutters and cut dough into desired shapes. Place cut dough onto prepared baking sheets
- Repeat these steps until all the dough is cut . Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden. WATCH CAREFULLY
- Let cookies cool for 3-5 minutes on the pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Let cool completely before decorating
Quick Sugar Free Keto Royal Icing
Ingredients
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 cups powdered Swerve or powdered sweetener of choice
- 1 tsp lemon juice, optional
Instructions
- Fit a standing mixer with a whisk attachment. Beat eggs on high for 2 minutes or until foamy
- Add lemon juice if using. The lemon juice is only necessary if you are making the frosting more than 2 days in advance. The purpose of the lemon juice is to help keep away any bacteria out of the eggs.
- Gradually add powdered sweetener little by little and beat on high speed after each addition until thick but still able to drip off the spoon. (about 1-2 minutes)
- Decorate the cookies as desired and allow frosting to fully dry 1-6 hours. The frosting needs to fully dry so it can harden to keep it's shape.
- Store the frosting in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks. Do not store in the refrigerator it will harden.
Saw your recipe listed “Ingredients -4 cups almond or seed flour”. Which “seed” flour do you recommend using for those who need almond-free recipes?
My favorite seed flours are sunflower seed flour or pumpkin seed flour. Pumpkin seed flour can sometimes give your baked goods a slight green tint but still tastes really good.