Gingerbread Cookies
All right, it seems like I've been doing nothing but talking about food lately, but 'tis the season...
My kids and I made some delicious gingerbread bears today. We were going to make men, but that cookie cutter is hiding somewhere. These cookies came out crunchy and sweet with just a hint of spice. There's nothing like cinnamon, ginger, and cloves to warm you up on a cold winter day!
I adapted this recipe to fit the ingredients I had on hand. It's gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free and egg-free:
Gingerbread Bears
- 1 cup brown rice flour
- 1 cup tapioca flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger (I think 2 tsp would have been fine)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar (may contain corn starch)
- 1/4 cup agave nectar
- 5 tablespoons non-hydrogenated margarine (I used Whole Foods' brand), softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- extra rice flour for dusting when rolling and cutting out cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Lightly grease 2 large baking sheets.
Cream margarine, sugars, agave, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Dough will be stiff.
Roll out dough on waxed paper or parchment paper dusted with rice flour until dough is 1/8 inch thick. Dip cookie cutter in flour and cut out cookies. Use a flour-dusted spatula to transfer cookies to baking sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes in a preheated oven, or until cookies are firm to the touch.
Cool and decorate if desired. We couldn't wait and gobbled them up "naked"!
