Healthy gingerbread men | vegan

It wouldn't be Christmas without at least one gingerbread decorating session, right?

These lovely gingerbread men are:

• delicious
• nutritious
• gingery
• easy enough that my kids can make them.

We've usually made several batches of these by early December and sometimes I make extra dough and freeze it for an easy holiday activity to keep them busy.

What makes them healthy?

These vegan gingerbread men are made with spelt flour. Spelt is said to be easier to digest than wheat. It's also a wholegrain and is packed with fibre, protein and other nutrients.

I use spelt a lot when I make cakes, biscuits and bread, including pizza dough. It's good to know that the kids are getting some extra goodness from their meal. Plus it has a lovely flavour.

Find out more about baking with spelt flour in this comprehensive post by Tin and Thyme.

I've also added ground almonds to my pastry dough to add extra nutrition.

As a sweetener I've used maple syrup. Although maple syrup still counts as sugar it's a more natural sugar than, say, white caster sugar, and I often use it in my baking.

Read more about healthy sugar alternatives.

These gingerbread men are a little more crumbly than a traditional recipe. Be sure to let them cool completely before decorating them as they firm up and get crunchier as they cool.

Do you need any special equipment?

You should have most of the equipment in your kitchen that you'll need to make these gingerbread men.

Here's a quick checklist of what you'll need:

• mixing bowl*
• sieve*
• wooden spoon*
• cookie cutters*
• rolling pin *
• baking tray*
• baking paper*

How to decorate your gingerbread men

I have opted for a simple icing to decorate my gingerbread men.

However, you could push currants into the gingerbread cookies before baking for a healthier alternative.

Here are some more ideas for how to decorate your gingerbread men:

• vegan royal icing
• using raisins or currants
• let the kids loose with writing icing* and sprinkles*
• stamp* a pattern in before baking

How to make healthy vegan gingerbread men

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Healthy vegan gingerbread men

These healthy vegan gingerbread men are a delicious festive treat that kids and adults alike will love. Packed full of nutritious ingredients and easy enough for children to make and decorate.

5 from 4 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 12 minutes mins

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine British, Vegan

Servings 30

Calories 106 kcal

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

For the gingerbread men

• 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds linseed
• 4 tablespoons cold water
• 325 g  wholemeal or spelt flour
• 75  g  ground almonds
• 100  g  coconut oil  (or dairy free spread) melted
• 75  g  maple syrup
• 1  teaspoon ground ginger 
• 4-6 tablespoons non-dairy milk

For the icing

• 100  g  icing sugar sifted
• 1-2  tablespoons water

Instructions

 

To make the gingerbread men

• First make your flax egg. Place 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds in a small bowl and mix with 4 tablespoons cold water. Stir and set aside.
• Place 325g spelt flour, 75g ground almonds, 100g melted coconut oil or dairy free spread, 75g maple syrup, 1 teaspoon ground ginger and your flax eggs into a large mixing bowl and mix with a wooden spoon.
• Slowly add your non-dairy milk, a tablespoon at a time, until you have a soft dough that isn’t too sticky. You may not need it all.
• Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for a few seconds.
• Wrap in cling film or place in an airtight container in the fridge for 30 minutes. This will make the dough easier to work with.
• Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (fan)/200°C/gas mark 6. Line three baking trays with greaseproof paper.
• Lightly flour your work surface and roll out the dough until it’s around 5mm thick. Cut into gingerbread men using cookie cutters.
• Place on the baking tray and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
• Cool completely on a wire rack before decorating.

To make the icing

• Sift 100g icing sugar into a mixing bowl and mix with 1 -2 tablespoons water. Be careful not to add too much water or it’ll be too runny.
• Spoon or pipe the icing onto the gingerbread men or decorate with one of the other ideas in the post above.

Notes

Nutritional information is approximate and is intended as a guide.

Nutrition

Calories: 106kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 2gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 2mgPotassium: 58mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 9IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 17mgIron: 1mg

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