Holiday Cookies

Happy National Cookie Day!

I am celebrating with one of my Holiday favorites- Ginger cookies! The below recipe is different than your store-bought cookies because they are Gluten-Free and made with fresh, all-natural ingredients like GINGER and a mixture of spices, that not only smell amazing but are actually great in aiding digestion. Have a cookie post- dinner to satisfy that sweet craving and settle your tummy before bedtime.

In my home, this is one of Santa’s favs… They have the perfect spicy kick to keep you warm and toasty this season!

#BalancedBeauty Tip: Baking and decorating can be a fun solo activity to de-stress, a festive and memorable holiday date idea, or a great activity for the kids. When you CREATE, you are using the right-side of your brain which can boost happiness and get you into a dream-like state, which can be beneficial in a variety of ways… So bake and get to it!

Soft Gingerbread Cookies

* Yields 3 to 4 dozen, depending on the size of your cookie cutters

Ingredients:

• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup, packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1/4 fluid cup honey
• 1 large egg
• 2 1/2 cups Gluten-free all-purpose flour mix
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 1/2 tsp guar gum
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/8 tsp finely ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup water

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with a hand-held electric mixer), cream the butter and sugar. Mix in the molasses and honey. Add the egg, mixing until combined. (Don’t worry if the mixture looks curdled.)
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flours, gums, baking soda, spices, salt, and pepper. Add half of the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, mixing on low speed until just combined, scraping down the paddle and sides of the bowl as needed. Pour in the water, and mix to combine. Add the remaining flour and mix until fully combined.
3. Divide the dough into two pieces (it’s going to be very sticky), wrap each in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours, or overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Have ready parchment- or wax paper-lined baking sheets.
5. On a well floured board, roll out one piece of cookie dough to about 1/8 inch thick. As long as you work quickly and keep the dough dusted with flour, it shouldn’t be at all hard to work with. If the dough gets too warm it will become too sticky; pop it back in the fridge to cool a bit. Using cookie cutters, cut out cookies into desired shapes and place on prepared baking sheets. Repeat with other half of dough. Scraps may be rerolled and cut, up to two more times.
6. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until their surface is dry and they indent slightly when you gently touch them, but are not yet beginning to get noticeably darker. (Unless,  you want a crispy gingerbread cookie. In that case just bake them longer and you’ll end up with cookies strong enough to use for gingerbread houses)!

Cool completely on a rack, then decorate as desired and enjoy!