Raw gingerbread people
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Have you noticed the growing population of gingerbread people invading the Internet these days? If there was an ideal time for these edible little people to come out, it would be now. Fragrant with molasses, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, gingerbread cookies are always on the menu for hungry friends and family to devour after the big family meal. They’re perfect for cookie swaps, cookie platters and baskets, or even wrapped up with festive crinkle paper and tied with a pretty bow.
As much as I love the traditional (vegan) recipes—and I have many!—I’m here to introduce my latest holiday favourite. Inspired by a desire to incorporate healthier ingredients into my holiday baking repertoire, I wanted to give the basic idea a new, raw foodie twist to balance out the other sugary items that are sure to be involved.
Alas, these cute little raw gingerbread people are made with ingredients like almonds, flax and freshly grated ginger. This recipe is based on my flourless almond ginger cookies and is a great option for anyone trying to avoid gluten or sugar this season. These cookies are dense and chewy and have a nice gingery bite to them. Another bonus is that they can be made ahead of time and stored in the freezer until your guests arrive.
I highly recommend using a mini cookie cutter to make bite-sized cookies—they turned out to be so cute! And if you want to kick it up a notch, I bet these little guys would be really good dipped in raw chocolate. Oh, I wish I had thought of that before I took these photos. I may just have to dig them out of the freezer and give it a try… Enjoy!
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SaveRaw gingerbread people
Yield: 24 mini cookies
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup almond meal
- 1 tbsp raw cacao powder
- 1 tbsp flax meal
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- pinch of nutmeg
- pinch of sea salt
- 1/4 cup raw almond butter
- 3 tbsp raw agave nectar
- 1 tsp fresh grated ginger root
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
Directions:
- In a medium bowl, stir all ingredients together until smooth.
- Wrap the dough mixture in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. This helps it firm up for easier rolling.
- Once the dough is cold and no longer sticky, roll it out between two pieces of parchment paper to about 1/4 to 1/8 thickness. Using a mini cookie cutter, cut out cookies and place them on a dehyrator tray.
- Dehydrate at 105F for 8 to 12 hours, depending on the size of your cookies and your desired texture. Store cookies in an air-tight container in the fridge or freezer.
If you don't own a dehydrator, simply place the cut-out cookies on a cookie sheet and freeze until firm. Store them in the freezer until ready to serve (they will go soft if they sit out too long).
Beyond cute! Also, love the new look site:) Happy Holidays x
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Nicole replied: — December 11th, 2011 @ 4:12 pm
Thanks, Aine! :)
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I love that you’ve created such a fun, special, HEALTHY holiday treat! You’re a visionary!
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Nicole replied: — December 11th, 2011 @ 4:13 pm
*blush* :)
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These are very sweet and what wonderful ingredients!
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Nicole replied: — December 11th, 2011 @ 4:14 pm
Thanks, Laura! Some of my favourite ingredients have been used here.
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these are so very cute nicole and i LOVE the idea of dipping them in chocolate :)
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Nicole replied: — December 11th, 2011 @ 4:16 pm
Me, too! I really wish I had thought of it before I posted this :P
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these look so good! i have made some raw gingerpeople in the past and even a house but i don’t think i will this year so i’ll live vicariously through your pictures. :-)
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Nicole replied: — December 11th, 2011 @ 4:15 pm
A raw gingerbread house?! Wow, that’s amazing.
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Super cute! I just got a dehydrator and I love it! if you have no idea who I am, I volunteered with you at the Delicious Food Show for TVA :)
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Nicole replied: — December 15th, 2011 @ 8:50 am
Thanks, Christine! Of course I remember who you are. I’m glad to hear you were finally able to convince your mom to purchase a dehydrator, and I’m glad you’re enjoying it!
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I don’t have a dehydrator, but I made these anyways.
They are super yummy! I love the addition of almond butter in there. I didn’t really freeze them; I just rolled them into balls, smooshed them, then ate them like that. I think I might make raw gingerbread banana ice cream sandwiches with this recipe ^^
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Nicole replied: — December 18th, 2011 @ 7:50 pm
Excellent! I’m so glad you enjoyed them. Rolling them into balls is a great timesaver!
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