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Baking, Christmas, Dairy Free, Desserts, Egg Free, GAPS, gingerbread spice blend, Gluten Free, Grain Free, Holidays, Naturally Sweetened, Nuts, Paleo, Snacks, Thermomix
Grain Free Gingerbread Biscuits
When my kids were little, their favourite Christmas tradition was eating gingerbread ‘star biscuits’ and drinking ‘pearl tea’ (hot water, almond milk and honey), while dancing around to Christmas music under the Christmas lights on the back deck. Every year they’d get so excited when we made star biscuits, and every night was a party under the lights with pearl tea and biscuits, until they were all gone!
Nowadays the kids are a bit older, and I haven’t noticed any of them dancing to Christmas carols… but they still love star biscuits, and have been asking me for weeks to make a grain free version they could have, since we’re on GAPS!
So here’s what I came up with… The recipe is based on my original gluten free gingerbread biscuit recipe, but instead of gluten free flour I’ve used almond meal and coconut flour. I’ve also changed the sweeteners to dates and honey (to suit GAPS), but feel free to play with the recipe and use whatever sweetener you like, to taste. They’re not quite as crispy as the original version, but my kids say they actually prefer the slightly-chewy version, so YAY!!
These will obviously be great for making gingerbread men too, but wouldn’t work so well for a gingerbread house, I think… unless it’s a very small house! (I could be wrong… if you try it let me know!)
This recipe is grain free and gluten free, GAPS & Paleo friendly, and has egg free and dairy free options. It makes about 4 dozen biscuits (depending on size of cutters). Dough can be frozen for later use – roll into a cylinder shape, wrap in parchment paper, and freeze; cut slices off end for round biscuits to cook as wanted.
If you’d like to make marshmallow icing to decorate, use the recipe in this post. It won’t harden like royal icing, so ice just before eating.
Note: You can find fine sea salt for this recipe in my online store!
Happy Christmas cooking!
Need a quick version of this recipe?
Simplify this recipe by using 3 Tablespoons of Quirky Cooking Gingerbread Spice Blend in place of the:
- 1 whole nutmeg
- 3 whole cloves
- 4 black peppercorns
- 1 vanilla bean, halved
- 1–2 cinnamon sticks
- 1/4 tsp cardamom seeds
- zest of 1 orange (preferably organic)
- 6 tsp ground ginger powder
(Add spice blend in step 3 with almond meal. Fresh orange zest may be included if desired – there is dried orange zest in the spice blend.)
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Grain Free Gingerbread Biscuits
Ingredients
Units
Instructions
Notes
Jo could you use another nut flour? We can’t have almonds or hazelnuts at the moment. Would cashew be a good substitute? Thx.
The Real Person!
Yes, no worries!
what are dry dates? wouldn’t they have preservatives? I usually use medjool dates…….
The Real Person!
Dry ones are the harder ones – they just help the biscuits turn out a bit crunchier. Medjool will work, may be a little softer though.
Hi Jo
Just wondering if this would work without blanching the almonds?
The Real Person!
Yes, although just adjust amount of almond meal if needed.
SOOOO GOOOOOOOOD! Great tip on storing the baked cookies in the freezer – I’m loving them cold and crisp straight from the freezer. They taste great regardless of the freezer though. I modified this as I don’t have a thermomix or scales (making do whilst away on holidays) and made half a batch and they turned out wonderful, so there was be a bit of give in the recipe, which is fantastic for me and the way I throw things together even when I have a recipe to follow. So chuffed to have really nice gingerbread for christmas. Thanks Jo x Merry Christmas to you and your family xx
Can I use ghee in place of palm shortening?
The Real Person!
I would much prefer ghee!
Hi Jo, wishing you and your beautiful family the best of health in 2016! If I want to make these without dates so only honey (I like dates but they don’t like me), will it work and how much would you use? Or should I find another substitute for the dates?
Many thanks
Lisa
The Real Person!
Thanks Lisa, and to your family as well! I think you could probably manage without the dates, and maybe add a little more honey or if you eat coconut sugar add some of that. (Up to the same weight as the dates.)
Jo 🙂
Could I use rice flour instead of almond meal? Not sure if biscuit would fall apart too easily then
Hi Jo, I used gluten free flour instead and put in fridge and the dough has turned rock hard! ? Will it soften again at room temp?
Hi Jo
I am unable to eat chia seeds, What can I use in place of them?
Jo i recall seeing on facebook, you making this into a slice with chocolate topping? However I’m on a facebook fast and wanted to make it, my question is did you halve this recipe or not? I know the raw choc topping you used half, but am not sure about the slice component?
The Real Person!
I think I actually used half the dough, but a full batch of chocolate. 🙂
I remember hearing about this being made into a slice? (I think on facebook?) Topped with your raw choc i believe? Can you tell me was this recipe halved to make the slice?
The Real Person!
Yes, sorry! It was halved, pressed into a slice dish and baked. Cool then top with chocolate. 🙂
I’d love to make these – any instructions available for those of us without a thermomix? Many Thanks
Hi, nice recipe. I’m cutting sugar. How much natvia or other sugar sub would you recommend for the 100g honey. Also, could I leave out the dates?
Hi, Wondering what you mean by ‘Mill’? Does that require a special appliance? Is there another method to do this?
Hi Jo, Can you freeze the dough?
The Real Person!
Yes, for sure! 🙂
oh bugger. mine did not work…. that is, the ones that i didn’t drop on the floor or burn. they were crumbly and tasted pretty bland. the dough smelt amazing though. when i took it out of the thermomix it was oily. like it had separated from the dough. maybe it was my almonds? early Christmas for the chickens.
The Real Person!
Thats no good! With this recipe its important to used blanched almond meal (you can purchase from most whole food stores) just because the whole almond meal will be more crumbly and like a wholemeal flour, you can adjust the sweetness to taste and I find it works best with butter. Hope this helps!