Homemade Gingerbread Cookies + Spritzer

Season’s Greetings!

Baking is therapy for me, especially around the hectic holiday season. This year, I decided to test out a new recipe—healthy-ish gingerbread! I’m normally not the biggest fan of gingerbread, though. Ginger beer, ginger in general…I’d normally be fine without them, BUT this cookie recipe has to be an exception. And of course, I had to make a little ~ beverage ~ to accompany my dessert.

Healthy Gingerbread Cookies

Recipe retrieved from iFood (https://ifoodreal.com/healthy-gingerbread-cookies-recipe/#wprm-recipe-container-36318)

Cookie ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat or spelt flour

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour more for dusting

• 1 tbsp ground ginger

• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

• 1/4 tsp ground cloves

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup butter softened to room temperature

• 1/2 cup cane or coconut sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1/2 cup unsulphured molasses

Cookie recipe:

• In a large bowl, flour, all-purpose flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda and salt. Whisk together and set aside.

• In another large bowl, add butter and sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until creamy and set aside.

• Then, add egg and molasses to the butter and sugar combination. Beat together until combined well.

• Add flour mixture to the butter mix, first stirring with a spatula and then with hands until a ball of dough forms.

• Divide the ball of dough into two and place on two separate sheets of plastic wrap, flatten into discs, wrap and refrigerate for them for about 30 minutes.

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

• Next, remove chilled dough from the fridge, let warm up on the counter for 5 minutes, and unwrap from plastic. Dust the surface and rolling pin with flour and roll the dough 1/4 inch thick (or however thick you like—I like mine to be thicker, as they’ll have a fluffier consistency).

• Using your favorite cookie cutters, cut out cookies and transfer to previously prepared baking sheet.

• Bake for 8 minutes for soft cookies and 12 minutes for crunchy cookies. Remove from the oven and let gingerbread cookies first cool off on a baking tray for 15 minutes, then transfer onto a cooling rack to cool off completely.

Lemon icing ingredients:

• ½ cup powdered sugar

• ¼ teaspoon lemon zest (optional, for intense lemon flavor)

• 2 ¼ teaspoons lemon juice

Lemon icing recipe:

• Combine all ingredients with a spatula until smooth.

• Spread across each cookie however you choose!

This recipe is SO delicious and light!

Next, the drinks.

These are super simple.

Ingredients:

• 1 container blueberries

• 1 container cranberries

• 1 bunch of mint

• Water

• 1 bottle of prosecco or your favorite champagne

Recipe:

• Add 1-2 blueberries, 1-2 cranberries, and 1 mint leaf into each ice cube tray slot and fill the rest up with water.

• Freeze for at least 4 hours.

• Add ice cubes to a wine glass and add your favorite prosecco or champagne on top. Enjoy!