This is wonderful bonding time with kids. You can keep your gingerbread tradition without butter, sugar, or eggs. Decorating with icing is a fun option.
Step One
Wet Ingredients
- 10 oz pitted dates (about 26-28 Deglet Noor)
- ¼ cup water
- 1 egg substitute (1 Tbsp ground flax + 3 Tbsp water)
- or substitute with 2 Tbsp prune puree
- ½ cup light cooking molasses
- ¼ cup almond butter or nut & seed butter
- 1½ tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Add dates with water and set aside for 30 minutes, or until soft. It’s ideal to soak the dates overnight. (I do this more like a marinade and put dates in a container with lid. Tip container upside down a few times to ensure dates on the top are moistened).
- In a small bowl, mix egg substitute and set aside.
- When dates are soft, add them along with the soaking water to food processor bowl. Next add the egg substitute, molasses, almond butter and vanilla. Process until creamy then transfer contents to a large mixing bowl.
Step Two
Dry Ingredients
- 2¾ cup whole wheat flour
- ½ to ¾ cup additional flour (use as needed to remove tackiness from dough)
- 1½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ginger powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp allspice
- ¼ tsp cloves
Instructions
- Whisk together the dry ingredients before adding them to the wet.
- Add about half of the flour mixture to the wet mixture. Using a spoon, stir well to incorporate. A little at a time, continue mixing in more flour. When the dough becomes too firm to stir, use hands to incorporate the remainder of the flour.
- If you used up the measured flour and the dough is too sticky to form a dough ball, gradually add more flour (a sprinkle at a time) until the dough becomes tacky and manageable.
- The dough can be used right away, otherwise keep in an airtight container, in refrigerator and use within a couple days. Dough can also be frozen then thawed when ready to use.
Rolling Out Dough and Baking (see notes)
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Break off enough dough to roll out one gingerbread. Place dough on a piece of parchment paper and flatten with hands. Take another piece of parchment paper and lay it over the top. Using a rolling pin roll, evenly roll dough until it’s about ¼-inch thick.
- Peel the top layer of parchment paper off then cut out the gingerbread. Remove the excess dough and add it back to the dough ball.
- Leaving the bottom piece of parchment paper intact with the gingerbread, place it on baking sheet.
- Continue repeating the process until all the dough has been used up.
- Bake gingerbread 12 – 14 minutes.
- Let cool and decorate as desired.
Notes
- To prevent sticking, the dough must be sandwiched between two layers of parchment paper.
- I find it more manageable to roll out one gingerbread at a time.
- Cut a stack of parchment paper a little larger than what the cut out shape will be.
- To prevent the parchment paper from sliding, lightly moisten counter with water before laying it down.
- When ready to place the gingerbread on the baking sheet, leave the parchment paper intact. However you may want to trim away the excess paper. Kids have a lot of fun doing this.