Healthier Gingerbread Cookies

Prep Time 20 minutes
Chill Time 2 hours
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings 24 cookies

Ingredients:

Cookie Dough

• ½ cup unsalted butter 
• ½ cup coconut sugar
• ½ cup molasses 
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups Flourish Buttermilk Protein Pancake Mix
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 ½ tsp ground ginger
• 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground allspice

Icing

• 2 cups powdered sweetener
• 2-3 tbsp almond milk, unsweetened
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, combine butter and coconut sugar and beat until well-creamed. Beat in molasses, egg and vanilla extract until just combined.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together Flourish, baking soda, salt, and spices.
3. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until completely combined.
4. Scrape dough roughly into a ball, wrap completely in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
5. Once the dough has chilled, preheat oven to 375F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
6. Flour a clean surface and lightly flour the rolling pin. Roll the dough to ¼” thickness, and use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes.
7. Transfer cookies to lined cookie sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes.
8. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before decorating.
9. To make the icing, in a large bowl, combine powdered sweetener, almond milk (2 tbsp), and vanilla extract and stir until combined. If frosting is too thick, add a tsp of almond milk at a time, until the frosting is thick but pipeable. 
10. Transfer to a piping bag with a piping tip and pipe frosting on cookies and decorate with decorative candies, if desired.
11. Allow frosting to harden before enjoying (30 - 40 minutes).
12. Keep uneaten cookies sealed in an airtight container at room temperature.