Gingerbread “Bigfoot”

Sorry, I just couldn’t resist when I named this Christmas creation. 🙂  I bought the pictured 14″ tall Wilton Gingerbread Man cookie pan a couple years ago and haven’t really used it with any of my low-carb gingerbread recipes to date.  But I came across a recipe on Robb Wolf’s website, posted by a Kim Ludeman, that inspired me to test this “behemoth” pan.

I changed up the sweeteners considerably to lower carbs and also added currants and raisins for decoration.  Original recipe had no flaxmeal and used all almond flour.  My longtime favorite gingerbread recipe has a bit of vinegar in the dough, so I also added a tablespoon to this recipe (don’t worry, you won’t taste it).  I think it is for improving rise, but this stiff dough did not rise much during baking, so I may need a little more.  I’ll try 2 T. next time.  The resulting gingerbread cookie was sort of cake-like and sort-of chewy on the edges, and most DEFINITELY tasty!!  I’ll be trying this as individual cookies next baking, as I liked the chewy browned edges.

This recipe is fairly carby, since it has molasses in it, so I would not indulge in these unless you are in Atkins Pre-Maintenance or Maintenance phase.  You can eliminate the raisins/currant decoration and also decrease the molasses and increase the sugar-free maple syrup by that amount to reduce carbs.  My Paleo-Primal subscribers will of course want to use REAL maple syrup instead of the sugar-free maple syrup.  The Steviva called for is a blend of erythritol and stevia and is about twice as sweet as sugar, but you could use another sweetener (2 T. sugar equivalent) if you prefer.

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INGREDIENTS:  

½ c. flax meal (I use 50:50 golden and dark mixed)

2½ c. almond flour

2 pkts. stevia

1 T. Steviva (a blend of erythritol and stevia)

1 tsp. each cinnamon and ginger

½ tsp. nutmeg

1/8 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. baking soda

¼ c. backstrap molasses

¼ c. sugar-free maple syrup (or regular maple syrup, or omit and use ½ c. total molasses for Paleo/Primal version)

1 T. white vinegar

DIRECTIONS:  Lightly grease or line a cookie sheet with coconut oil.  Preheat oven to 350º.   Beat all wet ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.  Measure the dry ingredients on top.  Slowly stir the dry into the wet below until smooth.  Dough will be fairly stiff.  If making a giant single cookie, spread the dough evenly onto the baking pan using plastic gloves or baggie “gloves”.  My gingerbread man pan is approximately 14″ tall x 9″ wide.   Use raisins for eyes and button, currants for his nose and mouth.  Pop into preheated 325º oven for about 18-20 minutes.  Do not overcook so you should remove from oven when the cookies are just browning a wee bit around the edges.  Cool and enjoy.

If making individual round cookies, this dough should make about 24 small 1½ round cookies.  I would roll dough into 1″ balls and then press flat into 1½-2″ cookies with your fingers or the bottom of an oiled glass.   The individual cookies should only require 10-12 minutes to get done.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 1 huge gingerbread man or twenty-four  1½-2″ round cookies, each round cookie or approximately 1/24 of the giant cookie has: (calculated using sugar-free maple syrup).  If making smaller gingerbread men, this recipe (I’m guessing) would probably make 12 of them.

107.8 calories, 8.73 g  fat, 6.18 g  carbs, 2.08 g  fiber, 4.1 g  NET CARBS, 2.96 g  protein, 76.5 mg sodium