Raw Ginger Bread Cookies

Just because you eat a healthy diet does not mean you have to miss out on old traditions like creating fabulous Holiday inspired desserts. This recipe by Jenné Claiborne of Sweet Potato Soul will surely ignite the spirit of the season within you! Fun, highly nutritious, and way more nice than naughty, serve these cookies with hot tea while sitting around the fireplace, or put out a plate for Santa (we’ve heard he’s gone raw!)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups dried almond pulp or almond flour
• 2 tbsp oat flour
• 2 tbsp molasses
• 1 cup dates, chopped
• pinch sea salt
• 1 1/2 inch ginger, minced
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp coconut oil

Coconut frosting:

• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp coconut flour (shredded coconut ground in a spice grinder)
• 1 tsp agave or maple syrup

Instructions

1. In a food processor, blend almond pulp until it becomes a powder. Add all other ingredients and process until combined.  Taste and add more ginger or molasses if necessary.

2. Remove the dough from the food processor and place onto a sheet of wax paper.  Cover with another sheet of wax paper and flatten with a rolling pin (or bottle of wine).  You’ll need your dough to be about 1/4-1/2 inch thick.  Using a cookie cutter, cut out shapes.  Place the cut out cookies onto a baking pan covered with a sheet of wax paper.  Keep rolling out dough and cutting out the shapes until all of the dough has been used.

3. Decorate the cookies any way you’d like; I used cacao nibs and a coconut oil frosting (recipe below).  Place the cookies into the refrigerator for at least one hour to firm.

Coconut frosting:

1. Place ingredients in a bowl and stir.  Place in refrigerator if the oil is too liquid.  Pipe the icing to decorate the cookies. I piped the frosting through the corner of a zip-lock bag : )