These healthier gingerbread cookies are soft, easy to chew, have no refined sugar and made with a small handful of real ingredients. They taste festive without being overly sweet, making them perfect for toddlers. Add them to your snack routine for the holiday season, or throw them in the lunchbox for school!
They’re also freezer friendly and great as a homemade gift for your toddlers friends, or for holiday parties, kindergarten treats, cookie swaps or just making memories in the kitchen.
WHY WE LOVE THEM
- Soft texture for easy chewing
- No refined sugar, sweetened only with maple syrup
- Festive flavour and shape that toddlers love
- Easy activity to include your toddler in this holiday season
- Freezer friendly, so you can have an easy festive treat the whole month
Think holiday cookie vibes that you can feel good about giving them more than one.
INGREDIENTS
- All purpose flour: this is what the recipe was tested with, you can opt to try for whole wheat or gluten free, just be mindful the texture may not be the same. Carefully measure your flour for the best texture.
- Butter: what makes them so soft, this can be substituted with coconut oil or dairy free butter. It is critical your butter is very soft for these cookies to work.
- Maple syrup: used to sweeten the cookie without any refined sugars.
- Vanilla, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg: what give this cookie the classic “gingerbread” flavour.
HOW TO MAKE
- Make the batter: Mix (very soft) butter and maple syrup on high speed in a food processor or stand mixer. Add vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt and mix to combine. Add flour and mix on low speed, until you form a soft dough. You may have to knead this by hand to get it all to come together, be patient, it takes a few minutes.
- Chill: Roll into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30-45 minutes.
- Shape: Remove from fridge, cut the dough in quarters. Roll out dough on a floured surface, about 1/4 inch thick. Flour cookie cutters, cut into desired shapes.
- Bake: Preheat oven to 350°F and line with parchment paper. Transfer cut cookies to baking pan, bake for 8-10 minutes, do not over bake.
- Toppings: To make homemade cookie icing drizzle, mix powdered sugar, and milk with a fork until smooth, adding a little more liquid as needed until you reach the desired consistency.
STORAGE
- Store at room temperature in air tight container for 3 days
- Freeze for 2-3 months
Thaw at room temperature.
PrintEasy Toddler Gingerbread Cookies (No Refined Sugar)
- Total Time: 50 min
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
Description
These healthier gingerbread cookies are soft, easy to chew, have no refined sugar and made with a small handful of real ingredients. They taste festive without being overly sweet, making them perfect for toddlers.
Ingredients
1.5 cups all purpose flour
6 tbsp butter, softened
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
pinch of nutmeg
pinch salt
¼ cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
-
Make the batter: Mix (very soft) butter and maple syrup on high speed in a food processor or stand mixer. Add vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt and mix to combine. Add flour and mix on low speed, until you form a soft dough. You may have to knead this by hand to get it all to come together, be patient, it takes a few minutes.
-
Chill: Roll into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30-45 minutes.
-
Shape: Remove from fridge, cut the dough in quarters. Roll out dough on a floured surface, about 1/4 inch thick. Flour cookie cutters, cut into desired shapes.
-
Bake: Preheat oven to 350°F and line with parchment paper. Transfer cut cookies to baking pan, bake for 8-10 minutes, do not over bake.
Notes
Toppings: To make homemade cookie icing drizzle, mix powdered sugar, and milk with a fork until smooth, adding a little more liquid as needed until you reach the desired consistency.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Category: Holiday, Dessert
