Description
This Gluten Free Gingerbread Men recipe is a festive and delicious treat perfect for the holiday season. It’s designed to be gluten free with an easy option to make it dairy free and low FODMAP, making it suitable for various dietary needs. The cookies are spiced with warm ginger and cinnamon, and decorated with colorful royal icing for a fun Christmas baking project.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 350 g gluten free plain flour
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 3 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Wet Ingredients
- 125 g butter (chopped and cold, dairy free alternative if necessary)
- 175 g light brown sugar
- 4 tbsp golden syrup
- 1 egg
For Decoration
- 500 g royal icing sugar
- 80 ml cold water
- colour gels
Instructions
- Prepare the Dough: In a large mixing bowl, combine the gluten free plain flour, xanthan gum, bicarbonate of soda, ground ginger, and ground cinnamon to mix the dry ingredients evenly.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In another bowl, beat together the cold chopped butter and light brown sugar until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Stir the golden syrup and egg into the butter and sugar mixture until fully combined.
- Combine Mixtures: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until a firm dough forms. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill for around 30 minutes to make it easier to handle.
- Roll Out Dough: Lightly flour a clean surface with gluten free flour and roll out the dough to about 0.5 cm thickness.
- Cut Shapes: Use gingerbread men cookie cutters to cut out shapes from the dough and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake: Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and bake the cookies for 12 minutes or until they are golden brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.
- Prepare Royal Icing: Mix the royal icing sugar with cold water until you reach a smooth, pipeable consistency. Divide icing into bowls and color each with different colour gels as desired.
- Decorate: Use piping bags fitted with fine nozzles to decorate the cooled gingerbread men with the royal icing. Allow the icing to set before serving or storing.
Notes
- This recipe is naturally gluten free, perfect for those with gluten intolerance.
- To make the cookies dairy free, substitute the butter with a plant-based dairy free alternative.
- Low FODMAP safe when using appropriate gluten free flour and dairy free butter alternative.
- Royal icing can be customized with colors and designs to suit any holiday theme.
- Store decorated cookies in an airtight container to maintain freshness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (approx. 30 g)
- Calories: 424 kcal
- Sugar: 58 g
- Sodium: 83 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 83 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 38 mg
