These low carb gingerbread cookies are every iconic holiday scent, smell, and taste rolled into one perfect, smiley, little bite!
Alongside my almond flour sugar cookies, these low carb cookies are my favorite way to get the holiday season started! Yes, friends, one bite, and these will have you singing carols, lighting candles, and throwing on a movie where the leading lady falls for a small-town baker to save the parade.
Now, those are my kind of low carb desserts!
Enjoy them as breakfast cookies with a cup of tea, or cozy up by the fire after dinner for a treat. Let’s bake!
What I Love About This Low Carb Gingerbread Cookies Recipe
Ummm, aside from filling your house and belly with holiday cheer?! Everything.
Here’s what to expect before you start baking these low carb gingerbread cookies:
- Easy ingredients
- Spicy + sweet
- Crunchy outside, soft inside
- Low carb!
- No fancy techniques
Ingredient Notes
Almond Flour – As far as low carb flour goes, almond flour is most similar to traditional wheat, in terms of baking characteristics, taste, and texture. You’ll want to grab a fine-grained almond flour for the best texture results. My favorite products are Bob’s Red Mill or Trader Joe’s brand.
Xanthan Gum – Since almond flour doesn’t contain gluten (which acts as a glue in baking), we’ll rely on xanthan gum, a natural binder, to keep our cookies in one solid piece. Very little is needed, but it makes all the difference!
Brown Swerve/Lakanto – My keto sweeteners of choice! If using erythritol or allulose, you’ll want to add more, as they’re 70% as sweet.
Dark Molasses – Makes cookies softer, and gives our gingerbread man cookies their distinct texture and flavor. “Dark” molasses just means it’s the 2nd time this ingredient has been filtered, so it’s thicker and less sweet than “light” molasses.
Now. Since I know many of you are wondering, molasses is not a low carb ingredient (it’s a by-product of the sugar-making process), 1 Tablespoon has 15g sugar! We’ll only be using 2 teaspoons in this recipe, which adds a nominal amount of sugar per cookie, especially considering traditional recipes use molasses by the cup full.
Spices – This low carb gingerbread cookies recipe wouldn’t be what it is without ginger. Add in a dash of allspice and cinnamon for an even more festive treat.
Can You Freeze These?
YUP! Make a bunch and save them for your next holiday event or a rainy day that calls for some special cookies. Layer in an airtight bag with parchment or wax paper between the layers, and you’re all set!
Recipe Variations
This low carb gingerbread cookie is perfect as is (IMHO), but if you’d like to add your own flair to your keto Christmas cookies, here are a few ideas:
- Use different cookie cutter shapes. I used these cute little guys. You could mix in these adorable Christmas trees and snowflakes.
- Change up the spices. The spices below are the standard for keto gingerbread cookies, but feel free to add what you prefer.
- Get decorative! I’m a big fan of decorating these with icing (recipe below). For a quick and easy version, sprinkle the top with powdered erythritol. You can also dunk them in melted chocolate or white chocolate (like my almond flour shortbread cookies). Or cover them in a cream cheese frosting like my low carb cream cheese cookie.
More Low Carb Cookies
- Coconut Flour Cookies
- Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies
- Low Carb Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Low Carb Peanut Butter Cookies
Low Carb Gingerbread Cookies
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Cookies:
- 2 1/2 Cups Almond Flour
- 1 Teaspoon Xanthan Gum
- 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 3/4 Cup Unsalted Butter melted. unsalted
- 3/4 Cup Golden Swerve or Lakanto (see sweetener notes below) packed
- 2 Teaspoons Dark Molasses
- 2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
- 2 Teaspoons Ground Ginger
- 1/4 Teaspoon Allspice
- 1 Egg
Icing:
- 1 Cup Powdered Swerve or Lakanto (see sweetener notes below)
- 1 Egg White
- 1/4 Teaspoon Vanilla
Instructions
- Combine. In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour (2 1/2 cups), xanthan gum (1 teaspoon), baking soda (1/2 teaspoon ), baking powder (1 teaspoon), and salt (1 teaspoon). Set aside. In a large bowl, combine the melted butter (3/4 cup), brown erythritol (3/4 cup), dark molasses (2 teaspoons ), and spices (1/4 teaspoon, Allspice) using an electric mixer. Beat in the egg (1 piece). Slowly, add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and fully combine.
- Chill. Divide the dough in half, and pat each into flat rectangles. Wrap in saran wrap, and place in the fridge for 1 hour (or overnight).
- Roll + shape. Roll the chilled dough between 2 sheets of parchment until 1/4 - 1/8" thick. (Thinner for crispier cookies, thicker for softer cookies). Press cookie cutter into the dough.
- Chill + bake. Place cookies in the freezer for 10 minutes (this prevents butter spreading). Preheat oven to 350 F. Remove excess dough around the cookies, and spread them out onto a baking sheet, leaving about 1" between each. Bake in preheated oven for 8-12 minutes. You'll know they're done once the edges begin to brown. Allow cookies to cool on a baking sheet before transferring them to a cookie rack. I KNOW I KNOW, this is hard, so eat 1-2, then let 'em cool! Meanwhile, roll scrap dough, and repeat the steps above.
- Frosting. In a large bowl, combine the egg white (1) and vanilla (1/4 teaspoon) using an electric mixer until frothy. Add confectioners erythritol ( 1 cup) with the mixer on low speed. Once the icing is shiny, turn the mixer up to high. Beat until firm glossy peaks are formed, this should take between 5-7 minutes. Transfer frosting to a pastry bag, or a resealable bag with a small hole cut from the tip.
- Decorate + EAT! Decorate cookies once cookies have completely cooled. Enjoy!
Fans Also Made These Low Carb Recipes:
Lindsey's Tips
- Almond Flour. Using fine-grained almond flour will yield the most "flour-like" results. My favorite brands are Bob's Red Mill, Trader Joe's, or Costco brands.
- Lakanto, Swerve, or Erythritol. I stick to Lakanto and Swerve which are a 1:1 swap with traditional sugar. If using a different brand of Erythritol, keep in mind it's 70% as sweet as sugar, so you may need to add more to taste.
- Xanthan Gum is necessary for binding the ingredients of this recipe together, you CAN'T SKIP OR SUB!
- Molasses is not necessary but highly recommended as it gives these cookies their distinct taste and texture.
- Cookie cutters. I used these cute little guys. You could mix in these adorable Christmas trees and snowflakes.
Nutrition
Lindsey, Can I roll the dough into a golf ball size, flatten slightly and bake as a round cookie instead of a cutout cookie?
Hi Patricia! Absolutely! Just be sure to place the cookies in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking, this will help prevent cookie spread. Hope you enjoy!
Turns out great! my kids love it as well, Thanks for the recipe Lindsey?
Wow! I’m so glad you and your kids enjoyed!???
Wow!! These gingerbread cookies are the best <3 <3
Right? I’m so glad you enjoyed Rhy!?