VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• First, grind almonds and rolled oats into fine meal. I find it works the best when you grind them together as the oats keep the almonds dry and you'll not have oily clumps.
• Then, in a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (flours, carob and spices).
• Next, in a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients of wet mixture (applesauce, chia seeds, oat milk, xylitol, stevia, 1 teaspoons of chicory paste or instant chicory, salt and nut butters) and let sit for a few minutes until the ground chia seeds absorb the liquid.
• Now, pour the wet mixture on dry ingredients and mix carefully until a well-incorporated batter forms. I find it the easiest to use my hand.
• Put the dough ball into a sealed container and refrigerate overnight or all day or at least for 6 hours.
• Divide the dough into 2 balls and place one at a time on a floured non-stick mat or on stone surface. Keep the dough you are not working with in fridge. Flour a rolling pin, sprinkle some flour (I prefer unroasted buckwheat flour) on the dough and begin rolling it out until you have a rectangle or circle that is about 2mm thick. I like to press it down with my hands first to ease rolling. When rolling the dough ball try moving it around the surface every now and then to make sure there's flour underneath and that it wouldn't stick to the surface. Add flour if it starts to stick.
• Cut the gingerbread cookie batter into the shapes of your choice and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Bake for 10 minutes (175°C, 350°F), and then remove from oven. Rotate the pan and return to oven for 3-4 minutes longer, until golden. Let the cookies cool down.
• For egg-free royal icing grind 100 grams (3.5oz) of xylitol into powder (confectioner's sugar). Whisk in 2.5 tbsps. of coconut milk and it's ready. I divided the icing between three bowls and added some spirulina to one and some acai powder to the other to have different colours to play with. You can also use turmeric for yellow, matcha powder for green, beet juice for red/pink and blueberry juice or blended blueberries for blue/purple.
• Original recipe with tutorial video: https://www.nutriplanet.org/2016/12/vegan-gingerbread-recipe-gluten-free/.