This post was written in partnership with my friends at Made with Local. As always, all opinions are my own!
The holidays are fast approaching, and a big part of the fun is…you guessed it—treats!!! Some of our all-time favourite Christmas treats are things like Nanaimo bars, homemade chocolate truffles and gingerbread cookies, YUM.
But when the season of treat-eating starts at the beginning of December—because you know it does—that means a lot of extra sugar, saturated fat and empty calories filling our bellies (and our little ones’ bellies), which can displace other nutrient dense choices.
Hey—I’m all about celebrating with yummy food, trust me! But sometimes the sugar-fest that is Christmas can get a little out of control.
So this year, along with our traditional favourite family treats, we’re making some healthy holiday gingerbread men (or women) that are perfect for snacks, treats, and even holiday gifts.
And the best part is that the whole family can enjoy them—even your little ones—because they pack in a lot of nutrition, and minimal added sugar.
We’re using our favourite mix—the Real Food Bar Mix by Made with Local—that contains nutrient-dense oats, dried fruit and seeds, and then adding some a few nutritious ingredients and then maybe doing a little bit of decorating afterwards for fun.
I have to admit, I let the decorating get a bit out of control (as you’ll see in the video below), and although it sort of defeated the purpose of the low sugar cookies, it was pretty fun. For your toddlers, I would keep the icing and sprinkles to a minimum 😉
Make sure you watch until the end to learn how to win your own case of Real Food Bar Mix to make these delicious and nutritious cookies.
Healthy Homemade Gingerbread Cookies
Serve them with a glass of milk as a snack, as a treat after a meal, or give them as gifts!
Ingredients
- 1 bag Original Goodness Real Food Bar Mix
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 1/4 cup honey (scant)
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground ginger
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325F and grease a cookie sheet.
- Combine (list all ingredients) in a large bowl and mix with a hand mixer or by hand.
- Spread mixture onto wax or parchment paper so it’s about ½ inch thick. On a hard surface (like a cookie sheet), place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the cookie batter from the freezer, and – with a small gingerbread man cookie cutter, cut out your cookies, place them each on a greased cookie sheet, and bake for 10-12 minutes or until slightly golden brown.
- Allow to cool and then let your kids help you decorate!
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To win enter to win a case Real Food Bar Mix for your family, leave a comment below about how you’re planning to control the holiday sugar fest in your house! Contest closes December 5th. Or if you simply want to order some mix now, you can visit Made with Local’s Website now and use the code Sarah20 to get 20% your first order!
![[AD] Ready to make your new favourite chocolate chip cookies?? 🍪 Trust me – make a double batch because they’re going to fly off of the baking sheet before you’ve even had a chance to try one yourself. They are SO yummy, soft and tender… exactly how a chocolate chip cookie should be🙌🏻
As a registered dietitian I love finding creative ways to incorporate locally sourced nourishing ingredients into my baked goods, like…LENTILS! Lentils are packed full of plant-based protein, dietary fibre and vitamins and minerals. They are also budget-friendly, SO versatile and accessible.
Not only have I included Canadian lentils, but I’ve also used other Canadian-grown ingredients like wheat flour, eggs, butter, and oats. Visit Canadian Food Focus (canadianfoodfocus.org) to learn more about nourishing Canadian ingredients, from farm to fork !
Makes 12 large cookies
Ingredients:
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• ½ cup brown sugar (packed)
1 egg (room temperature)
• ¾ cup cooked red lentils
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup flour (all-purpose or whole wheat are both fine)
• ½ cup rolled or quick-cooking oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (or chunks)
• Coarse sea salt for sprinkling on top (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 375F and line a baking sheet
2. Cook your red lentils as per the package (or as I’ve described above)
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together wet ingredients (butter, brown sugar, egg, lentils, vanilla)
4. To that bowl, add the dry ingredients (flour, oats, baking soda and powder, cinnamon and salt)/ Fold those into the wet ingredients (do not over-mix).
5. Fold in the chocolate chips
6. With a spoon, scoop out about ¼ cups worth of batter (for one cookie) and evenly distribute one dozen onto the cookie sheet. Top with a tiny bit of coarse sea salt if desired.
7. Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes, checking at the 13-minute mark (as some ovens are hotter than others). You want your cookies slightly under-baked. Enjoy!
#lovelentils #lovecdnfood #lovecdnfarms #lovecdnrecipes](https://www.sarahremmer.com/wp-content/uploads/sb-instagram-feed-images/382016981_140634385792877_1677666589623245277_nfull.jpg)
Comments
We don’t keep a lot of sugary foods around, but when we make cookies, my boys are able to eat them. They are also able to listen to their bodies when it comes to “treats,” so I’m more relaxed about sugar during the holidays.
Love this!
Moteration! Mix the sugary treats with some healthy options. And would love to Learn some new recipes that have a little less sugar.
These are so adorable and they look delicious! So fun having the kids get involved!
These look so good! I can’t wait to try these. I like to have one “treat” food every day for a snack. My go-to has been Lara Bars or Kind Bars – these look like a good snack during coffee break, and I think the house will smell great while these are baking.
Limit the sugary good that come into the house. I cut sugar from my coffee & tea, and I know I’m so much better for it.
These sound so easy to make – can’t wait to try them!
Yum to these! Way to make it easy and fun!
Thanks!
Eat in moderation and also incorporate healthy foods within the snacks and treats (like these cookies and also your flourless lentil muffins. ).
Love it!
I love holiday baking (and eating it) but honestly, it will be controlled very much this year due to the fact we have a newborn. My toddler loves cookies, but has learned when her “belly is full” so we will mix treats along with our regular healthy meals. Would love to try these gingerbread cookies!
Love that your daughter is aware of her hunger cues. Great job mamma!
Choose one and only one dessert at each Christmas party! That way, I’m not depriving myself but not going crazy, either 🙂
Try to use honey more
Input most of the baking in the freezer until company comes and limit to one a day for the kids (and myself!)
So cute, looks tasty!
great way to use a mix! These are so cute!
Such a great way to get the kiddos involved in the kitchen! These look scrumptious!
We try not to keep too many treats in the house and most (other than the gingerbread on the tree) are kept out of sight and out of mind then brought out as occasional treats.
Out of sight, out of mind is always a good strategy. Love the idea of gingerbread on the tree!
We try to save the sweets for special times when we have friends visiting. We make some cookies or muffins to share with others. That way there is less sitting around for just our family to eat.
These look like so much fun! It’s so great to get kids involved with all steps of the process, looks like they had a blast!
Agree with you
How fun are these?! Perfect treat for the holidays!
That’s really funny!
We try to stick with Trim Healthy Mama guidelines but we have had a few sweet treats off plan. I plan on making some things that follow THM to have fun things around to enjoy.
nice dear thanks for sharing