Lebkuchen (German Christmas Cookies)

Image: Canva.com

I first discovered this cookie at one of my favourite bakeries, Austro Bakery in South Melbourne, Australia. While I don’t eat wheat-based products for health reasons, I loved the creativity behind the Austrian and German-inspired baked goods. Each Christmas they would create gingerbread houses and delicious treats which were perfect for gifts, and always put a smile on the receivers.

I reckon you will enjoy them as much as I do. Share them with your friends on Christmas Eve with a hot chocolate, or a special coffee. They make great gifts to package up.

The recipe I used here was adapted from Alison Adam’s recipe on Taste.com.au.

I swapped out the flour for a gluten-free version and added extra spice to give it a little extra kick.

To get that little extra crunch when you take the first bite you must use treacle and brown sugar; they are needed for the soft chewy crunch that makes these cookies magical.

You might just wonder where these cookies have been hiding all your life.

Prep time: 15 minutes | Rest time: 60 minutes |Cook time: 35 minutes | Makes 24 small cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 50g unsalted butter

• 60g (1/3 cup, lightly packed) dark brown sugar

• 60ml (1/4 cup) treacle

• 1 egg

• 265g (1 3/4 cups) plain gluten-free flour* (I use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1)

• 1/4 tsp baking powder

• 3 tsp ground ginger

• 3 tsp ground cinnamon

• Large pinch of ground cloves

• Large pinch of ground nutmeg

• 1 egg white

• 230g (1 1/2 cups) pure icing sugar

METHOD

Add Heat

Place butter, sugar and treacle in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir for 3-5 minutes or until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool slightly. Transfer to a large bowl.

Mix Wet & Dry

Add the egg to the butter mixture and stir to combine. Sift in the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Stir until well combined. Lightly flour your work area surface, turn out the dough and gently knead until smooth. Shape into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap. Place in fridge for 1 hour to rest.

Shape & Bake

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Divide dough into 2 even portions. Roll out 1 portion onto your lightly floured work surface until it’s 5mm thick. I use small start cutters, you can choose what you like. Cut out the dough with your favourite shape. Place on prepared trays. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until golden. Set aside on trays for 5 minutes to cool before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Remember to use any leftover dough by shaping them into balls or cutting different shapes.

Decorate

Place the egg white in a bowl. Use a fork to whisk until foamy. Sift over the icing sugar and stir until smooth. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a 2-3mm plain nozzle. Pipe onto biscuits to decorate. Set aside to set.

*I use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1. If you are using gluten-free flour avoid flour with soy and preservatives.

Chewy Nutty Chocolate Cookies

I've never been a big cookie eater mostly due to the lack of good quality, healthy gluten-free biscuits. When I came across a delicious gluten-free cookie made by a Melbourne baker, Butterbing it was hard not to get addicted. They are the lightest mouthful of biscuity-deliciousness and were my inspiration to create a paleo, keto version.

I stick to a paleo, sugar-free, gluten-free diet which helps to keep the inflammation at bay. I've trialled a few recipes to find a low/no sugar alternative, this one is a winner - they are light, soft and chewy and super easy to make. The recipe is low carb and low in sugar. The smell of them fresh out of the oven makes them hard to resist.

It's tricky to find sugar free chocolate that doesn't have high fructose or artificial sweeteners. Any suggestions? 

For this recipe, I used Lindt 90% dark chocolate and it worked well to reduce the sugar and give the chocolate flavour a boost.

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 10 minutes | Makes around 12-18 cookies

INGREDIENTS

1 cup nut butter of your choice (I used almond butter) 

2/3 cup powdered healthy natural sweetener (I use Natvia) 

2 tablespoons unsweetened cacao powder 

2 tablespoons almond flour

2 large eggs 

1 tablespoon melted salted butter 

2 tablespoons water 

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1/4 cup sugar-free/low-sugar dark chocolate broken into chips (I used Lindt 90%) 

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with baking paper. 

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients starting with the nut butter, eggs, water, butter, and vanilla extract. Then fold in the dry ingredients: sweetener, cocoa powder, almond flour and baking soda. I mixed the ingredients by hand or you could use an electric mixer. Mix until all ingredients are well combined and form a thick batter. The final ingredient to add is the broken chocolate.

2. Form the cookie dough into small balls. Alter the size of the ball to adjust the number of cookies you want to produce.

3. Place the cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and place it on a cooling rack to allow the cookies to cool before eating. 

Eat alone or as a cookie sandwich with buttercream filling (as in the picture).

Enjoy!

Sugar-free Pavlova with Seasonal Fruit

This recipe was adapted from Natvia’s recipe. It’s a healthy alternative to a traditional pavlova. Serve with tummy-friendly seasonal fruit - it’s a winner.

Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 1-hour at heat + 1-hour cooling oven

INGREDIENTS

4 egg whites

3 tablespoons Natvia (ground)

1 tablespoon tapioca flour

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Seasonal fruit

Cream or yoghurt

METHOD 

1. Preheat oven to 120ºC.

2. In a medium-large bowl, add egg whites, beat until stiff peaks form.

3. Gradually add in Natvia, tapioca, and vinegar. The mixture will be glossy with stiff peaks.

4. On a lined baking tray, gently spoon on the egg mixture. Tip: Use the outline of a side plate to guide the size.

5. Cook at 120 degrees for 1 hour. Turn the oven off then finish cooking as the oven cools, for approximately a further hour.

6. Serve with tummy-friendly, seasonal fruit, cream or yoghurt.

Tip: Use a food processor to blend Nativa into a castor sugar, powdery texture.