Ginger Christmas Cookies – Parenthood

Ginger cookies, typical of colder countries, have become very popular around the world. They are usually made at Christmas: that’s why we wanted to share the recipe with you. But before that, it is necessary to emphasize a few aspects of cookies in general.

Cookies are pastries, even if they don’t look like it

Cookies are part of the breakfast and snack of the majority of the population. However,  they are made with the same ingredients as any pastry, so  they are nutritionally similar.

Just read the label and look at the order of the ingredients: refined or whole flour, sugar or sweetener, refined olive, sunflower or palm oil, whey and other additives.

By the way, depending on the type of cookie, we can find eggs, chocolate, cream, etc. It is for all these reasons that cookies are part of the pastries group  ; they just provide sugar and trans fatty acids.

Each brand uses its own strategies to attract a certain audience. Thus, in the case of children, for example, they give  the shapes of animals or cartoon characters to the cookies  to amuse the little ones and develop their imaginations.

It is curious that they have used the consensus on including carbohydrates for breakfast to promote their consumption. However, if we are careful, every country eats lunch according to its gastronomic culture, and  there is no such thing as an ideal breakfast. It just has to be healthy.

With what we have just mentioned, we can therefore say that cookies have a negative impact on health because their habitual consumption increases the risk of:

• Overweight and obesity.
• Type 2 diabetes.
• Fatty liver disease.
• Cardiovascular illnesses.

What if the cookies are homemade?

In this case,  the only thing you can change is the quality of the ingredients. How? ‘Or’ What ? By replacing white flour with integral flour, reducing the amount of sugar and using virgin olive oil.

Another option compared to sugar is to substitute it with fruits or dehydrated fruits, like dates, raisins, prunes, etc.

Ginger biscuits

Ingredients

• 100g of integral flour.
• 30g of corn starch.
• 100g of almond powder.
• 50g of rice syrup.
• 1 tablespoon of powdered ginger.
• A tablespoon of cinnamon powder.
• 1 teaspoon of yeast.
• 50g of virgin olive oil.
• 1 pinch of salt.
• 75ml of milk or vegetable drink without added sugars.

Making ginger cookies

First of all, preheat the oven to 160 ° C. Then mix the dry ingredients such as flour, starch, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt and almond powder in a bowl. Add the olive oil and the rice syrup then the milk or the vegetable drink. Mix everything until you get a smooth paste.

Stretch it out on a surface covered with flour and flatten it with the roller. Then use a cookie cutter to give it the shape you want. Ideally, these are Christmas motifs. Place the different pieces of dough on a tray covered with baking paper. Put them in the oven for 10 or 15 minutes  or until golden brown. Finally, let them cool.

Remember that cookies should be eaten sporadically as they increase the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. You can make them from time to time to celebrate a birthday or special event. It is also a good opportunity to watch your children cook and have fun with you.