Gingerbread Date Cookies

 Gingerbread Date Cookies by Casey Clark 

1 Cup Almond flour

2 Cups Oat flour (we grind rolled oats in a coffee grinder)

1 1/3 all purpose flour (added slowly as needed until the dough comes together, plus for dusting)

1 Tbsp ground ginger

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

scant 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (careful not to use too much)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

8 Tbsp butter (1 stick)

1/8 cup olive oil

2 Tbsp Honey

1 egg

splash of vanilla 

1/3 cup molasses

18 pitted Medjool dates

1/4 cup very hot water

Instructions:

Soak dates in hot water. Blend in blender until it makes a paste. If it needs more liquid to blend add a little more water just until it makes a smooth paste. 

Add the stick of butter to the dates in the blender and blitz away.

At this point, I like to add all the wet ingredients, the spices, the baking powder, and salt to the blender with the date/butter mixture and give it another happy blitz. Yep...even the egg. It will be fine. I promise. 

Mix the flours in a large bowl then pour in the wet ingredients from the blender.

Mix, mix, mix. 

chill in freezer for a few minutes (or the fridge for a bit longer until you're ready) 

Place parchment paper on the counter and sprinkle it with flour. Take half the sticky dough mixture from the bowl and work it with the flour, folding it into thirds adding flour as needed (like making gnocchi) until it's not dry but not sticky. Roll it out then cut your shapes and repeat until they're all happy little gingerbread men (or in our case, dinosaurs). I used a spatula to get the cookies onto the pan safely. 

Bake on parchment lined cookie sheet 1 inch apart for 9-11 minutes or until the bottom edges look lightly golden, but they are still soft on the top. 

let them cool a few minutes and transfer to wire cooling rack. Try not to eat them yet... they taste better cool. Plus, if you burn your tongue nothing tastes as good. sad. 

Frosting: (optional)

Add 2 cups Confectioners sugar to a mixing bowl and add 1 Tbsp of milk at a time until it reaches desired consistency. Add color if you wish and decorate cooled cookies to your hearts content. 

Content by Casey Clark - http://cozyhomemakingvibes.blogspot.com

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