As we near the beginning of 2018 I am in the process of celebrating the good in 2017 and making bigger goals for the coming year. One of the things that I’ve been able to celebrate was (and this is in large part to the leadership from my husband) finally losing some weight and start making healthy an actual lifestyle for myself and more for my family.
I’m so thankful to be able to look back and see the small victories – scale and otherwise – and know that the hard work and the annoyances and frustrations were worth it. Beyond the lost pounds and inches, though, is a growing awareness that I am in fact stronger than I think I am. I can do hard things like push myself in a workout or say no to an extra bite of cheesy pizza even when I don’t want to. I can be a mom, be strong and fit, make healthier choices and model a healthy lifestyle for my kids. Even better – it’s not as hard as I thought!
That being said, I’m in a constant state of trying to say yes to things like holiday treats without jeopardizing the hard work I’ve put in for the past 11 months. Keeping everything on the lower carb, low (or void of) sugar side doesn’t always mean holiday-friendly, but yesterday I made these cookies and just fell in love! I used this recipe, but made some changes and I just adore how they turned out. The cream cheese makes they taste so rich and creamy, and while they’re not “snappy” like gingersnaps I just don’t care. Plus the fact that they’re sugar free and gluten free and low carb – well, it’s a huge win for us this holiday! Enjoy!
SUGAR FREE GLUTEN FREE GINGER COOKIES
Adapted from this Gingersnaps recipe
Makes about 24 cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 cup finely ground almond flour
- 3 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup Swerve granular
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 325 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, cream together the cream cheese and almond butter.
- Add the Swerve sweetener, egg and vanilla extract.
- Beat until well-combined.
- Beat in the almond flour, ground ginger, cinnamon and sea salt until everything is completely combined.
- Using a cookie scoop, scoop out tablespoon-sized dough balls.
- Gently roll into smooth balls, and place on the prepared baking sheet about 1-2 inches apart.
- Using the bottom of a flat glass gently press down the dough to about 1/2 inch thick.
- Bake at 325 for 15 minutes.
- Allow to cool completely to get a little more of a bite; otherwise enjoy the creamy cheesecake-y taste!
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