Yaidy Santiago There’s no better way to celebrate Christmas than by making some delicious gingerbread cookies; Until now that is! As this almond flour gingerbread recipe is low carb and a very merry take on cheesecake!
December is in full swing and even the pandemic cannot stop the Christmas spirit sweeping into our respective houses– and kitchens!
And what’s better than sugar free Christmas cookies with almond flour to make the holidays even more special? Sugar free gingerbread recipes and keto gingerbread cheesecake? Heck yes!
Almond Flour Gingerbread Recipe Ingredients:
Gingerbread Crust
1 1/4 cup almond flour
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup golden (brown) monkfruit
3 tbsp softened unsalted butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
Cheesecake Filling
½ tsp ground ginger
2 eggs
¼ cup monkfruit sweetener
11 oz cream cheese, softened
¼ tsp ground cloves
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp cinnamon
Keto Icing
¼ cup powdered monkfruit
1 tbsp almond milk
1 oz of softened cream cheese
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
THE KETO JOURNEY
For most people, the kitchen is the center of the house– the hive of the household.
A busy kitchen is always equated with family gatherings, love and companionship.
The warm waves coming from a busy oven is a sure way to bring our hearts straight home.
For me, the kitchen is where I hang out to apply my creative spirit, making delicious food for my people, especially my boyfriend.
He loves gingerbread cookies so much I feel like I have no choice but to find a way to make it even more special– for him, for me, and for you!!
Gingerbread has always been a part of the Christmas tradition. I’m not sure why but I can’t imagine the holidays without the Gingerbread man cookies (I love to do the frosting too!).
And, as I am a naturally curious person and I had to figure out, fast, how to make gingerbread keto!
The trouble didn’t come from lack of ingredients, it lay on which ones to choose! There are so many keto friendly substitute ingredients, if only you know where to look!
Almond Flour and Monkfruit Save the Day!
And that’s how almond flour and monk fruit became my very best friends! To adhere to my keto diet, I had to make sure that everything went together beautifully.
And, for the record, they didn’t just make for a delicious cookie, but also a healthy one!
When I read that almond flour doesn’t just make everything healthier,– it’s gluten-free, low on carbs and rich in Vitamin E and magnesium– it also adds to the texture and flavor of the pastry, I didn’t hesitate!
I knew it was what I needed. It can even be used as coating for fish and chicken! Plus, it can be made at home!
While I was reading about almond flour, I came across a natural sweetener which is even better than stevia!
It has zero calories, zero carbohydrates, zero sugar and has no harmful side effects (according to the US FDA).
Monkfruit is not just all that though, it’s also a potential anti-oxidant and may help prevent diabetic complications! Talk about a healthy way to lose weight!
Let’s Make Cheesecake!
I thought about making my own recipe for gingerbread cheesecake one day, when I was alone in my kitchen, thinking about what to add to my growing pile of recipes.
Cheesecake is one of my favorites (to make and eat) because it’s easy and it has so many variations!
It’s very adaptable! You can change the crust, or mix in pumpkin, caramel or fudge, or peanut butter!
Of course I’m talking about healthy substitutes to those. And then I thought, what if I make a combination of my favorite (cheesecake) and my boyfriend’s (gingerbread)?
And that’s how I got here. This is the part where I tell you that my cheesecake is easy to make, delicious, and healthy, and If you’ve tried any of my keto desserts, you know I’m not lying!
I use almond flour in the gingerbread base, so it has less calories. I also use the gingerbread cookie spices in both the base and the cheesecake for maximum ginger infiltration!
Not to appear like a total cheesecake snob, but I very much prefer the keto cheesecake over the regular, old one. It’s not only healthier, it’s also much tastier! There’s absolutely nothing like it, especially with the gingerbread base. Pure bliss!
Checkout The Almond Flour Gingerbread Recipe Below!
Nothing gives me more pleasure than bringing a slice of happiness to people who are important to me. But it’s not so bad to be able to enjoy a slice myself, every now and then.
Being able to combine my favorite and my boyfriend’s favorite is very life affirming.
I feel as though I have successfully proven not just the compatibility of gingerbread and cheesecake, but ours too!
And to be able to create this perfection in a very healthy way– it’s not just a bonus. It is the whole point. Creating something healthy and delicious always brings me joy (and tears to my eyes).
My greatest mission in life, should I choose to accept it (and I do!) is to rid the world of the use of the term ‘guilty pleasure’ when discussing desserts– may it be keto gingerbread cheesecake, christmas cookies with almond flour, or other sugar free gingerbread recipes.
Eating your favorites (in moderation, of course), shouldn’t make you feel guilty. And without the excess calories, I believe the guilty part of this expression can be taken out. And what do we have left?
Pure pleasure. Bliss. Stand with me in my quest! Follow me for more keto recipes! Tell me what you think in the comments below!
Share Your Results!
I hope you enjoy making this gingerbread cheesecake recipe as much as I did. If you make this recipe, please let me know how it turned out!
I absolutely love to see your creations! If you happen to make one of the recipes, would really love to see it 😍 ! Just use the hashtag #sweetketolife, tag me on @sweetketolife, or just let me know by comment!
Sweet recipes you might like:
Keto Cheesecake Cups with Almond Flour Gingerbread Recipe
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cookie Crust
- 1 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup golden (brown) monkfruit
- 3 tbsp softened unsalted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cheesecake Filling
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 cup monkfruit sweetener
- 11 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Keto Icing
- 1/4 cup powdered monkfruit
- 1 tbsp almond milk
- 1 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Gingerbread Cookie Crust
- In a medium bowl, stir the dry ingredients (1 1/4 cup almond flour, 1 tbsp cinnamon, 2 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/8 tsp salt, and 1/2 cup golden (brown) monkfruit).
- In a larger bowl, beat your 3 tbsp of butter until it becomes cream, then add the egg and whisk some more.
- Slowly add the dry ingredient mixture while mixing it with a rubber spatula. (or electric mixer) Mix until all is combined and even in color.
- Knead the dough until it forms a ball. Chill the dough for 15 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- Place your chilled dough on each muffin tin circle until evenly spread out. I put about 2 tbsp in each mold.
- Bake for 10 minutes at 350F.
Cheesecake Filling
- While the crust is in the oven, place the 11 ounces of softened cream cheese, ¼ cup of monkfruit sweetener, and 2 eggs in a medium size bowl. Beat until well combined.
- Add the 1/ tsp of ground ginger, ¼ tsp of ground cloves, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, and ½ tsp of cinnamon. Beat until well combined and evenly smooth.
- Take out your crust from the oven and pour the cheesecake batter on top of the crust. Distribute evenly between the sections.
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes and let them cool down for 30 minutes before removing them from the molds.
- Place them in the fridge for 1 hour before eating.
Keto Icing
- In a small bowl, add the ounce of softened cream cheese, ¼ cup of powdered monkfruit, 1 tbsp of almond milk, and ¼ tsp of vanilla extract.
- Whisk until well combined and completely smooth
- Add it to your pastry bag and drizzle it through the top of your cooled cheesecake cups.
Notes
Use cookie cutters to cut out your shapes and carefully transfer the shapes to the baking pans. (use a spatula to transfer the delicate shapes) 7. Bake for 12-15 minutes depending on the size of your cookie shapes. It should be slightly darker around the edges.
