I spent last night baking cookies in the warm glow of our tree, with Home Alone on in the background. It’s one of mine and Brandon’s favorite times of year, and the smell of cookie dough baking in the oven certainly does make it extra cosy. I often make gingerbread cookies but this week I felt like mixing it up with a twist on the classic gingerbread recipe. I much prefer baking with whole wheat flour for the nutritional value and the added texture. For solid fats I nearly always use lard because I like the flaky texture and mild taste it lends to the cookie. I hope you enjoy these cookies as much as we did!

Free From: peanuts, nuts, dairy, soy, fish, shellfish
Alternatives: a rice-based 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend, such as Gerb’s, can be used instead of whole wheat flour.

Ingredients
1 cup lard
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
a pinch of salt
2 1/2 tbsp molasses
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1 large egg
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Icing:
1 tbsp water
3/4 - 1 cup powdered sugar

Beat the lard, vanilla, sugar, salt, molasses, cinnamon, and ginger until fluffy. Add the egg and beat until smooth. Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda and beat until combined. For the dough into a disc, wrap in parchment or plastic wrap, and refrigerate for an hour.

Heat the oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Dust the dough and work surface lightly with flour. Roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness and cut out cookies with your favorite cutters. Place them about 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 9 - 11 minutes, depending on the size of the cookies, or until golden brown. Let them cool completely before frosting. I like to cool mine on a wire rack.

For the icing, mix 1 tbsp of water and 3/4 - 1 cup of powdered sugar until it forms a paste. Pop it into a plastic Ziploc bag and cut the tip off. Pipe your designs onto the cooled cookies and serve. Do not stack as the icing will smudge.