Gingerbread People

One of my neighbours requested a healthy gingerbread recipe she could make with her children and after a few experiments here it is! The oven temperature is very low as you are not really cooking them but rather setting the mixture together. You can leave them plain or decorate as much as you like. 

[Note: you need a good quality food processor such as a magimix for this recipe otherwise you will not be able to achieve the desired paste]. 

Makes 9 if using an Ikea kid's DUKTIG cutter

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100g pecan nuts

100g destoned good quality dates, roughly cut

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp cold water

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground all spice

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Preheat your oven to 100oC and line a baking tray with baking parchment. Set aside.

Place the pecans in a food processor and blitz down until they resemble rough breadcrumbs. Now add the remaining ingredients and blitz for 2-3 minutes or until you have a thick sticky paste. Remove and roll the mixture into 9 balls. Now place your gingerbread cutter in the corner of your baking tray and place one of the balls in the centre of the cutter. Using your fingertips gently push the mixture so it fills the cutter evenly and ease the cutter away [Note: the mixture is sticky so you need to just slowly remove the cutter]. You now have your first gingerbread man. Repeat with the remaining 8 balls and then place in the oven for 35-40 minutes. The gingerbread will still be soft so use a fish slice to transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before transferring them to a tupperware box and placing in the fridge for at least 2 hours to set. I leave mine in the freezer and serve from there.