These Soft Gingerbread Cookies for Babies are naturally sweetened with dates and apple sauce, making them suitable for children under two years of age.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you shop with one of our links we may earn small a commission.
Table of Contents
Healthy Gingerbread Cookies for Babies
This year will be my little girl’s first holiday season, and I also wanted her to have some cookies! She is only nine months old and shouldn’t have any added sugars in her diet, so I developed this alternative recipe. These baby cookies have a chewier texture than a classic cookie recipe and have a subtle sweetness, which is how recipes should be for babies!
Reasons to Love this Baby-Friendly Gingerbread Recipe
- It makes soft cookies suitable for babies over nine months of age.
- You can use festive cookie cutters (reindeer, stars, gingerbread man, Christmas tree).
- They are naturally sweetened with dates and apple sauce. Most baby cookie recipes online use maple syrup, which is not recommended for babies under two years of age. Dates and fruit alternatives are acceptable.
Ingredients to Make Sugar-Free Christmas Cookies for Babies and Toddlers
- All-purpose flour: To add structure to the cookies.
- Almond flour: Contributes to the softness of the cookies.
- Baking powder: Leavening agent. I like using a small amount in baby cookies as they turn out lighter and softer.
- Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Cloves: Main spices used for flavor.
- Apple sauce: Unsweetened for added flavor and the liquid component of the dough.
- Unsalted butter: Added fat to help form the dough.
- Vanilla: I use a water-based vanilla for baby recipes. This is my favorite!
- Dates: I used Medjool dates. If using Deglet noor or other smaller types, double the quantity in the recipe card.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Soak the dates in boiling water for 30 minutes.
- In a small food processor, blend the soaked dates and apple sauce until a paste is formed (Scrape down the sides and repeat as needed; it may take 3-4 minutes).
- In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients.
- Add the date-apple mixture, vanilla, and unsalted butter.
- Start incorporating the dry and wet ingredients using a silicone spatula. Then, use your hands to form a moldable gingerbread dough.
- Cover the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Flour a clean surface and roll out the cookie dough to ¼ in (6mm) using an adjustable rolling pin and a gingerbread cookie cutter to cut the cookies.
- Transfer to a lined baking tray and bake at 350F for 11 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool before moving them, as they will harden more during cooling.
Recipe Tips
- Alternatively, open the dough on a baking silicone mat or parchment paper.
- This sugar-free recipe can be offered to babies over nine months old when they can handle soft, dry foods. These cookies are not sweet to an adult taste but just the perfect sweetness for a baby who hasn’t been exposed to sugary foods.
- If offering to little kids over two years, you can split the dough and add 1 tbsp of maple syrup to half of it. If necessary, add more flour until the dough is no longer sticky.
Tools Needed
- Large Bowl
- Spatula
- Parchment paper
- Baking tray
- Cookie cutter
Serving Suggestions and Substitutions
- You can serve these delicious soft gingerbread cookies with yogurt or apple sauce to soften even more.
- If you don’t have ground cloves, substitute it with nutmeg or cinnamon.
Storage Instructions
Room Temperature: These cookies can be stored in an airtight container and kept at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Refrigerator: These cookies can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week. Make sure they are in an airtight container.
Freezer: You can freeze these baby gingerbread cookies for up to 3 months. Let them cool, add them to a Ziplock bag, and freeze. Defrost in the microwave or the refrigerator overnight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Babies can not have the classic gingerbread cookies made with honey or molasses, as they are added sugars and risk infant botulism. However, they can have soft gingerbread cookies sweetened with fruits, as in this recipe on my blog.
The cookie’s texture needs to be crispy on the edges with a semi-soft, cake-like inside. However, gingerbread cookies for babies will be softer.
Young babies need nutrient-dense foods, and cookies are not necessarily nutritious. However, occasionally, this isn’t a problem. These cookies, even though soft, are better handled by babies over nine months of age.
Foods with added sugars or sweeteners are not recommended for children younger than 24 months of age. These can include muffins, flavored yogurts, or cookies. Homemade cookies sweetened with fruit are acceptable.
Other Cookie Recipes You May Like:
If you make this recipe, I would love your comments below!
🥣Recipe
Soft Gingerbread Cookies for Babies
Equipment
- 1 Baking tray
Ingredients
- 180 g all purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 60 g almond flour
- 80 g apple sauce
- 80 g medjool dates 4 large dates softened in boiling water
- 75 g unsalted butter softened at room temperature
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
Instructions
- Soak the pitted dates in boiling water for 30 minutes.
- In a small food processor, blend the soaked dates and apple sauce until a paste is formed (Scrape down the sides and repeat as needed).
- In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients.
- Add the date-apple mixture, vanilla, and unsalted butter.
- Start incorporating the wet and dry ingredients using a silicone spatula. Then, use your hands to form a moldable dough.
- Cover the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Flour a clean surface and using an adjustable rolling pin, roll out the cookie dough to ¼ in (6mm) and use a gingerbread cookie cutter to cut the cookies.
- Transfer to a lined baking tray and bake at 350F for 11 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool before moving them as they will harden a bit more during cooling.
Notes
- Alternatively, open the dough on a baking silicone mat or parchment paper.
- This sugar-free recipe can be offered to babies over nine months old when they can handle soft, dry foods. These cookies are not sweet to an adult taste but just the perfect sweetness for a baby who hasn’t been exposed to sugary foods.
- If offering to older kids, you can split the dough and add 1 tbsp of maple syrup to half of it. If necessary, add more flour until the dough is no longer sticky.
- The recipe calls for Medjool dates; double the amount if using deglet noir dates or other smaller types.
- I strongly recommend measuring the ingredients using a weight scale. Alternatively, I also added measurements to the cups.
- If your oven does not bake evenly and has some hotter spots, I recommend rotating the baking tray halfway through the baking process to ensure the even baking of the cookies.
Nutrition
This recipe is great, not bland as some other cookie recipes for babies. I like to use fruit instead of maple syrup, so this was wonderful. My baby loved it! Thank you so much!
So glad to hear that you love this recipe! thank you so much for your review 🙂