Nothing says fairy tale Christmas like warm gingerbread, fresh out of the oven. The smell alone is enough to make the grinchiest woman (or man) in the house spontaneously sing Burl Ives.

Unfortunately, real gingerbread with heaping spoonfuls of molasses, isn’t an option for us lectin-enlightened folk. It’s not that we’re grinches–we want to enjoy the holidays, preferably pain free. Which may mean saying no to some of our traditional sugary treats.

But before you start building a 7-story gingerbread mansion as a creative outlet for your gingerbread-deprivation frustration (that’s a thing), here is my “Plant Paradox tweaked” recipe for warm gingerbread in a mug. It takes 5 minutes to make, and it tastes…pretty close…to the real thing.

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What You’ll Need

Two Kinds of Flour

I make all of my mug muffins with two kinds of flour. I do this for a couple reasons. First, the health benefits make more sense for me, personally, with a nice balance of starch (resistant), fiber, and fat. Although some individual flours have a more balanced nutritional profile than others, it’s easier to use two kinds. Second, I’ve tried most baking combinations, and I like the texture of two combined better than one. I like my baked goods to have the consistency I’ve always loved. For this recipe, I’ll be using a new favorite combination of:

1. Tigernut Flour – not a nut flour, but rather a flour made from ground root vegetables (tigernuts). This flour has a rich, nutty flavor and texture that I love for winter baked goods. If you don’t have tigernut on hand, cassava flour will work well, too.

2. Coconut Flour – this is my all-purpose flour for mug muffins, because it absorbs twice as much liquid as other flours. This makes it possible to microwave the batter and get something that’s not a dried out brick when it’s done.

Click HERE to read more about all 12 Plant Paradox approved baking flours.

 Apple Cider Vinegar

My favorite pre-lectin-enlightened ginger-molasses cookie recipe called for apple cider vinegar, and I’m convinced it’s a necessary addition to any gingerbread recipe. Get one that’s raw and unfiltered, containing “the mother,” like this one.

The Molasses Replacement

This was hard. There is nothing quite like molasses. I tested this recipe with several different sweeteners, and the closest ended up being a fairly new addition to a great line of alternative sweeteners that uses erythritol and monk fruit.

Maple Flavored Sugar-Free Syrup – made from erythritol and monk fruit extract, this syrup has a rich color and texture that works great as a sugar-free replacement for molasses.

Click HERE to read more about all 6 Plant Paradox approved sweeteners.

How to Make Gingerbread in a Mug

PREP TIME 5 MINUTES     TOTAL TIME 7 MINUTES     SERVES 1

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• 1 tablespoon tigernut or cassava flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch each of allspice, cloves, and nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons maple-flavored erythritol syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon water
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Ingredients

BEAT together the butter, coconut flour, tigernut flour, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and baking powder in a microwave-safe mug.

MIX in the syrup, cider vinegar, and egg, and beat vigorously with a fork until batter is smooth and consistent (be sure to scrap the sides and bottom of the mug to incorporate all the batter).

MICROWAVE for 1 1/2 minutes. Scrape around the edges of the mug with a knife, and then shake the muffin out onto a plate. Top with butter and cinnamon.

Printable Gingerbread Recipe