When I was growing up, my mom would occasionally surprise us with warm, freshly baked gingerbread for breakfast. I loved the aroma as much as the taste of ginger and other sweet spices. For me, gingerbread will always be a throwback to my childhood.

It's easy. Although there are quite a few ingredients to gather, all you need are 2 bowls and a whisk to mix the batter--no electric mixer required.

Healthified. I played around with mom's traditional gingerbread recipe and did ingredient swapping to make this recipe as healthy as possible while having the familiar flavor I love. Gingerbread turns out to be a good recipe to healthify because of its strong flavors that make the healthy ingredient swaps virtually unnoticeable.

• Whole wheat pastry flour replaces white flour.
• Butter is eliminated and replaced with a combination of olive oil, yogurt, and applesauce for moisture.
• Ground chia seeds are added for a nutrition boost. (You can read about the health benefits of chia seeds in my previous fridge oats post.) I recommend using ground chia seeds rather than whole seeds--when ground they disappear into the batter completely and no one will know they are there. 

Nutritional Information per serving (1/15th of the pan of gingerbread): 240 calories, 8g fat, 39g carbs, 1.4g fiber, 21.1g sugar, 5.2g protein; Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 7

Step-by-step photos for making
Gingerbread

Step 1. Assemble the ingredients: whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, black pepper, salt, ground chia seeds, olive oil unsweetened applesauce, Greek yogurt, eggs, honey & molasses.

• About molasses -- The flavor can vary from fairly light to very intense. I used blackstrap molasses; it has more nutrients but has a very strong flavor and dark color. If you prefer a milder flavor, I recommend using regular molasses.

view on Amazon:  whole wheat pastry flour,  ground chia seeds

Step 2. Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk to combine. 

Step 3. In a second bowl, whisk the eggs; add the remaining wet ingredients and whisk until combined.

Step 4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and whisk just until combined.

view on Amazon:  my 10-piece mixing bowl set,  wire whisk

Step 5. Coat a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and pour in the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes--just until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging. 

That's it! Let it cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes before cutting. Once it's cooled completely, you can cover and store it at room temperature for up to 3 days.

view on Amazon:   9x13 baking pan with cover,   wire cooling rack

You can eat it plain without any garnishes, if you like. 

Garnish it! 

• For breakfast, I like to top mine with some vanilla yogurt and sprinkle on crystallized ginger (for an extra ginger boost), cinnamon, or toasted pecans.
• For dessert, you can't go wrong with whipped cream on top.

view on Amazon: organic crystallized ginger

This recipe has a robust flavor that I love. It takes me home. A tradition lives on, but in a little healthier way.

Make it a Yummy day!
Monica 

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Whole Wheat Gingerbread

By Monica              Servings: 15 servings

Ingredients

• 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons ground ginger
• 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoon chia seeds
• 2 eggs, slighted whipped
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup water
• garnish with whipped cream, vanilla yogurt, or dust with powdered sugar; sprinkle with crystallized ginger, cinnamon, or nuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat inside of a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray; set aside.

In large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, salt, pepper, chia seeds. In separate bowl, whisk eggs and then add remaining wet ingredients (olive oil, applesauce, yogurt, molasses,honey, water) and whisk to combine. Pour wet mixture into dry mixture, whisk just until well combined.

Pour batter into prepared 9x13 pan. Level batter in pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging. Let cool on rack for at least 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Nutritional Information per serving: 240 calories, 8g fat, 39g carbs, 1.4g fiber, 21.1g sugar, 5.2g protein; Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 7

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