raw vegan Elisen gingerbread

These raw vegan, healthy Elisen gingerbread cookies are very easy to make and are in no way inferior to the traditional version.

Serving size: One serving corresponds to approximately 2 gingerbread cookies.

Nutrient profile: One portion of this recipe covers 84% of the average daily requirement of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) according to GDA guidelines. It also covers over 50% of the average daily requirement of manganese and copper. Vitamin E is also almost half covered. The ratio between linoleic acid (LA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) corresponds to the recommended maximum ratio of 5:1.

Elisen gingerbread: Not every gingerbread is a real Elisen gingerbread. Elisen gingerbread generally consists of at least 25% walnuts, hazelnuts or almonds and may consist of no more than 10% ground grain products. There are different interpretations of the origin of the name. It could come from a gingerbread baker who named the gingerbread after his daughter Elisabeth, who died in 1864 at the age of 17. Another assumption is that the name was chosen to honor Saint Elisabeth, the patron saint of bakers.

Almonds: Almonds have a good ratio of fatty acids in the high fat content of 49%, as only 7.4% of this is saturated fat and they do not contain any trans fats. They are also a good source of iron. However, they have a poor ratio of linoleic acid (LA) to alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).

Walnut: The real walnut, also called tree nut, has the highest proportion of alpha-linolenic acid of all nuts. It is also rich in vitamin E, zinc (an important trace element for the liver and hair, among other things) and potassium (for the heart muscle, among other things).

Hazelnuts: Hazelnuts have a high fat content (over 60%), of which 75% is unfortunately monounsaturated oleic acid. This is also clearly evident in hazelnut oil, which, along with olive oil, has one of the highest oleic acid contents.

Flaxseeds: These have a slightly nutty taste and have a fat content of around 40%. More than half of this consists of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acid. Therefore, linseed oil has the highest omega-3 fatty acid concentration of all known vegetable oils. This makes up for the deficiencies in this area of almonds and hazelnuts.

Cocoa powder: Unsweetened cocoa powder is available in raw or roasted form. In addition to its high fat content, cocoa also contains a variety of different and sometimes valuable ingredients. The secret of raw cocoa powder lies in its gentle production and the natural fermentation process. The pulp of the cocoa bean breaks down naturally without roasting. This way, the nutritional values are retained.

Cocoa butter: This is produced during the production of cocoa powder. The cocoa beans first go through various processing steps, and are finally ground. The liquid cocoa mass is then processed into cocoa powder, leaving cocoa butter. The high proportion of saturated fatty acids means it has a long shelf life.

Preparation time: The preparation may look like there are many steps, but it is actually very quick, as the majority of the waiting time is spent drying. In addition, the raw vegan Elisen gingerbread tastes absolutely delicious and authentic.

Shelf life: In our experience, the raw vegan Elisen gingerbread covered in glaze lasts up to 3 weeks under appropriate storage conditions (well sealed, cool and dry). Without glaze, the shelf life may be somewhat shortened.

Use of cardamom seeds: You can recognize good green cardamom by the fresh green color of the capsules and the oily black color of the seeds. Green cardamom seeds contain an essential oil that gives them a spicy, sweet and hot aroma. Since it evaporates easily, you should use whole capsules rather than cardamom powder and only grind or crush the seeds when necessary. When crushing, press the pestle onto the capsule until it pops open. Then remove the shell and crush the seeds.

Dried fruits are often sulphurized: The sulphur coating helps prevent rotting as it inhibits the metabolism of many microorganisms and thus improves the shelf life of the product, while also preserving the colour of the fruit. However, the preservation process destroys some vitamins, such as folic acid, and sulphur can have health consequences for asthmatics and allergy sufferers. It is therefore best to use unsulphured fruit.

Information and advice on common nutritional errors made by vegans and raw foodists can be found at the following link: Vegans often eat unhealthily. Avoidable nutritional errors.

Spices: It is best to grind spices fresh. However, you can also use ground products or gingerbread spice (the composition of the spices will then be slightly different, but it will also provide the typical gingerbread flavor).

Sweetened version: In addition to cocoa powder, you can also add a little agave syrup or rice syrup to the melted cocoa butter. This will give you a sweet chocolate glaze. For the specified amount of 8 portions, you will need about 1-2 tablespoons, depending on your taste.

Chocolate glaze: Alternatively, you can use a ready-made vegan chocolate glaze or use vegan melted chocolate.

For strict raw foodists: In the USA, preparation is often accepted as raw food as long as the ingredients are not heated above 47 °C. Depending on preference, the upper limit is, as in our case, 42 °C. The alternative preparation, 50 °C in the oven, therefore does not strictly meet the criteria for raw food. Likewise, the chocolate glaze (due to the heating) and the wafers are not raw, but this is of secondary importance given the negligible health value.

Quick preparation: For quick preparation, use ground almonds, nuts and gingerbread spices. Leave out the filling and use a vegan chocolate coating as the chocolate glaze. Dry in the oven instead of in the dehydrator. By heating to 50 °C, the recipe can no longer be described as raw and some of the nutrients may be lost, but the gingerbread is still significantly more nutritious than normal baked ones (at 180 °C).