American Stroke Foundation

Eat healthy this holiday season without giving up your favorite holiday desserts. This video provides step-by-step instructions on how to make healthy No Bake Gingerbread Cookie Dough Bites. These healthy bites are not just good for you, they also allow you to work on your standing balance, hand strength, flexibility, and fine motor skills.

Gather your ingredients:

• 2 cups (220 g) ground almonds
• 1/3 cup (30 g) ground walnuts
• 1/2 cup (45 g) gluten free oats, ground
• 3/8 – 1/2 cup (130 – 170 g) maple syrup (or honey)
• 1 1/2 tbsp molasses
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• pinch of ground cloves
• pinch of salt

Add the ground almonds and ground walnuts to the food processor and blend for 5 – 7 minutes, until the mixture starts clumping together. At this point, it will be half-way to a nut butter, but we’ll stop at this stage. Add the ground oats and blend for a further 1 – 2 minutes, until the oats are evenly distributed and absorbed by the nut mixture. Work on your standing balance by shifting your weight from your left leg to the right.

In a small bowl, mix together the sweets mixture to the food processor and blend until the “cookie dough” becomes smooth and clumps together into a single ball. Work on your hand strength by using your affected side and non affected side to squeeze the honey.

Roll about 1 1/2 tbsp worth of the “cookie dough” into balls and put them onto a lined baking sheet or cupcake tin. Refrigerate the balls while you prepare the icing of choice. Again, work on hand strength by squeezing the cookie dough bites and your fine motor skills.

Drizzle the slightly chilled balls with the icing of choice and then put in the freezer for 20 minutes. They will then be ready to eat.