We've been counting down the days until we could play around with our protein powder and come up with the ultimate healthy Gingerbread Men!

These little guys are very easy to make, extra-delicious and they're paleo, gluten-free and vegan. Happy baking!

Gingerbread Protein Cookies with Dark Chocolate Icing
makes app. 8 gingerbread men (depending on the size of your cookie cutter)

1 cup pecan flour
1 scoop Activated Nutrients Vanilla Bean Daily Protein
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 ½ tablespoons coconut oil, melted
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 160C
2. Combine all ingredients in a food processor
3. Line a baking tray with baking paper
3. Lay another sheet of baking paper on the kitchen bench and empty cookie dough from food processor onto the paper, gathering it into a ball
4. Place another sheet of baking paper on top of the dough and use a rolling pin to roll the dough out between the two sheets of paper to half a centimetre thick
5. Peel off the top sheet and use your gingerbread man cookie cutter to cut out your cookies, transferring to the lined baking tray (the dough may stick to the cookie cutter, so use a small spoon or other utensil to gently push the dough out of the cutter onto the tray)
6. Continue to gather up the dough and roll it out between the two sheets of baking paper until you’ve cut it all into gingerbread men
7. Bake for 6-8 minutes – when they’re done, they’ll feel fairly firm and the gingerbread man’s little arms and legs will be dark golden

Dark Chocolate Icing
¼ cup cocoa powder
3 tablespoons maple syrup

1. Combine ingredients in a small bowl until smooth and glossy
2. Carefully spread onto gingerbread man cookies