Healthy Christmas crack

1. Start making the cookies first, Add the sugar and butter to a large mixing bowl. Cream until smooth and fluffy, add the molasses, milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
2. Sift the flour, spices and baking soda and mix until combined. adjust the dough by adding more milk if too crumbly or more flour if too soft. 
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough so it is about 2cm thick. Use the Lekue cookie cutters to cut the dough into shapes. Carefully place each cookie on a lined baking tray leaving 1-inch between each of them. 
4. Repeat until all of the dough is done. 
5. Bake the cookies in the oven. For soft cookies bake them for 12-14 minutes. 
6. Decorate the cookies: Add the icing ingredients to a bowl and mix until it forms a thick paste. 
7. Use a fine-tipped piping bag to decorate your gingerbread cookies as desired. Allow the icing to dry. 
8. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days, in the fridge for 1 week or freezer for up to 1 month. 

For the date caramel: 

1. Soak the dates in hot water until soft, drain and add the dates and the rest of the ingredients of the date caramel to a blender and blend until smooth. 

Ensemble the Christmas crack:

1. line a baking sheet with parchment paper, layer the saltine crackers or the cookies at the base of a flat square tray, add a few dollops of the date caramel and smooth out, place in the fridge to set for a bit and then melt the chocolate and nut butter until smooth. Mix well, pour on to the date caramel and add the gingerbread cookies, sprinkles and candy canes as desired. 
2. Place in the fridge again to set, slice and enjoy!