Ginger Cookies (Gluten Free, Vegan & Refined Sugar Free)

Though my Dad loves all desserts, he is especially fond of spicy-sweet desserts. He used to love speculaas cookies - which are a sort of spicy biscuit. But, they are loaded gluten, dairy and refined sugar (as most cookies are)! Since our big food elimination last year, we have been on the lookout for a good spice cookie aand I am so happy to be sharing a fabulous one today!

When my Mom opened Cara Reed's cookbook on Christmas morning, we were all excited about different recipes - my Mom wanted biscotti and Thin Mints, I wanted chocolate chip cookies and my Dad wanted spice cookies. He even made an intriguing case for trying these cookies before gifting the book to my Mom. Just write down the recipe, she doesn't need to know where it came from he said. I talked him into holding off until after Christmas, but he finally got his spice cookies and they were so worth the wait! These cookies are so perfectly crispy and full of flavor! I don't drink coffee, but my Dad says these pair great with a coffee!

The recipe is on page 44 of Cara Reed's Decadent Gluten Free and Vegan Cookbook. I stuck to the original recipe and it worked out great!

Start by combining 1 1/4 cup of Cara's All-Purpose Gluten Free flour blend (recipe HERE), 1 teaspoon of ginger, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a pinch of ground cloves in a medium mixing bowl. 

Add in 3 Tablespoons of maple syrup, 2 Tablespoons of non-hydrogenated shortening, 2 Tablespoons of molasses, and 1 Tablespoon of non-dairy milk. Stir the batter together so that it holds together in a ball.

When the batter is combined, roll it out between 2 pieces of parchment paper to be about 1/8 inch thick. Then, use a 2 inch round cookie cutter to cut out cookies.

Re-roll the dough as many times as necessary to use it all up. Place the cut cookies down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. I started with 10 minutes, but my cookies definitely needed the extra two minutes to get crispy!

Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely (but you should definitely sneak a couple while they're still warm).

GINGER COOKIES
[Gluten Free, Vegan & Refined Sugar Free]

ingredients
1 1/4 cup Cara's All-Purpose Gluten Free Flour Blend
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch of ground cloves
3 Tablespoons maple syrup
2 Tablespoons non-hydrogenated shortening
2 Tablespoons molasses
1 Tablespoon non-dairy milk

directions
1. Combine the GF flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and ground cloves in a medium mixing bowl.
2. Add maple syrup, shortening, molasses and non-dairy milk to the mixing bowl and stir to combine.
3. When the batter holds together into a ball, transfer the dough to a piece of parchment paper. Roll the dough out between dough pieces of parchment paper so that it's about 1/8 inch thick.
4. Use a 2 inch round cookie cutter to cut out cookies. Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
5. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until they are crispy.
6. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10-12 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Happy baking!