Gluten-free Ginger Molasses Cookies

You will excuse me if I never had a gingersnap, or what I call, a ginger molasses cookie before, either in the crunchy or chewy variation, so I don't have stories or memories to share with you about them. In Italy we don't have any equivalent cookie and when I came to Canada I never tried one. That is weird, now that I think about it, because I adore ginger, and cinnamon, and all the spices that tickles your tongue while alluring your nostrils. And I love cookies. So I should have had one.

With the blogging adventure, I've been reading and seeing all kinds of cookies I had never heard of before, being baked for different occasions and my curiosity started growing more and more.

This was my first attempt with Ginger Molasses Cookies but I usually don't let the unknown stop me, especially when it comes to baking. I was determined to make them. A quick call to Loreto provided me with a virtual picture and a plan.

It happened that we were hosting a dinner party for a couple of friends and one is gluten intolerant (not a problem, I love baking with gluten free flours). Thinking of a possible dessert, we opted for a mascarpone pumpkin mousse with ginger molasses cookies and whipping cream. In order to have this dessert, I needed to make the cookies before.

So, with determination and passion on my side I put in motion my quest to make a "gingersnap" cookie.

I researched and read quite a few recipes on the blogosphere, gluten-free and non, because I wanted to get the feeling of the texture, the composition, and what the key ingredients of the Ginger Molasses Cookies were, since I had never tasted one.  But what I liked in one recipe, I did not like in another, so I mixed and matched, maintaining the proportions of wet and dry, keeping the principal elements and created my own recipe for a gluten-free version of the famous cookies. I used a blend of almond meal and coconut flour that gave the cookies a beautiful texture while adding a lovely flavour. We were all very pleased with the outcome. The ones that had a "story" with gingersnaps, said that they were as good if not better than what they had. For me, they were really pretty and tasted delicious. But I might be partial.

Rolling them in the sugar before baking them, provided them with the crispy cracked top but not so crispy to make them dry. Inside they were chewy, moist, and most of all exhibited that spice that the gingersnaps are so well known for.

I rationed a few, to make sure that we had enough for the dessert we were going to prepare. They were disappearing quickly. A good sign. And a sigh of relief from me.

Hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

I would love to hear your stories about something you knew nothing of but challenged yourself to do.

Song of the day: "Call me in the afternoon" by Half Moon Run.

Gluten-free Ginger Molasses Cookies

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• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 24 cookies 1x

Ingredients

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• 1 and ½ cup almond meal
• ½ cup coconut flour
• 1 and ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp cardamom
• 1 and ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ tsp sea salt
• ½ cup coconut oil (or a vegetable oil)
• ⅔ cup brown sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ cup Crosby's Fancy molasses
• 1 egg

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Instructions

1. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the almond meal, coconut flour, cinnamon, ground ginger, cardamom, baking soda and sea salt.
2. In a large mixing bowl, or in a standing kitchen mixer, cream the coconut oil and brown sugar, until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract, and blend again until smooth.
3. Add the molasses and the egg to the sugar mixture, and blend again until nice and creamy.
4. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, a little bit at a time, blending after each addition of flour, until you have a well combined cookie dough.
5. Chill the dough for 30 minutes so that it can be easily rolled into small balls for baking.
6. Preheat the oven to 350° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. Remove the chilled dough from the fridge, and roll into small balls.
8. Roll the balls in a light coating of granulated sugar.
9. Place the balls of dough onto your parchment lined baking sheet, spaced a couple inches apart. Press them with the back of a glass.
10. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven on the middle rack for about 10 minutes or until they are golden brown, puffed and cracked.
11. Take out of the oven, let them cool slightly in the sheet, then remove them with a spatula and transfer to a cooling rack.

Notes

Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days (but they won't last that long).

• Author: Nicoletta
• Prep Time: 40 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Category: Sweets, Cookies
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: North American

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Nicoletta

I love baking and kneading dough because it takes me to a happy place in my soul.