Soft Ginger Cookies
Soft ginger cookies are gluten and dairy-free, sweetened with molasses and honey, and have just the right amount of spice.
Ginger Cookies in Nordic Countries:
Ginger cookies and gingerbread are an integral part of the Christmas season in Nordic countries, and certainly Fika culture in Sweden. There are numerous variations on the doughs and shapes but best known are the thin and crisp “pepparkakor” or ginger snaps. These spiced thins show up as pigs or hearts adorned with royal icing or glaze and any number of Jul shapes to both eat and decorate Christmas trees. Ginger cookies date back to the 13th century in Sweden, likely brought to the country by German immigrants or monks. They were thought of as both a treat and a health aid, being consumed to ease digestion and for overall well-being.
Ingredients for Soft Ginger Cookies:
My Swedish grandmother always had ginger cookies around, and she made a soft version rolled in sugar that I especially liked. Those cookies are the inspiration for my Soft Ginger Cookies. My grandmother’s were a basic wheat flour, butter, egg and molasses cookie heavily spiced with plenty of ginger, cinnamon, cloves and a bit of cardamom. I have translated these into a gluten and dairy-free version using almond flour, arrowroot starch and coconut flour with coconut oil as the fat. Arrowroot starch adds structure and lightness to these cookies while the coconut flour absorbs extra moisture and produce a crisp exterior. I do a blend of molasses and honey which lightens up the flavor a bit. Ginger, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom create the classic ginger cookie flavor. Sanding or coarse sugar gives a delightful crunch!
The Process:
Mix the dough in a food processor for the best results. Once all of the ingredients are blended together, rest the dough for at least 20 minutes or even overnight.
When the dough is ready, use a small cookie scoop or spoon to form walnut-sized balls. Roll the balls in sanding sugar (the coarse, sparkly stuff seen below). Turbinado, or raw sugar, also works.
Place the balls on parchment-lined baking sheets and bake for about 7 minutes, depending on their size.
The Soft Ginger Cookies will flatten a bit during baking, but if you want a disc-like cookie use the bottom of a glass to flatten the balls slightly before baking.
These cookies smell majestic coming out of the oven! When they have cooled, store the Soft Ginger Cookies in an airtight container. They freeze very well!
I have made many, many batches of these cookies to give as gifts in decorative tins during the holidays.
Soft Ginger Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour
- ¼ cup arrowroot flour
- 6 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup coconut oil, melted
- ⅓ cup raw honey
- ⅓ cup unsulphured molasses
- Coarse sanding sugar or turbinado sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Combine flours, spices, salt and baking soda in food processor.
- Pulse in egg, coconut oil, honey and molasses until dough forms.
- Cover and chill dough 20 minutes to set up.
- Using a small cookie scoop, form dough into soft walnut-sized balls and roll in sugar. Set sugared dough balls on parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Bake at 350° for about 7 minutes. Cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from sheet pans.
