During the holiday season, I just love baking fresh ginger cookies. This delicious recipe blends the spice of fresh ginger and cinnamon with the a subtle amount of sweetness from maple syrup and brown sugar to create delicious cookie, that happily can be considered healthier than most. And since it is completely grain-free, it is also gluten-free. Delicious ground almonds take the place of flour, and arrowroot powder is used, which in my experience, makes a great binder for gluten-free recipes this like.
Tips for Making “Healthier” Christmas Cookies
- Most cookies need some kind of fat, typically butter, to create a cookie-like texture. Omitting or replacing all the fat usually leads to a cake-like texture. Good news is, not only does butter make great cookies, you can also use coconut oil and depending on the recipe, even nut butters.
- Cookies need some sort of sweetness (whether a little or a lot, that’s a personal choice). I prefer unrefined sugar or natural sweeteners like honey or maple syrup, but of course, they change the taste of a cookie more than classic sugar. In my opinion, for the best! Medjool dates can also be used to add natural sweetness (like my favorite date cookies with almonds and tahini — so GOOD!), but this really depends on the type of cookie recipe.
- When baking cookies, you generally need a flour-like substance. Alternatives for flourless cookies includes ground almonds or hazelnuts or using a substitutes like ground oats (I grind mine in my blender into a flour-like substance). For these fresh ginger cookies, I use a combination of ground almonds and arrowroot powder
Baking with Arrowroot Powder
There are a few questions I often get asked 1) “What is arrowroot powder?” and 2) “how do I substitute it?”. Well, first of all it’s a starchy substance that’s extracted from the tuber of the Maranta arundinacea plant, native to the tropics of South America. It’s sold as a fine white powder and used for baking, as a binder, and cooking, as a thickener for soups, stews and sauces. It’s both corn-free and gluten-free, is easily digestible, its flavor is neutral, and is an excellent alternative to cornstarch, which is often GMO. And how do you substitute arrowroot powder? Try using 1:1 corn, potato or tapioca starch.
Why I think you’ll LOVE these fresh ginger cookies!
They’re perfectly spiced
Not too sweet
Easy to make
Seriously delicious & a little bit addictive!
Fresh Ginger Cookies (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 1½ cups ground almonds (200 g)
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt (I use coarse sea salt)
- 1½ tablespoons ground cinnamon (Ceylon)
- 1/8 teaspoon vanilla powder
- 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (45 g)
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons Muscovado brown sugar
Method
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Preheat the oven to 350°F / 165°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the ground almonds, arrowroot powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and vanilla.
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In a medium bowl, combine the ginger, melted butter, maple syrup, and brown sugar.
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Add the dry ingredients to the wet, stirring until a dough comes together (the dough will be sticky).
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Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until the dough is form.
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Place your dough between two sheets of parchment paper. Use your hand to flatten out the dough, then start rolling it out with your rolling pin. Roll the dough about 1/2 cm thick, then cut out desired shapes with cookie cutters and arrange on the baking sheet.
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Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool completely.
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Store in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Alternatively, stored correctly, these cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Notes
Make these fresh ginger cookies vegan: the butter can be substituted with coconut oil.
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