03 May 2009

Snappy Vegan, Gluten-Free Ginger Cookies

From May 2009 photos


The original recipe for these snappy vegan, gluten-free ginger cookies comes from Elena's Pantry. I did a little noodling to the original recipe, but in the future, I'll probably do a little more because they were a bit oily for my taste.

The original didn't list the yield, but I was able to get 36 2.5-inch round cookies. They are definitely best on the day they're made, after they have cooled. I brought them to John's cousin's on Friday evening, after I had made them that afternoon. At that point they were still snappy. The following morning, they weren't.

My guess is that the oil content is too high. I also didn't use yacon syrup, but just agave instead. Either way, I'll noodle a bit more with these to get them right because I like ginger snaps.

Here are my alterations:

1. Used regular almond flour instead of blanched almond flour (not sure what difference that would make).
2. Added 1 teaspoon Pensey's Cake Spice to the dry ingredients.
3. Substituted the yacon syrup for more agave nectar.
4. Spaced my cookies pretty far apart because they looked like they would spread (I was right, they did).
5. Between the final mixing and the scooping onto baking sheets, I refrigerated my batter for 30 minutes to try to help with the wetness.

I'm sure with a little coconut flour, these will turn out just fine.

6 comments:

Alisa - Frugal Foodie said...

Yum! I made some snappy molasses cookies a few months ago (great minds think alike!) but mine weren't GF. Love the idea for using almond flour.

I have read that blanched almond flour is less bitter than regular, but it is pricey!

Deb Schiff said...

Thanks, Alisa.

Yes, outside of my pie crusts, I haven't done much with almond flour. This is definitely a learning experience for me.

Amy said...

Mmm these look fantastic!

Anonymous said...

I've actually made Elana's gluten free ginger cookie recipe several times (without altering the ingredients) and it comes out great every time.

You definitely DON'T want to use un-blanched almond flour (with skins) - it won't work. You have to use blanched.

Also, subbing and adding ingredients will almost always yield different results.

Deb Schiff said...

Well, live and learn. However, like most home cooks, I have to noodle around with recipes if I do not have all the ingredients, or simply want to try something different.

By the way, yacon syrup is outrageously expensive!

Elana said...

Hi Deb,

I was catching up on comments and saw that you tested a version of my Ginger Cookie recipe on your blog. Thanks so much for taking an interest :-)

I hope you'll maybe try it again using the recipe and recommended ingredients. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I want you to have ginger cookie success!

By the way, GREAT blog. Loving your post on agave nectar. Keep up the good work!