This recipe for gluten free ginger snaps are practically indistinguishable from the original version, making them a treat most everyone can enjoy! (Jump directly to the recipe.)
There’s something about the warm scent of ginger cookies that makes the house truly feel like the holidays. More than the Christmas tree and the twinkling lights, more than hearing Tracey Thorn sing melancholic Christmas songs, more than wrapping presents with shiny bright ribbon, it’s the smell of ginger snaps filling the air that makes me think the holidays are here. And since baking for me isn’t just about making the food, but sharing the food, I decided this year to make gluten free ginger snaps.
Baking gluten free seems to scare people, especially if you aren’t familiar with the dozens of various flours that may or may not have gluten in them. I, on the other hand, really love baking gluten free because it means I can not only add more flavor to the final product (all purpose has no real flavor but teff and buckwheat? They have great flavor that works so well with ginger!) but I can add more nutrients to the cookie too! Say what? Cookies that have some nutritional value? That’s just crazy talk.
And it sort of, kind of is. I mean, these are cookies, not a kale and quinoa salad. But I can totally trick myself into thinking I’m eating something not quite as bad for me, which, truth be told, is something I probably do a lot of around this time of year. But more important than any sort of trickery and hullaballoo around ancient grain and whole grain baking, these gluten free ginger cookies are just plain tasty good. One bite of them and you’ll forget about the ingredients and just wonder why ginger snaps are baked only during the holidays. Because these cookies deserve to be made year round.
Gluten Free Ginger Snaps
By Irvin Lin
These soft chewy ginger snap cookies are too good to be just pigeon holed as a holiday treat, so make them all year long. If you are celiac or are extremely sensitive to gluten, you should buy your whole grain and ancient grain flours in sealed bags and make sure they are certified gluten free. If you are just trying to limit your gluten or aren’t extremely sensitive to gluten, you may want to visit a health store and buy your flours in the bulk bins. You can buy smaller amounts of flour for less money that way. Just be aware that the bulk bins may have cross contamination with gluten filled flours near them.
Ingredients
1/2 cup (90 g) teff flour
1/2 cup (75 g) tapioca flour
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (55 g) sweet rice flour (sometimes called glutinous rice flour)
1/4 cup (45 g) buckwheat flour
1 large egg
1 teaspoon chia seeds, ground into powder with a spice grinder or mortar and pestle
3 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (140 g or 1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoon (125 g) white granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup (90 g) chopped crystallized ginger (into 1/2-inch chunks)
Extra granulated sugar to roll cookies in
Directions
1. Preheat an oven to 350˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.
2. Combine the teff, tapioca, sweet rice and buckwheat flour in medium bowl. Stir with a balloon whisk until blended and uniform in color. Place the egg, ground chia seed, molasses and vanilla in a small bowl and stir to combine. Place the butter, sugar, baking soda, salt and spices in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat together until the butter is creamy and sticks to the side of the bowl.
3. Add the egg and molasses mixture to the butter and sugar and beat to incorporate. Add the flour to the dough and beat on slow, until incorporated. Add the crystallized ginger and stir in slowly. The dough should be firm.
4. Pinch off about a heaping tablespoon and roll the dough into a 1-inch ball. Roll in granulated sugar and place on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, placing the balls 2 inches apart. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes, or until the top of the cookie looks set and the edges look dry and dark brown. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
Makes 30 cookies.
If you like these gluten free cookies, check out some of my other gluten free cookies:
Chocolate Cookies with Nutella, Chocolate Chips, Hazelnuts and Dried Strawberries
Blood Orange and Blueberry Coconut Macaroons
Chocolate Shortbread Sandwich Cookies with Salted Butterscotch Filling
Maple Oat and Dried Cherry Shortbread Cookies
Apricot Amaretti Cookies
Gluten Free Snickerdoodles
And check out these other gluten free cookies from around the web:
Gluten Free Girl’s Mexican Wedding Cookies
Healthy Green Kitchen’s Gluten Free Coffee Almond Cookies
Lauren’s Latest’s Salted Nutella Peanut Butter Thumbprint Cookies
Barefoot in the Kitchen’s Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Boulder Locavore’s Cranberry White Chocolate Pecan Cookies
Katrina @ WVS says
These are sooooo fun!! Yum!
Daniela @ FoodrecipesHQ says
Hi Irvin, you made the most beautiful ginger snaps ever! I am checking the ingredient list now… I’m impressed! I may find difficult to find teff flour but all the rest should be easy to get.
Irvin says
If you’re near a grocery store that sells ethnic food (especially one that caters to Ethiopian clientele) they might have it. Otherwise, feel free to substitute another gluten free flour like millet or sorghum or brown rice (ground super fin) in place of the teff!
Beatrice says
Hi Irvin!
These look delicious! However, is there any way I can make these with more “standard” flour(s)?
I don’t really have health stores near my place unfortunately, and gluten isn’t a problem for me.
Thanks!
Irvin says
You can totally makes these with regular flour! Just leave out the chia seed and substitute 1 3/4 cups (250 g) of regular all-purpose flour for the teff, tapioca, sweet rice and buckwheat flours!
Miss Kim @ behgopa says
I love the aroma of holiday baking too! It’s such a warm fuzzy feeling. I can just imagine how holiday-licious these taste! I’m not gluten-free, but I totally want some!
Irvin says
You can substitute the gluten free flours for all-purpose if you want. Check out the substitutions I gave for Beatrice’s comment above! Happy holidays!
Belinda @zomppa says
Love your combo of flours – can almost taste these!
Angela Abrahao says
Irvin! I am loving the 12 days of cookies series. How on earth do you get the serious cracks on those cookies! They look so yummy, and I am feeling inspired to bake at least one of your cookie recipes… Even if it is 30 degrees outside for me here in the Southern Hemisphere! Thanks for getting me in the mood when there is no snow:-) Angela