Soft Spiced Gingersnaps (Vegan + Gluten-Free)

Sometimes on a rainy day all you want to do is curl up with a warm drink and a a little something sweet. These gluten-free vegan gingersnaps are just the thing! These bite-size cookies are full of spiced goodness. The aromatic combination of ground ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon is nicely balanced with a simple powdered sugar icing. A great all purpose gluten-free flour blend and the right balance of healthy fats and sugars result in a very tender cookie with a fine crumb. This means a chewy, but tender cookie that is just about perfect. Check out the recipe below!

Soft Spiced Gingersnaps  (Vegan + Gluten-Free)

• 2 flax eggs (2 Tbsp ground flax + 5 Tbsp water)

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 cup almond butter

• 6 Tbsp molasses

• 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened

• 2 tsp ground ginger

• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 3 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour blend

• 2 Tbsp melted vegan butter

• 2 Tbsp almond/coconut/soy milk

• 2-3 cups of powdered sugar

1. In a large mixing bowl, prepare flax egg by mixing flax and water and letting sit for 5 minutes.

2. Add in softened butter, molasses, almond butter, brown sugar, salt, spices and baking soda. Beat on low with a mixer or whisk vigorously.

3. Add in the gluten-free flour to the wet ingredients. Add flour in a little at a time and stir to combine. Add more flour as needed until the dough is able to hold its shape when pressed but does not feel dry. (This is normally between 2 and 3 cups of gluten free flour depending on your blend).

4. Cover the dough and chill for at least one hour (preferably overnight) in the refrigerator.

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

6. Roll dough into 1 Tbsp balls. Place in freezer for 5-10 minutes to chill.

7. Transfer balls onto a parchment paper lined baking tray and press them down slightly to form disks. Leave about 1 inch between balls as the cookies spread slightly.

8. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until they appear slightly golden brown on the edges. Let them rest on the pan for 2-3 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

9. Once cooled, decorate with icing. To make the icing combine melted butter and milk in a small bowl. Add powdered sugar until the frosting reaches your desired thickness. I prefer it to be relatively thick so that it doesn't run off the cookie. To decorate drizzel the frosting over the top of the cookie. A squeeze bottle works well for this. Allow the frosting to set up before serving.

10. Store covered at room temperature for several days or freeze for later. The batch should make between 35-40 cookies.

Gluten-Free Flour Blend

Let's get nitty gritty with gluten-free flour. The key to good quality, low fuss gluten-free baked goods is a really good gluten-free flour blend. There are a ton of prepackaged flour blends on the market currently. Many are widely loved, others liked for specific purposes or certain recipes. Overall, if you are looking for a no-hassle way to adapt a few recipes without much guesswork, go pick up a gluten free-flour blend. Bob's Red Mill has one that is quite popular.

Personally, I think that if gluten-free eating is a lifestyle you are looking to take on even part of the time, making your own flour blend is the way to go. First off, you get to control the texture, consistency and ingredients in your blend. This may seem overwhelming, but it actually makes it much easier. Once you have a blend you like, you can count on it working how you want it to in most recipes. Secondly, the flavor payoff is huge. The taste of a specific baked good is a big deal for most people. The reason I no longer use a premade blend is I could never find one my entire family . Bob's Red Mill was too garbanzo beany (with its bean flour metallic aftertaste). Cup4Cup was dry and didn't have that slight nuttiness we were looking for (it tasted far to much like very bleached white flour). Countless others just fell flat or didn't work as an all-purpose blend.

At first when I dove into the world of making my own blend of gluten-free flours, I found it completely overwhelming. This is because wheat flour is not as simple as you might think. Wheat flour is not made up of all gluten protein. Instead, wheat flour consists of a balance of protein (which contains the gluten), fiber (bran/germ) and starch. The proteins of regular wheat flour make up the matrix that traps the gases released when the flour is cooked/baked. The starches function to hold the finished baked goods together. The bran adds bulk and flavor (whole wheat varieties have more bran/germ than all-purpose varieties). This means the individual gluten-free flour varieties must be combined to fill the same roles in the same proportions found in regular wheat flour in order for it to be a cup-for-cup all-purpose blend.

After a lot of research, here's what I found. Most all-purpose gluten-free flour blends often consist of a 40/60 ratio of protein to starch. This means that it should be made up of 40% whole grain flour and 60% white flours/starches. With that in mind, it was next necessary to choose a mixture of flours that would represent this ratio properly. In order to do that, I needed to look at the most common gluten-free flour varieties.

Whole Grain Flours

-      Brown rice flour

-      Buckwheat flour

-      Corn flour

-      Mesquite flour

-      Millet flour

-      Oat flour

-      Quinoa flour

-      Sorghum flour

-      Sweet potato flour

-      Teff flour

White Flours/Starches

-      Arrowroot flour

-      Cornstarch flour

-      Potato flour

-      Potato starch

-      Sweet rice flour

-      Tapioca flour

-      White rice flour

Nut Flours

-      Almond flour

-      Chestnut flour

-      Coconut flour

-      Hazelnut flour

Bean Flours

-      Fava bean flour

-      Garbanzo bean flour

-      Kinako (roasted soy bean) flour

In general, nut flours and bean flours are always added into a blend as a whole-grain flour. Also its important to keep in mind that within each category (whole grain/ white flours & starches), each flour will work slightly differently. Because of their slight metallic aftertaste, I rarely cook with anything containing bean flours. Nut flours, although not a part of my all-purpose blend, are present in a lot of my baked goods. These are rich in good fats, which makes them delightful in some baked goods, but it does throw off the balance of fats in your recipes.

The ultimate result of tweaking these flours over time, is my favorite all-purpose flour blend (which I've used in everything from cakes, cookies, bars, breadings, biscuits, sauces, and gravy). This blend consists of brown rice flour, sorghum flour, sweet rice flour, and potato starch. Like most gluten-free flour mixes, making the blend requires working by weight instead of volume. This ensures that the the final mixture is not improperly proportioned because some flours are easy to improperly measure volumetrically (resulting in an incorrect ratio and cause your goodies to flop). Here's the scale I use. I love it and its pretty reasonably priced. (Plus, food nerd alert: it's the same one Alton Brown uses. And, he's just the best!) Here's how my all-purpose blend comes together.

Brown rice flour: This flour is high in protein, iron, fiber and vitamin B. It is also rich in manganese (good for development of bones and cartilage) which aids in the absorption of calcium. It has healthy bran and will lend a darker color to baked goods. The superfine grind is important here because otherwise your flour might leave your food tasting a little gritty (a common issue with rice flour).

Sorghum flour: Sorghum flour is highly nutritious and adds a really nice flavor to gluten-free baked goods. It is high in protein, iron and dietary fiber. It is also high in antioxidants, which are a necessary component in cardiac health. This flour also has a lower glycemic index than other flours because it's starch and protein takes longer to digest.

Sweet white rice flour: This flour is milled from “sticky rice” that is very starchy and has binding qualities. The higher starch content results in added moisture in baked goods. Despite its name, the flour itself is not sweet, but rather is commonly used in desserts (like Japanese mochi).

Potato Starch: This starch comes from crushed potatoes producing a very refined starch that contains minimal protein or fat. This starch is often used as a thickener for soups, stews and sauces. In baked goods, it's starch functions to help add moisture. It also helps with binding and texture within gluten-free baked goods.

In the end, making the gluten-free flour blend is as simple as measure, weigh, mix and dump in a plastic storage container. I tend to label mine with the proportions so it's easy to make next time. Then when it comes to baking, I simply add 1-2 tsp of xanthan gum (or guar gum works too) for every 1 cup of flour you use. It's simple, easy and totally worth the little bit of prep work.

Gluten Free Flour Blend

200 g Superfine Brown Rice Flour

200 g Sorghum Flour

300 g Superfine Sweet Rice Flour

300 g Potato Starch

Measure out each flour by weight. Combine in a large bowl or plastic container mixing well to combine (if using a plastic container just shake it for a minute or two until evenly combined).

Will keep up to 6 months (or freeze for up to a year).

Regular recipes (simple cookies, sauces, gravies, muffins): 1 tsp xanthan gum + 1 cup flour blend per 1 cup all-purpose regular flour

Super fluffy or raised recipes (cakes, breads, biscuits): 2 tsp xanthan gum + 1 cup flour blend per 1 cup all-purpose regular flour