Gluten free and extra spicy vegan gingersnaps; a modern take on an ancient cookie

Gingersnaps appeared commercially in the mid 1800s but we can trace this cookie’s roots to medieval times. It’s believed to have been invented by monks in 13th century Germany.

Typically, gingersnaps are flavoured with molasses and spices like cinnamon, clove, ginger and nutmeg. They’re prepared in varying textures and thicknesses too.

I love versions that are crisp on the edges and chewy in the middle but this is not that kind of gingersnap. This one lives up to the name! It’s got an amazing light crispness and crunch.

This is a strongly flavoured cookie. I increase the amount of spice from that used in the original recipe and I include ground cloves and freshly ground black pepper. I use ground nutmeg in a pinch but I much prefer whole nutmeg, grated with a microplane. If you're out of ground cloves, like I was, grind a few whole cloves. And why not! Although it’s not necessary, using freshly ground spices rewards you with extra warmth and flavour.

You can even grind rolled oats if you don't have oat flour.  For one cup of oat flour add a cup and a bit more of rolled oats to the food processor and blend until it becomes a flour.

The cookie dough comes together beautifully and is easy to roll out. But I had some trouble transferring the unbaked cookies onto the cookie sheet. It was a warm day and the dough had softened and warmed quickly, and it was a challenge to scoop up the cookies without them losing their nice flat round shapes.

Briefly chilling the dough AGAIN - after you roll it out and before you start cutting the shapes - helps a lot, as does using a metal spatula lightly dusted with flour to scoop up the cookies.

Here’s another way to insure your cookies keep their shape. After you press the cookie cutter into the chilled dough and make all the shapes, carefully roll away excess dough from around the cookies and leave them on the parchment, undisturbed. Then slide the parchment onto the cookie sheet.

Of course it doesn't matter if the shapes get wobbly and the cookies aren’t uniform. They will still be delightfully crisp and taste delicious.

Yet it's quite nice to see them neatly stacked, all relatively the same shape and size, especially if you intend to gift them. The brittle structure of these gingersnaps makes them an excellent cookie to package and give away.

Original recipe here.

Gluten free and extra spicy vegan gingersnaps (makes about 30 cookies)

1/4 cup maple syrup

3 Tbsp coconut sugar or brown sugar (or even white sugar, I've tried them all, successfully.)

3 Tbsp melted coconut oil

2 Tbsp molasses

2 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 of ground ground clove

freshly ground black pepper, about 10 turns of the pepper grinder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 cup oat flour

1/2 cup almond flour 

1/4 cup arrowroot flour/starch

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 C).

Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Begin by mixing together the maple syrup, coconut sugar, melted coconut oil, molasses, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, black pepper, baking soda and sea salt until well combined.

Then add in your oat flour, almond flour and arrowroot starch and mix with a stiff spoon until everything is blended well.

Form the dough into a flattened disc, wrap in parchment and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Remove from the fridge and allow the dough to rest for a minute then place in the centre of a sheet of parchment paper lightly dusted with some arrowroot starch. Lightly dust the top of the dough with more arrowroot starch and place another sheet of parchment paper on top and begin to roll the dough into a large circle about 1/16-inch thick. Rolling your dough as thinly as possible results in cookies that are light and crisp. Place the dough in the refrigerator once more to chill for 5 to 10 minutes.

Use a cookie cutter to cut out as many cookies as you can. I used a small drinking glass with an approximate 2 1/2 inch diameter with the rim lightly dusted with arrowroot starch.

Now you have options.

Use a metal spatula lightly dusted with arrowroot starch to transfer the cookie shapes onto your parchment-lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart.

Or do as I did and remove the excess dough from around the cookie shapes and leave them in place on the parchment. Then lift or slide the parchment paper carefully onto the cookie sheet.

Combine remaining dough scraps and repeat until all of the dough is used up.

Bake the cookies for 9 to12 minutes. The longer you bake them the crisper and darker they will be. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Store in an airtight container for several days at room temperature, and for even longer in the refrigerator and freezer. You can also freeze the dough and defrost in the refrigerator before rolling out to bake.

Orange olive oil muffins, gluten free

I find myself clenching my jaw lately. No doubt it’s because I’ve been paying more attention to what’s happening in the world as is reported to me, and digesting the hard truths like the fact that ignorance and white supremacist attitudes run so very deep. I can’t imagine what it’s like trying to live your life in a status quo where you are devalued and feel under threat. I’m very lucky all I feel is a sore jaw.

I find distraction and escape curled up on the couch next to Simon watching a good tv series.

I recently (reluctantly) approved Simon’s choice - a Netflix’s South Korean zombie series called Kingdom. It spans several genres: fantasy, horror, thriller, historical and political drama.

If you can’t imagine watching horror then consider Kingdom as a period piece. It’s set in the 16th century Korea, the sets and costumes are sumptuous, the story is engrossing and the cinematography is incredibly artful. 

But the gore is over the top!

I needed to hide my face in my hands at least twice an episode. But I grew so enthralled with the series I eagerly agreed to watch the second season, which was also excellent.

At first it seemed Kingdom was escapist fantasy but not far into the series it became uncannily relevant to current events.

The show’s main plot is about a mysterious disease spreading rapidly through an unsuspecting populace as government officials hide the terrible truth. And the main characters are constantly running towards hope. See what I mean?  

Rather than the plague itself, the show is about the different characters and how they respond. One of the show’s creators said the question he held in his mind while writing the tv series was: Who is an upright leader that truly thinks of the people in the midst of a crisis brought on by an unknown disease?

And to think the pandemic wasn’t even on the horizon at the time of filming. How serendipitous!

Now for the muffin recipe, which involves adding an entire seedless and unpeeled orange to this recipe.

Orange, olive oil and almond flour play beautifully together and the result is an aromatic, delicious, light, moist muffin dappled with tiny dots of orange. The orange flavour is predominant yet also mellow.

I haven’t experimented but I imagine you could use any type of orange, as long as you remove any seeds. You could also bake this in a loaf pan and adjust the baking time to about 10 minutes longer. To serve as dessert, decorate with icing and flower petals, which I just might try.

Gluten Free Orange Olive Oil Muffins (makes approx 8 large muffins)

One seedless orange, whole and unpeeled

3 eggs

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup coconut flour

1 1/2 cups almond flour

1 tsp baking soda

Place orange in pot of water and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, cover and allow to simmer for 1 hour.

Drain water and allow orange to cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 F' and grease a muffin tin or use liners.

Slice orange into sections and remove any seeds. Add to food processor along with eggs, oil and maple syrup. Blend well.

In a separate bowl add the coconut flour, almond flour, baking soda and salt. Whisk well.

Add wet mixture to dry mixture and combine well.

Distribute the batter between cups. Bake on the middle rack for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Let cool before removing from tin. 

Power truffles

These truffles are the perfect treat to satisfy your sweet tooth and nourish your body. They’re easy to make so long as you have food processor.

Power truffles (from The Living Kitchen)

1 1/2 cups pitted dates 

1 cup raw walnuts

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/2 cup raw cocoa powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

pinch of sea salt

2 tbsp virgin coconut oil, softened

1-2 tbsp water, if necessary

1 cup unsweetened coconut

Put walnuts and sunflower seeds in food processor and blend until coarsely ground. Be careful not to over process or the mixture will become oily.

Add cocoa, cinnamon and salt and process some more.

Next, add coconut oil and dates and blend until a dough forms. 

If you need to, add water, a tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is blended well and sticky enough to form into balls.

Scoop mixture out by the tablespoon and form into balls.

Put coconut in a bowl and roll each ball in it until completely covered.

*Notes:

Make sure to use fresh walnuts. Sometimes run-of-the-mill grocery store walnuts are bitter.

You can lightly toast the coconut for extra flavour.

Store in an air tight container in the fridge for 2 weeks or in the freezer for 2 months.