Janine’s Gingersnaps, v2.0

Today it’s chucking it down with rain — an even better time to make gingersnaps for tonight’s potluck, as it also warms up the kitchen.  After the first batch turned out quite well yesterday, I made a few adjustments to the recipe, and this lot looks even better!

This excellent, potentially vegan, recipe comes from Janine in my knitting group – or rather, she invited me to her knitting group here in Champaign IL after we met in the yarn aisle at the local supermarket. Janine fills her time with baking, knitting, and inspiring her granddaughter!

I adjusted the recipe to make it gluten-free and suggest substitutions so that it can be vegan as well. Experiment as you will!   Prep takes about ten minutes, with a further 15 minutes for baking; this quantity makes 2-3 dozen cookies, depending.

Ingredients:

¾ cup margarine or shortening – I use Earth Balance baking sticks
1 cup sugar – I use erithyritol
1 egg – or you can use a flax egg
¼ cup molasses
2 cups gluten-free flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp xanthum gum (not strictly necessary, but helps gluten-free flour stick together)
½ tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp finely chopped crystallized ginger

Optional: Demerara (raw) sugar to roll the cookies in

Method:

1.   Preheat oven to 375°F.

2.   Cream the sugar and shortening together until light and fluffy.

3.   Break the egg into a ¼ cup measure – it should fit exactly – and add to the butter+sugar, then use the same cup to measure the molasses; it will slide right out of the cup. Mix well.

4.   Add the dry ingredients, half at a time, beating between each half. The dough will seem too dry, but it will work! Form into balls, and roll them in raw brown sugar, to give the snaps a bit of a crunch. (I like to use a medium (5cm) portioner or ice cream scoop to get mine the same size. If you use the portioner, sprinkle raw sugar over the cookies on the tray, and press lightly on the top of each one.)

5.   Bake in your preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, taking less time for softer cookies, and more time for crunchier ones. Check them when you start to smell the ginger.

These cookies keep well for several days in an airtight tin.  If your household is like mine, storage is not an issue.

Janine says: I usually make a double batch as they disappear quickly; they also freeze well if you can get them in the freezer while no one else is near.

Here is the revised recipe:  Janine’s Gingersnaps