Gluten Free Sparkling Ginger Cookies

These cookies brim with the festive spices of the season and have a delicate crunch and sparkle from a hefty pinch of raw sugar. To top it off, they're a great cookie for gatherings since it is both vegan and gluten free! Give these easy to make cookies a try - you won't regret it!

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We are coming up to cookie time again this year! I don't know about you, but I have lists of cookies depending on who is the intended recipient of them. With luck (and a little bit of free time) I will be able to share each and every (new) cookie I'm making for the holidays - but let's start with these ones!

I happen to have two friends who keep their diet gluten free for various reasons, and while I can't share my mom's absolutely amazing shortbread cookies with them I do try to give them a couple things they can enjoy over the holidays. These cookies were developed after finding a recipe lodged deep in my Pinterest board, and they looked so festive I had to see if I could make a gluten free variant that was still vegan. 

The first (and easiest) swap was the flour. I love the Bob's Red Mill 1:1 flour and I've never had an issue with it failing to hold things together. A bunch of spice, thanks to the cinnamon, ginger and cardamom from Selefina Spices, warmed things up and made the kitchen smell heavenly - pro tip, add the spices to the margarine when it's still quite warm to bloom the spices, it makes them really pop. I also added a hefty dose of a vegan pumpkin spice flavoured protein powder for extra flavour and nutrition. I didn't have any brown sugar left (I made these chestnut flour gingerbread cookies the day before) so I added a touch more molasses, and finally I added some egg replacer powder just as some extra assurance the dough would bind together. Popping the mixture in the fridge overnight resulted in a super easy to work with dough - it scooped like perfect ice cream! A quick roll in raw sugar and I had a batch of cookies ready for the freezer, as well as for immediate baking. 

For those of you baking for a diverse group of people, don't hesitate to make these - heck, just make them even if you aren't gluten free. They're a perfect blend of spicy and sweet, ready to pair with a cup of tea!

Gluten Free Sparkling Ginger Cookies

Adapted from I Love Vegan

Serves 16

1 ½ cups gluten free 1:1 flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)

2 scoops pumpkin spice protein powder (I used Naked Shake, but you can use anything you like)
1 tsp baking soda
½ cup hard margarine, melted
½ tbsp cinnamon
½ tbsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cardamom

1/4 tsp salt

⅔ cup sugar 

⅔ cup fancy molasses

1 tbsp egg replacer (I used homemade)
½ tbsp vanilla extract
raw sugar (for rolling)

1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, protein powder and baking soda.
2. In a larger bowl, whisk together margarine, cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom. Let stand 2 minutes.
   
3. Add the salt, sugar, molasses, egg replacer and vanilla, mixing well.
4. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until well combined. 
5. Cover and refrigerate overnight (trust me on this, it lets the gluten free flour absorb the liquids and makes a more cohesive dough)
   
6. The next day, heat oven to 350°F.
7. Scoop tablespoons of the cookie dough and roll into balls. 
8. Roll the cookies in raw sugar and gently press each dough ball to flatten slightly. 
9. Place onto a parchment lined baking sheet at least 1" apart
   
10. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool on the sheets.