Vegan Oil-Free Gingerbread Cookies (grain-free)
Vegan oil-free gingerbread cookies, made with coconut flour and finely ground chia seeds (no chilling)! They are nut-free, grain-free, gluten-free, Paleo-friendly, and can also be made keto with sweetener swaps.
Servings: 2 dozen (2- to 3-inch cookies)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup 56 g coconut flour
- 40 grams 1/3 cup, lightly packed finely ground chia seeds (see notes)
- 3 tablespoons 27 g coconut sugar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup 118 mL water
- 1/4 cup 60 mL dark molasses
- Optional icing see notes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the coconut flour, chia flour, coconut sugar, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves and salt until blended.
- Stir in the water and molasses. Stir until completely blended. If the dough seems dry, add a few drops more water.
- Roll out the dough on a piece of parchment paper or wax paper to an even 1/8-inch thickness. Using 2- to 3-inch (5 to 7.5 cm) cookie cutters, cut out shapes from the rolled dough. (Note: You can use large or smaller shapes, but do all of one size (no matter the size) per baking sheet for even baking).
- Use a metal spatula to transfer the cookie shapes to the prepared baking sheet, spacing two inches apart. Re-roll the dough and cut out more shapes, repeating until all of the dough has been used.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 14 minutes until the surface of the cookies looks dry and the edges look a little bit crisp.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes and then use a spatula to transfer them to a cooling rack. Cool completely. Decorate as desired (see notes for powdered coconut sugar icing), or enjoy plain.
Notes
Keto Option: Replace the coconut sugar with the keto-friendly, measure-for-measure, granulated sweetener of your choice and the molasses with keto-friendly, measure for measure liquid sweetener.
Coconut Sugar Substitute: Use an equal amount of brown sugar.
Molasses Substitutes: An equal amount of maple syrup (or honey, if you are not following a vegan diet) can be used in place of the molasses.
Powdered Coconut Sugar Icing: Combine 1/4 cup of my DIY coconut sugar powdered sugar (or powdered sugar of choice) with a few drops of water until thick, drippy consistency. Place in a small zip-top bag, snip a tiny hole in the corner of the bag, and add a few decorative details to the cookies.
Storage: Store the cookies in an airtight container at cool room temperature for 3 days, the refrigerator for 1 week, or the freezer for up to six months.
How to Grind Chia Seeds:
Grind in a small blender or electric coffee mill.
Measure the amount of chia seeds called for in the recipe (in this case, 40 grams, which is about 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons whole chia seeds). Depending on the capacity of the device you are using, process all, or a portion of the seeds at a time. I suggest pulsing to grind, and shaking the coffee mill or blender (hold on to the lid!) in between pulses to ensure an even grind. Process until the seeds are a fine flour. Grind in a blender or food processor.
You will have the best results by grinding more than you need for this recipe. Most regular size blenders need at least 1 and 1/2 cups of ingredients to blend properly. Process the seed until finely ground and measure or weigh the amount needed for the recipe. If using cups, rather than weights to measure the flour, lightly pack the chia flour into the measuring cup(s) to achieve an accurate measurement.
Measure the amount of chia seeds called for in the recipe (in this case, 40 grams, which is about 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons whole chia seeds). Depending on the capacity of the device you are using, process all, or a portion of the seeds at a time. I suggest pulsing to grind, and shaking the coffee mill or blender (hold on to the lid!) in between pulses to ensure an even grind. Process until the seeds are a fine flour. Grind in a blender or food processor.
You will have the best results by grinding more than you need for this recipe. Most regular size blenders need at least 1 and 1/2 cups of ingredients to blend properly. Process the seed until finely ground and measure or weigh the amount needed for the recipe. If using cups, rather than weights to measure the flour, lightly pack the chia flour into the measuring cup(s) to achieve an accurate measurement.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 37kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 40mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g