Spicy, Soft and Chewy Gluten-Free Ginger Cookies

...And there's not a drop (or sprinkle?) of xanthan gum in this recipe, folks!  So if you want to make your gluten-free friend a special cookie this coming holiday season, you don't have to spend $12 on a bag of xanthan gum that you'll never use again (...let's avoid having it spill all over your pantry floor or cupboards, like it always seems to do in mine)!

I'm still experimenting with xanthan gum-free recipes, and I've found that making gluten-free bread without xanthan gum is pretty challenging.  It seems the dough doesn't want to rise as nicely.  But if you want to make a light pie crust or batch of cookies, all you need is a teaspoon or two of cold milled ground flaxseeds.  I heard about this baking secret from the gluten-free girl. (If you can make delicious gluten-free bread with flax, lemme know!)

Ok.  So maybe it isn't a secret.  I think I'm just a little behind, as with most things :).  And this is why I'm getting getting an early start on the holiday baking.

I can't wait to do a cookie exchange!  Only thing is, I think I might be the only one bringing a batch of gluten-free cookies.  But at least I'll be able to fool their taste buds into thinking that the chewiness is from gluten!

These Big Soft Ginger Cookies looked good.  But one thing I've learned from All-Recipes' recipes is that their members usually give THEIR OWN versions of the cookie/dessert 4 or 5 stars, but they seem to offer quite a few critiques of the original recipe.  So I read the tips and tweaked away, all the while remembering that I'd be working on a gluten-free version.

When using gums like xanthan and guar (What weird names.  Still feel like I'm speaking some sort of green-eyed alien language when saying them), more liquids are required.  I usually throw in a few extra eggs, or a bit more milk/water/etc.  But this time we're using ground flax mixed with a bit of hot water.  The result?  A cookie that isn't heavy.  Instead, it's soft, chewy, and even spicy.

That's how I like my ginger cookies, with a kick.  2 1/2 tsps of ginger did the trick for me.

Now that I've got you thinking about holiday baking, what Christmas cookie do you want to see gluten free?  Email me your requests starting.... now!

I can't seem to get my hands off of that Better Homes and Garden Magazine with all the pretty festive cookies on the cover.  But it's $10!  Guess what?  You can find those recipes by googling "Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Cookies".  First link, promise!  I'll be making a few of 'em.  Don't they look good?!

Spicy, Soft, and Chewy Gluten Free Ginger Cookies
Makes about 16 medium ginger cookies

Bowl 1
3/4 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup potato starch
1/4 cup teff flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup white rice flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp sea salt

Bowl 2
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
combine 2 tsp ground flax with 2 tsp boiling water (in another small bowl)
3 TBSP olive oil butter
3 TBSP non hydrogenated shortening
2 TBSP molasses

1/8 cup sugar for rolling cookies in...

Preheat oven to 350

Mix together all the dry ingredients in one big bowl.  In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients (I know sugar isn't wet, but you know :). And in yet another small bowl, stir together the flax and water. Then work everything together in the biggest bowl, don't be afraid to get your hands dirty.

Roll the cookies into little balls, then roll them in the extra 1/8 cup of sugar you set aside.  Place them on a cookie sheet about an inch apart on a greased cookie sheet, and flatten them a tad with your fingers (they will spread, but don't leave them as brown balls.  Doesn't look pretty on the cookie sheet this way, and won't cook evenly either. :)

Bake for 9- 10 minutes in your preheated 350 degree oven.