Yes, I know its past Christmas, but I’ve been so busy lately I haven’t had time to do anything and now I’m getting back into the swing of things.
In this post I’ve included two of my favorite holiday cookies, but honestly they are great all year around. The first is a chocolate gingerbread cookie and the second is a family favorite, Russian Tea Cakes. There are many variations out there for Russian Tea Cakes and they can go by many different names like Mexican wedding cookies for example.
These chocolate gingerbread cookies are soft and chewy in the center with a sugar coated crust on the outside and a burst of ginger. I’ve used both ground ginger as well as freshly grated ginger for the perfect balance of spice. These cookies are extremely simple to make but the dough must be chilled in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, so plan accordingly.
Yield: about two dozen
Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour 1 ½ cup + 1 tbsp
Xanthan Gum 1 tsp
Ground Ginger 1 tsp
Ground Cloves ¼ tsp
Ground Nutmeg ¼ tsp
Kosher Salt ¼ tsp
Cocoa Powder 1 tbsp
Palm Oil Shortening or Earth Balance ¼ lb (4 oz)
Fresh Grated Ginger 1 tbsp
Evaporated Cane Juice ½ cup + ¼ cup for rolling
Molasses ½ cup
Baking Soda 1 tsp
Hot water 1 ½ tsp
Chocolate Chips 1 cup
- Whisk together the all-purpose flour, xanthan gum, spices, salt, and cocoa powder.
- In a stand mixer cream the palm oil shortening (or Earth Balance) with the evaporated cane juice. Add the fresh ginger and molasses.
- In a small bowl stir together the baking soda and hot water until dissolved.
- Add half of the dry mixture to the ginger and molasses mixture. Mix in the baking soda and water mixture then add in the remaining dry ingredients. Blend until incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm. This will take at least 2 hours.
- Once dough is chilled, roll the dough into balls and toss in the remaining evaporated cane juice until covered. Place balls on a lined baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes at 325 degrees.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the tray for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. This is important since the cookies are fragile and can break apart while hot.
Yield: 2 dozen
Earth Balance 1 cup
Confectioners Sugar ½ cup + more for rolling
Vanilla Extract 2 tsp
Kosher Salt ¼ tsp
Gluten Free AP Flour Blend 2 ¼ cup
Xanthan Gum ½ tsp
Pecans or Walnuts, toasted and chopped 2/3 cup
- Whisk together the Gluten-Free AP Flour with the salt and xanthan gum. Set aside.
- Cream together the Earth Balance and confectioners sugar. Add in the vanilla and mix to combine.
- Slowly add in the dry mixture and then nuts. Mix until dough is formed.
- Scoop tablespoon sized balls place on a lined baking sheet. Dough can be placed close together on the baking sheet as these cookies do not spread. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until lightly brown.
- Once removed from the oven immediately place cookies in a bowl of confectioners sugar and toss to coat. Place the coated cookies on a cooling rack to completely cool. Once the cookies have cooled it is important to roll them in confectioners sugar again since the first sugar coating as a tendency to melt.
…up next vegan “sloppy joes”, wild rice and mushroom soup, and CINNAMON BUNS!!!
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