We couldn’t make it through the holiday baking season and not pay homage to our favorite seasonal bar -- Ginger Snap. Cue our ultimate Cacao Ginger Cookie. We developed a recipe that could be used two ways: as a soft-baked gingersnap, and as an iced gingerbread cut-out. This cookie is a crowd pleaser: it’s vegan and gluten free, yet bold and soul-warming. Dare we say this is the only ginger cookie you’ll need this holiday season.
Ingredients:
1 stick vegan or dairy butter
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup oat flour
¼ cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup cornstarch or arrowroot starch
¼ cup Tanzania cacao powder
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ tsp salt
Soft-Baked Cacao Ginger Cookies
A blend of earthy oat, buckwheat and cacao amplify the lively flavors of rich molasses and the generous blend of spices. Turbinado sugar rounds out this cookie to a just-sweet-enough level of sweetness, while giving it that sparkle and crunch that compliment the spicy ginger in this cookie perfectly. Take it to the next level by hiding a single piece of baking chocolate in the center.
Additional Assembly Ingredients:
~⅓ cup Raaka Maple Dark Baking Chocolate
½ cup turbinado sugar
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350º.
- With a mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add molasses and vanilla and incorporate.
- Whisk together flours, cacao, baking soda, salt and spices, slowly beat into butter mixture until just combined.
- Scoop 1.5-2 tablespoon sized balls of dough, folding 1 piece of baking chocolate into the center of each. Roll into balls.
- Slightly press down cookies for flatter, larger cookies, or keep as a ball for a thicker cookie. Roll all sides in turbinado sugar, and space out on lined baking tray.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool on baking tray before removing.
Iced Gingerbread Cut-Out Cookies
Our Gingerbread Cut-Out Cookies bring on the nostalgic vibes with the added twist of unroasted Tanzanian cacao. The cacao, along with buckwheat, oat flour and spices make this cookie the coziest treat to warm up with after spending time outside playing in the snow on a cold winter day.
Additional Assembly Ingredients:
Chocolate Icing:
1/2 cup Classic Dark of Maple Dark Baking Chocolate
White Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
Dash of vanilla or lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons water
Steps:
- With a mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add molasses and vanilla and incorporate.
- Whisk together flours, cacao, baking soda, salt and spices, slowly beat into butter mixture until just combined.
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Form a disk with cookie dough, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour.
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Preheat oven to 350º.
- Remove from fridge, roll to ⅛ inch on a floured surface, and use cookie cutters to create your cookies. Carefully transfer to lined baking tray.
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Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool on tray before removing and icing.
- Chocolate icing: Simply melt down chocolate, add to piping bag and pipe over cookies as desired.
- White icing: Whisk together all ingredients, slowly adding water until you achieve the desired consistency. Icing should be thick like molasses or maple syrup. Add to piping bag and glaze cookie as desired.
- Let iced cookies set until dry to the touch. Enjoy!