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!
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!