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I've already made five batches of these candied ginger cranberry cookies. Five batches!!! Meanwhile, I've been trying to finish our Christmas tree for three weeks and up until today, it only had lights and one ornament. I'm sure you can see where my priorities are.
But really, it's hard for me to get anything done these days. You know you're short on free time when you start contemplating calling the babysitter so you can spend a half hour on the Christmas tree. Or take a nap.
I'm really excited to share these cookies and here's why. My blog is coming up on five years old and I've been trying to pull off a cookie recipe pretty much since day one. In particular, it's this cookie recipe that I've been struggling with. The funny thing is, I've been making this every Christmas for the last ten years. Let me explain...
We got a similar recipe for lemon ginger cookies from a bed and breakfast we stayed at a long time ago. I made them a few weeks later for Christmas and they were requested every year after so I just kept making them.
After a diagnosis of gluten intolerance then later developing a dairy allergy, the original recipe has been altered a ton! I went with seasonal flavors this year too. I kept the candied ginger though because it's one of my favorite ingredients to bake with, even more than chocolate chips *gasp!* I just love the little spicy chewy pieces throughout the cookies.
So this final recipe has been perfected for a while now but here's where I went wrong - I didn't post it because I wanted to make my own flour blend instead of using a store bought gluten free flour. I've always developed all my own flours blends for the blog and I don't know why I didn't think I could use a store bought one.
Finally, I gave up had a change of heart and decided to just use the store bought gluten free flour version. I've been dying to share this recipe so why not share the same version I enjoy every year?
(I still want to make my own "cookie flour" blend but I'll save that for another day.)
Recipe
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Soft, yet crisp, cookies packed with sweet & spicy candied ginger pieces, tangy dried cranberries, and a just a hint of orange. Gluten free, dairy free.
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ C Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour *see notes
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ¾ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ C candied (crystalized) ginger *see notes
- ½ C coconut oil, softened
- ¾ C granulated white sugar, plus some extra for sprinkling on finished cookies
- juice from ¼ orange
- zest from 1 orange
- 1 large egg
- ½ C dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF.
- Whisk together the gluten free flour, baking soda, salt, and ground ginger.
- Use kitchen shears to cut the candied ginger into very small pieces (I like mine somewhere between the size of a pea and a chocolate chip.) Drop these pieces into the flour mixture and as you go, occasionally stir to coat the sticky pieces in flour which will keep them from clumping together. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together the coconut oil and the sugar. Once that is combined, mix in the orange juice, orange zest, and egg.
- Slowly add the flour mixture while continuing to mix until well combined.
- Fold in the cranberries by hand, using a rubber spatula.
- Scoop out the dough onto a cookie sheet using a cookie scoop and leave a little room between each cookie so they can spread out. (They should only spread a little but if you use butter in place of coconut oil, they will spread out a lot.)
- Bake for 8-10 minutes then remove from oven. Allow the cookies to rest on the cookie sheet for a few minutes then move them to a cooling rack while they're still warm.
Notes
I've tried this recipe with many types of "1 to 1" gluten free flours and some work, some don't (cookies fall apart). I can't remember all the brands that worked and which didn't but Bob's Red Mill was one that worked and also produced the best cookies. I recommend using that if you can.
Be sure to use candied/crystalized ginger and not ginger candies. I also don't recommend the dry, hard crystalized ginger you'd find in a spice jar but rather the large chewy slices. I purchased Melissa's crystalized ginger but you can also make your own.
Delicious cookies to share with friends and family. They will never guess that they are dairy and gluten free.
Can you use Vegan Butter instead of the Coconut oil in equal amounts?
Looking forward to making these, they look super yummy.
Thank you!
Hi Kelly. These have really good flavor with vegan butter but they do spread a little more. If you can use the earth balance baking sticks with soy, those tend to work a little better than the soy free. You would use equal amounts as the coconut oil. Just make sure to work with the butter as soon as it is softened and don’t let it get overly soft or melted. Hope you enjoy them!