The Ultimate Healthy Gingersnaps
Yields: 18 gingersnaps
 
These gingersnap cookies are one of my all-time favorite holiday cookies! They’re supremely soft on the inside with a sweet, crunchy coating. Combined with the cozy spices and rich molasses, they make for one seriously irresistible treat! Leftovers will keep for at least 3 days if stored in an airtight container on the counter or at least one week if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
  • 1 ¾ cups (210g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
  • 1 ½ tsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 ¾ tsp ground ginger
  • ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ⅛ tsp ground cloves
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
  • 1 large egg white, room temperature
  • 2 ¼ tsp vanilla stevia
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup (60mL) nonfat milk, room temperature
  • ¼ cup (60mL) molasses
  • 3 tbsp (45g) granulated-style Swerve (or more, as needed)
  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg, vanilla stevia, and vanilla extract. Stir in the milk and molasses. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated.
  3. Divide the dough into 18 equal portions, and roll each into a ball. Working with one sphere at a time, roll in the granulated-style Swerve until coated. Place onto the prepared baking sheet. Flatten to the desired width using the flat bottom of a drinking glass. (These cookies don’t spread while baking!)
  4. Sprinkle the flattened cookie dough with a little more granulated-style Swerve, and gently press it down into the cookie dough with your fingertips. Bake at 325°F for 8-10 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Notes: Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends will work, if measured like this.

Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.

It's incredibly important to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That's the one I own and love!) Too much flour will make your cookies dry and cakey or crumbly.

The cornstarch helps keep the cookies soft and chewy. Don’t skip it!

Any type of milk can be substituted for the nonfat milk.

I do not recommend substituting anything for the molasses! Along with the ground ginger, it’s what creates the iconic gingersnap flavor: deep, complex, rich, and cozy. This is the kind that I use, and it’s completely shelf-stable. You can generally find it near the honey on the baking aisle, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine too!

I highly recommend using the vanilla stevia! It’s one of my favorite ingredients, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too. Although you can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, I buy mine online here because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found.

If you prefer not to use the vanilla stevia, then substitute 1 cup (192g) of coconut sugar, brown sugar, or granulated sugar AND omit the milk. If using this substitution, chill the cookie dough for at least 1 hour after Step 2. After chilling, if the cookie dough is still too sticky to roll, then using a spoon and spatula (or a cookie scoop), drop one portion of cookie dough into rounded mounds in the bowl of granulated-style Swerve (or sugar). Rotate it until it’s fully coated; then roll it between your palms into a ball. Drop it back in the granulated-style Swerve (or sugar), coat again, and place on the prepared baking sheet. Do not flatten the cookies; they should spread fairly well while baking.

This is the granulated-style Swerve that I use! It measures cup-for-cup like granulated sugar (and basically tastes like it too!). If you prefer not to use the granulated-style Swerve, then substitute coconut or granulated sugar.

These cookies are on the smaller side. If you prefer to make around 12-14 cookies instead so they’re bigger, that’s perfectly fine! They may need to bake for an extra 1-2 minutes. The cookies will be done when the centers still feel slightly underdone. (They’ll continue to cook through on the warm baking sheet at the end of Step 4!)

{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, lower sugar}
Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2017/11/28/the-ultimate-healthy-gingersnaps/