Ginger Cookies, Vegan and Gluten-Free

 I wasn't going to participate in this week's Sunday Funday, until... I decided to try this cookie that a friend told me about.  She told me they were delicious, and she was right.  

I've had vegan, gluten-free cookies in the past, and honestly, chewing cardboard would have been tastier.  

These cookies kinda blew my mind, but in a very good way.   I was actually looking for a gluten-free cookie I could make to take to a gathering since one of the guests is celiac, and well, these not only fit the bill, but they all got eaten as well.    

And not only did they taste amazing, but they also came together fast and baked quickly.     Chewy, sweet and delicious.  Not to mention easy. 

This is my offering for Sunday Funday.  Ginger Cookies, Gluten-free and Vegan.  Camilla of Culinary Cam is our hostess this week, and asked us What's on Your Holiday Cookie Platter?  

And I wasn't going to participate, but then I got an email from a friend telling me about this cookie and I had to try it.  I googled several version for a recipe,  but settled on this one, and then played a little with it.   I even doubled the recipe with zero issues.     I added some finely minced candied ginger to the basic recipe and added a touch more allspice.   The original recipe called for coconut fat, but I didn't have any on hand and didn't want to go and buy a large jar, just for a single use.  

Can I just say this cookie is going in my regular rotation of cookies I make, along with my all time fav, my Kitchen Sink Cookies.  

Let me whet your appetite a little.   This is the mixture in the bowl, well what remains after I'd scooped some of it out to bake.   I used my smallest cookie scoop to make equal sized cookies. 

After I'd dipped each ball into sugar and placed them on the pan.  I then pressed each ball down a little before baking them. 

I loved how crackly they looked as they came out of the oven.   '

 

I did sample a few.  They were chewy, dense and totally delicious. 

I'll be adding them to my Christmas Cookie plates this year as well.    Check out what my fellow Sunday Funday bloggers are baking this week.

• A Panoply of Pistachio Cookies by Culinary Cam
• Bakery-Style Holiday Sprinkle Cookies byKaren's Kitchen Stories
• Citrusy Ginger Shortbread Cookies by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Egg Free Peanut Butter M&M Cookies by Mayuri's Jikoni
• Eggless Piped Chocolate Cookie by Sneha's Recipe
• Fruitcake Cookies by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Gingerbread Cookie Bars by Food Lust People Love
• Vegan Ginger Cookies by Sid's Sea Palm Cooking

  

Vegan Gluten-Free Ginger Cookie

Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking adapted from many recipes

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 12 MinTotal time: 27 Min

Fabulous, chewy ginger cookies. You'd never believe it was vegan.

Ingredients

Cookie

• 1 cup almond flour
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 cup finely minced candied ginger dusted with one tablespoon cornstarch or gluten-free flour
• 4 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Molasses
• 1/3 cup raw sugar or cane sugar crystals for dipping the cookie balls into.

Instructions

1. Mix all the dry ingredients together, then add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well.
2. When mincing/dicing the candied ginger, sprinkle it with a tablespoon of gluten-free flour or cornstarch to prevent it from sticking to the knife and itself.
3. After mixing the dough, form into small balls, using a small cookie scoop, then dip them into the raw sugar and coat them, place them onto a parchment paper, and press them down lightly.
4. Bake in a 330-degree oven for about 10-12 minutes. Take out and let cool before taking them off the parchment paper, they are very soft, but will firm up.
5. Enjoy with a cup of coffee.

Estimate only

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @sidsseapalmcooking on instagram and hashtag it #Sidsseapalmcooking

Gluten Free Frangipane and Pear Tarts

Did you know it's National Pear Month?  Neither did I. But luckily, other people pay attention, and Wendy of A Day in The Life On The Farm, presented us with a bit of a challenge.  Her challenge: it's National Pear Month... let's show some love to this often-overlooked cousin of the apple.

Personally, I'm not fond of pears with a couple of exceptions.   My brother gave me some pears this past summer that were so good, but then they got ripe, and I had to make something out of them,  and ended up making this, which also happened to be part of a Sunday Funday Challenge.   I don't have any more of the Black Cherry Balsamic Vinegar; I used it all up.   But I remembered a Frangipane and Almond Pear Tart I made several years ago and decided to reimagine it, making it gluten-free.   Since I had some gluten-free flour on hand, I decided to use it and made some adjustments to the recipe since I only wanted to make a couple of small tarts.   But I was lazy and made the entire crust recipe, then froze the remainder for future tarts.  And I'm glad I did.  I've got a thing to go to the following week, and one of the people coming has severe gluten issues, so there will be something there for her as well.    I'm also making some Kransekage Stykker, cause I can, and making the almond paste from scratch for that, so I will also have an immediate use for the leftover egg whites.    If I have either whites or yolks left over from a recipe that only uses one, I'll freeze the other.  As an example, I love making 7-minute frosting, but I only use egg whites for that, so I'll freeze the egg yolks to be used later on.    I'll throw an extra one or two egg yolks into any cakes I'm making.  It doesn't disturb the ratios at all and, in fact, makes the cake just a tad richer tasting.  

Now that I've gotten that off my chest.  

I made some gluten-free Frangipane and Pear Tarts for Sunday Funday to celebrate National Pear Month.  Personally, I think it should be in September, but whatever. 

  

Here are a few pictures I took of the process. The dough, just after it came out of the food processor.

Rolled out and into the tart pans.

The dough is not very elastic, and does not stretch, and it tears a bit, but is very 'patchable'.

After laying out the pear pieces and pouring the filling over the top.

After baking...

The second baked tart, cut

I had to taste.

The only thing I think I'd do differently would be to add more pear pieces to the tarts, but other than that.  I really liked them.  Best of all, I have enough rolled-out tart dough and filling in the freezer to make a few more.     And if you're curious about what great recipes and ideas my fellow bloggers made, take a look. 

• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Arugula and Pear Salad 
• Culinary Cam: Brûléed Posset-Filled Pears 
• Palatable Pastime: Cranberry Pear Mostarda 
• Sid's Sea Palm Cooking: Gluten-free Frangipane Pear Tarts 
• Karen's Kitchen Stories: Pear and Cherry Sourdough Bread 
• Food Lust People Love: Pear Crisps 
• Sneha's Recipe: Protein Packed Winter Veggies & Fruit Salad 
• Amy's Cooking Adventures: Roasted Pear & Beet Salad 
• Mayuri's Jikoni: Roasted Pear Crostini 
• Our Good Life: Sparkling Pear Salad Dressing 

Gluten Free Frangipane and Pear Tart

Yield: 2-6

Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking, adapted from many recipes

For all the gluten-free people. This tart could be totally enjoyed by anyone, gluten-free or not. The dough is a touch tricky to roll out, but the flavour is amazing.

Ingredients

Dough

• 1 1/4 cups gluten-free flour
• 2 egg yolks- stirred together
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 9 tablespoons cold butter, cut up

Filling

• 4 oz. almond paste, broken up slightly into smaller pieces
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 4 oz. room temperature butter
• 1/4 cup gluten-free flour
• 1-2 pears, peeled and cut up.

Instructions

Crust

1. Add the gluten-free flour and sugar to a food processor, then add the cold, cut butter and process until the butter has blended into the flour.
2. Add the egg yolks and cider vinegar and process until it starts to ball up. Remove from the food processor and bring it together into a ball. Then cut it into 6 or 7 equal pieces ( a scale works great here) if making individual tarts. Flatten slightly and place into the fridge for a few minutes to firm up the butter, wrapping tightly. If making one large tart, flatten the dough slightly, wrap it in plastic wrap, and place it in the fridge for a few minutes to firm up the butter.
3. Take out either a large tart pan with a removable bottom or individual tart pans and set them aside.
4. I like to roll out the dough in between two sheets of parchment paper, sprinkling the paper with a little gluten-free flour if needed to prevent the dough from sticking too much. Keeping in mind that this is a very sticky dough and has no gluten, it will also act differently.

Filling

1. Add all the ingredients apart from the pears into a food processor and blend until smooth.
2. Lay the peeled and cut pears into a prepared tart shell, and pour the processed almond filling over the pears, being careful to not overfill.
3. Bake for 20 minutes if doing individual tarts, or 30 minutes if making a large tart, until golden.
4. Remove from tart pans when cool.

 

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @sidsseapalmcooking on Instagram and hashtag it #Sidsseapalmcooking