Elana's Pantry

New York Times Bestselling author Elana Amsterdam founded Elana’s Pantry, the go-to website for easy, healthy, grain-free, Paleo recipes, in 2006

gingersnaps

Gingersnaps

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Gluten-free Gingersnaps are a deliciously addictive Christmas cookie that’s super easy to make. My healthy version contains a nice dose of anti-inflammatory ginger. That’s because I’m passionate about creating desserts that taste incredible while containing super foods. My recipes are a win-win for everyone!

Easy Low-Carb Gingersnaps Recipe

These low-carb Gingersnaps are the perfect holiday cookie. My children and I have been baking quite a lot of gluten-free Christmas cookies lately. I find this ginger cookie recipe especially easy to make and so do the boys. That’s why I was asked to prepare it live on Colorado’s “Everyday” Show. The program aired on our local Fox News Station.

Print Recipe
Gingersnaps
Serves:16cookies
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl combine almond flour, arrowroot, salt, baking soda, ginger, and cinnamon
  2. In a medium bowl combine shortening, honey, and vanilla
  3. Mix dry ingredients into wet
  4. Knead dough by hand, until it comes together
  5. Scoop 1 tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball
  6. Briefly dip ball into a small bowl of water
  7. Roll wet ball in coconut sugar to coat
  8. Place ball on parchment paper lined baking sheet
  9. Flatten ball with palm of your hand
  10. Bake at 350°F for 7-8 minutes
  11. Cool and serve

Forming the Dough

I’ve made this recipe dozens of times and it comes out perfectly for us! If you live in a dry climate and your dough does not easily come together, feel free to add one extra tablespoon of honey which will do the trick. I haven’t ever had to do this, but want to troubleshoot for you just in case!

Healthy Christmas Cookie Recipes

I went on Twitter recently to ask folks a few questions about the holidays. I was having trouble deciding which cookies are appropriate for Christmas. The verdict was that my Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies are indeed a Christmas treat.

Low-Carb Christmas Cookie Recipes

If you’re looking for other low-carb Christmas cookie recipes you’ll love these!

Watch Me Prepare Gingersnaps on Live TV

Here’s the video to show you how to make my Gingersnaps recipe!

Comments

  1. I subbed butter for Palm shortening. I see many had problems getting them to hold together. I just worked and almost kneaded it. It came together within a few mins of mixing. I am trying to make some healthy cookies for a friend with cancer. These got both my and my hubbies approval. and were gone in a matte of mins :D I think next time I will just add a bit more spice.

    Reply

  2. These cookies have a great “snap” I am going to make some more, I have substituted butter, and Swerve for the honey, and added 1/4 t. nutmeg, just dab cookies with water while patting down if necessary, these taste awesome! Thanks Elana for another great grain free recipe.

    Reply

  3. I made these yesterday substituting 3 TBSP butter for the palm shortening. Otherwise exactly as written. Delicious! Fantastic! Helped me resist making that (NYT) stout gingercake recipe that has tons of sugar and flour…Thanks very much!

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    • Thank you! I scrolled down to see what I could replace the shortening with and didn’t have to look very long! Butter sounds PERFECT! Will get my son to make some of these tonight.

      Reply

  4. I bake using your wonderful almond flour recipes at least 3X wkly and this is the first recipe I haven’t been happy with. It has way too much vanilla for my liking. No biggie, next time I’ll simply use 1 tsp. as opposed to 1 Tbs. Thanks so much for all your recipe’s, Elana. I’ve been waiting anxiously for your almond flour cookbook to arrive from Amazon.ca and I don’t know what’s taking so long as I usually get their orders within 3 days. Can’t wait to see it!!!

    Reply

  8. I loved this recipe!! The only thing problem is that all my cookies stuck to the parchment paper terribly. They tasted great but weren’t really cookies, mostly crumbles :(
    Any suggestions to avoid that next time?

    Reply

  9. I just made a batch of these for the first time, adding in a 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg for punch, and they turned out great (despite only having Bob’s Red Mill almond flour on hand). They just needed an extra 2 minutes in the oven.

    Reply

  10. For anyone interested in a molasses ginger cookie – I subbed 2 Tbls molasses for the honey and added 1 Tbls maple syrup. I also used almond meal instead of blanched flour and they turned out wonderfully!

    Reply

  11. These turned out perfectly!! One of my favorite cookie recipes you’ve posted so far Elana!! You’re on a great recipe streak right now…keep it up! :) I rolled these in cinnamon sugar instead of just sugar (I didn’t have coconut sugar). They were delicious!

    Reply

  13. I was absolutely ecstatic when I found this recipe! Due to some health issues, I have a lot of restrictions with my diet. The holiday’s can be particularly rough with all the sweets hanging around just taunting you to eat them! I love, love, love, gingersnaps, and was having a difficult time making the traditional cookie recipe for friends and family,( I can’t seem to convert them to a gluten free lifestyle),when I stumbled across this recipe!I finally feel like I can enjoy something alongside friends and family, and not feel completely deprived!

    Thank you again for this wonderful recipe!

    Jessica Hoopes

    Reply

  14. Elana, these were great. Crunchy on the outside, and soft on the inside. My daughter and I love them.

    One tip for the readers – when Elana says flatten them – FLATTEN THEM. Put a little oil on the bottom of a cup, and press down to flatten to your preference. These cookies do not spread at all.

    Reply

  15. Lovely recipe!
    I tried this out last night, and it was incredibly easy. For the ginger, I used half ground powdered and half fresh ginger that I chopped myself. I also used butter in place of shortening and granulated erythritol (a sugar alcohol) for rolling it in. Everything turned out well!

    The only thing was that I only had enough for 12 20g cookies, about 2 inches in diameter. Other than that, really great!

    Reply

  16. Awesome Gingersnaps Elana! Bravo again! I used coconut oil instead of shortening. I will be making another batch or two before Christmas!

    Reply

  17. Hi there! I tried these cookies last week and they were awesome! My question: could I freeze the dough to bake later? I’ve done it with doughs that use flour, but never almond flour. Any difference? Any recommendation is appreciated!

    Thanks,
    Syd from Halifax

    Reply

  18. Just made a double batch of these cookies a few minutes ago and they are WONDERFUL! Made a several changes though. Added 1 tsp each of ground cloves & ground cardamon (for 2 batches). Also reduced the oil by 1 TBS (still for two batches, so I used 5 TBS alltogether), added some lemon extract as well and 4 TBS of coconut flour instead of arrowroot to make it SCD legal.I also increased the honey by 2 TBS (for 2 batches still) and added a tad more almod flour to get the right consistency. Did not roll cookies in date sugar as I didn’t have any and don’t know if that would be SCD legal anyway.
    Then I whipped 2 eggwhites and foulded it into the batter at the end. This made the consistency much better and the cookies felt much less gresy. The whipped eggwhites makes quite a diference and I will add that to any cookie/cracker recipe from now on. This is now one of my favorite cookies and it tastes just like Xmas:-).

    Reply

  19. I made these yesterday, and they are gone today. My whole family loved them–they are the only ginger cookies my husband has ever liked. I used the cheaper Trader Joe’s almond meal because it was what I had on hand, and they came out great! Thank you. :)

    Reply

  20. Made these today and they are delicious! Used organic butter (ended up melting it all to incorporated the honey/vanilla) and rolled in unrefined sugar. I also added a little bit of allspice to add to the depth. Definately a keeper!

    Reply

  21. I have a quick question. For the directions you state to pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Should I be melting the vegan shortening before mixing with the vanilla and honey?

    Reply

  22. These are amazing. They remind me of the cookies we used to get in Nurnberg Germany when I was a little girl.

    Reply

  24. Just made these cookies this afternnon, and my three kids all loved them! I substituted butter in place of the shortening. They had to bake a couple of minutes longer, but were absolutely delicious! Will be making another batch very soon! Thanks Elana for another great recipe!

    Reply

  25. Elana, these sound wonderful and are such an appropriate treat for the holidays. From your post and the rave reviews of your readers, I know I will have to make these.

    Reply

  26. I just want to say that I’ve been using and recommending your wonderful blog and recipes for some time now. We have a lot of gluten free patients in our Health Center in Hillsborough and are running workshops for them too. Your recipes inspired us to host the First International Gluten-Free Cookie Exchange which will be on December 19th. Details at http://www.youhealit.com/events

    Reply

  27. I made these yesterday and they were delicious!!! You cannot tell that they are gluten free! Thanks for the recipe Elana.

    Reply

    • Lavina, you’re welcome! Thanks for letting me know these are so delicious you can’t tell they’re gluten-free :-)

      Reply

  29. Oh thank you for sharing this one! I have to bring gluten free cookies to a holiday party on Friday and this is what I’m bringing. Can’t wait to ry them.

    Reply

  30. They’re delicious! Absolutely perfect. FYI, I always substitute coconut oil when you say to use the vegan shortening and it always comes out great. This is my 4th recipe doing that in. I know you were starting to use coconut oil more so thought you might appreciate that

    Reply

  32. Adaptions galore and it worked out great. I ground my own almond flour with skins on. Used ground gluten free oat flour instead of arrowroot. Rolled in sugar cinnamon mix instead of putting it in cookie. Finally used coconut oil instead of vegan shortening. Also cooked for 9 min. So good so simple. Thanks for such simple easy recipes.

    Reply

  33. I just made these with my two and a half year old and they are absolutely delicious!! I used 3 tablespoons of Organic salted butter instead of the shortening and they turned out perfectly! Thanks Elana!

    Reply

  35. Hi Elana,

    I don’t know a lot about gluten free baking, so I was wondering what the 2 tablespoons of arrowroot does for the recipe? I know it’s used as a thickener for sauces, but what does it do here?

    Reply

  36. i was stressed today. then i made these cookies. not stressed anymore;) these are delish and perfect for the holidays!! i think i would like to try adding some real ginger to them next time! i like that big spicy flavor it brings. anyone else tried it? if so, how much?

    Reply

  37. I just happened to read your post 10 minutes ago so I was able to catch you on the show online! How fun! You did a great job :)

    Reply

  38. Elana,
    I too have Celiac and have struggled with low blood sugar my whole life. I was told by my naturopath almost two years ago that I am allergice to cane and beet sugars, but I confess I haven’t taken it very seriously. SOunds silly doesn’t it. My blood sugar hovers around 45 and tops out after a big meal as high as 60. I never knew there was a connection! I’m going to try these ginger snaps, AND I am going off sugar. Thank you for your diligence, you are such a good example to me. I’m off to clean my kitchen and prepare to be cane and beet sugar free!
    Angie

    Reply

  39. Oh I cannot wait to make these! I was just thinking how I can make gingerbread/snaps work for me and this is PERFECT!

    Any cookie is good for Christmas! I think it’s mostly about traditions. Whichever cookie your family loves whether it’s chocolate chip, sugar cookies in various shapes, or gingerbread.

    Reply

  40. These cookies look really delicious and perfect for the festive season to come. They remind me of an old fashion swedish cookie that was around when I grew up!

    Reply

  41. Sounds very tasty! Since I live in Europe, what is vegan shortening? I think I’ve never heard about it. What can I substitute it with (doesn’t need to be vegan)?

    Reply

  42. Just pointing out that this recipe isn’t vegan. It contains honey. Since honey will keep the dough together, subsituting maple syrup etc probably wouldn’t work, but the traditional gingersnap ingredient of golden syrup probably would. It’s made by Tate & Lyle.

    Please ask if you are making this recipe for a vegan. Most won’t eat honey, although a few do.

    Reply

  43. My son is celiac and i have to bake gluten free. Looking forward to trying out this recipe it sounds so yummy.

    Reply

  44. Any chance of a molassas ginger cookie? Such memories of those. These will do till then. Maybe I’ll try putting some molassas in and reducing the other sweetner….. They look so good!

    Reply

  46. I just made these tonight and they are delicious! My husband and two boys loved them. :) Thanks for such a great recipe.

    Reply

  48. I have kind of strayed away from using specialty flours – mostly because I was scared of them! Well, now I am starting to see some pretty good reasons to get some, especially blanched almond flour. Wow – they look so crispy and delicious. Thanks for reminding me to step out of my comfort zone a little more often ;)

    Erika

    Reply

  49. These look delicious. I’m finding that I’m really enjoying the “primal” baking lately. I think the results are generally tastier than the gluten-free grain-based stuff. Now if I could only come up with a vegan grain-free muffin/quick bread recipe that rocked the world. (hint hint)

    Reply

  50. Lovely! I find Buckwheat honey to have a very molasses-y flavor so I use it in my grain free, sugar free ginger breads. I bet it would be wonderful in these cookies too!

    Reply

  51. elana-
    these look lovely, and i have been begging around the blogosphere for an egg-free & grain-free gingersnap recipe. you must have sensed my desperation! do you think i could use coconut oil in place of shortening? the stores ’round these parts don’t carry anything that isn’t country crock, and i have a pantry full of coconut oil!
    thanks a bil!
    liz

    Reply

    • Not Elana, but I would say coconut oil would work, though you might need just a wee bit less, as it’s more dense (less water) than shortening. I’d try 2.5 T coconut oil + 1/2 T. water.

      Reply

  52. Hi Elana,
    I love your cookie recipes- can’t wait to try both the gingersnaps and the peanut butter and jelly ones! However, we only have coconut oil and butter available at our household, no vegan shortening currently in sight. Any ideas on which might be the better substitute? I don’t want to go to the trouble and waste good ingredients if you have an opinion either way. Thank you!!!!

    Reply

  53. I had some gingersnaps that a cousin of mine makes…triple ginger. They had tiny chopped up ginger in them…I Love gingersnaps and can’t wait to try these. I would try to add fresh ginger to them as well.

    Reply

  55. Ooooooo….I can just see that light, crispy cookie floating my way! Pressed like a fried plantain with crispy indentations along the rim and a delicate, soft center…nothing makes this warm December feel like wintery Christmas quite like a little ginger and a warm kitchen! Nice work!

    Reply

  57. Stacy, I have also heard that palm sugar is a non-renewable food. I’d be interested to learn more what you know about it. I’ve also heard that it is actually sustainable, and that once tapped, palm trees can produce sap for 20 years. You can read about that on this website:
    http://www.thespunkycoconut.com/search/label/Sweeteners

    I’ve started using palm sugar because it is low-glycemic, and actually good for you! I can’t have any sugar products, no matter how unrefined it is. I have a sensitivity to cane sugar. I’ve struggled with low blood sugar for most of my life, and cane sugar is a big culprit. Palm sugar is the first sweetener I’ve found that actually makes a crunchy cookie.

    Elana, thank you for posting this recipe. I looked all over for a sugar free ginger snap when I was pregnant, and never found one. Now I get to enjoy them, without the pregnancy nausea. Maybe my two year old will like them too. :)

    Reply

    • Stephanie, there’s a link to a tropical traditions page with the details about how coconut sugar kills coconut plants in harvesting on the link in the comment. I’ve spoken with them on the phone and can only trust they know what they’re talking about, but it is interesting that elsewhere information is out there about it being sustainable.

      We all have to do the best we can with what works with our body, it was a sad sad day when we decided to give up coconut sugar because we loved it for all those same reasons.

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      • Stacy & Kelly & everyone, I’ve been looking up information on coconut sugar, too, since I read the Tropical Traditions information. I see that my local Natural Grocers is now carrying coconut sugar labelled “sustainable” and they are usually pretty careful about the products they carry. So decided to do some more reading. What I found is that, if done correctly, the coconut flower can produce both coconuts and sap. The spadix apparently has lots of flowerets (thousands) and only 10 to 15 would grow into coconuts. The cut or tap in the spadix to collect sap can be made without affecting coconut production, according to the Phillipine Coconut Authority. Now, how to tell whether the particular products we have available are produced correctly is something I don’t know yet, but apparently it is possible.

        To confuse things further, you can also purchase palm sugar, which may or may not be coconut sugar. It can also be made from other varieties of palms, such as date palms.

        Anyhoo, I’ve decided to use a little coconut sugar once in a while. I’m looking forward to hearing any further information and will share any new info I find.

        Reply

  58. Elana, these look lovely as usual. I know palm sugar is delicious and lower on the glycemic index, but did you know it kills coconut trees?

    Reply

    • There are a lot of misconceptions going around about coconut palm sugar production. It’s been produced in Thailand as the main source of sugar for ages and coconut palms are not in any danger of disappearing and it does not drive up the prices of other coconut products.

      Most important thing to note about coconut nectar: coconut palms blossom and fruit continuously, so there is plenty of nectar and fruit to go around!

      More info:
      ” Coconut palm sugar is produced from Coco Nucifera, the green coconut tree. Palm trees are believed to be the oldest flowering tree on the planet and have had millions of years to adapt and perfect it’s existence in the place it prefers to live; the tropics. If you’ve ever been to the tropics, you know that coconut trees are extremely prolific and coconuts are always being produced. They live in the rainforest and on sandy beaches of deserted islands; seems they can grow pretty much anywhere. So, here is one key point on the sustainability of the coconut tree – it grows almost anywhere in the tropics and requires very little care, if any.

      Because the coconut palm sugar is produced from the nectar that feeds the coconuts production and if coconuts are always being produced from the tree, this means the nectar is always flowing. It is said that coconut palm sugar is 50% – 75% more productive than cane sugar per hectare because of this. Cane sugar is an annual crop, whereas coconut palm sugar has daily harvesting, every day of the year.

      Some other key sustainability points:
      Coconut trees are soil builders
      Coconut trees help prevent erosion
      Coconut trees can provide multiple items for life; timber for building, the leaves used as roofing, coconuts as food, coconut water as beverage, coconut husk for fuel and coconut nectar as a sugar.”

      Reply

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