Ginger Spice Gluten Free Sourdough Cookies
These cookies are soft and remind me of my sister’s ginger cream cookie recipe from my childhood! They are sweet and slightly spicy from the ground ginger, cinnamon and cloves. So delicious with the frosting, too! The best part is that they are SOURDOUGH! Easy to digest and assimilate the nutrients in the gluten free flour. Plus, they are an excellent cookie around the holidays when you want something sweet and gingery.
Sourdough cookies? Yes! The sourdough makes them soft and really helps get rid of the “grit” that can come from baking with gluten free flour. Plus, they are so good and healthy!!
What do I need?
First, you need a gluten free sourdough starter. Confused on what that is, see my guide to gluten free sourdough. Next, dairy free butter and gluten free flour. I make my own flour from organic brown rice and organic sorghum and then add tapioca starch. A gluten free flour blend (like a 1:1 mix) will work, too.
Ingredients:
- Dairy free butter
- Active sourdough starter, ideally fed the same day or the day before- does not need to be at peak fermentation process to still work
- Gluten free flour
- Brown sugar
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
- Cinnamon
- Ground Ginger
- Ground Cloves
- Baking soda
- Sea salt
- Powdered sugar (for the frosting/icing)
- water
Tips:
- You will need to ferment the sourdough starter, gf flour and dairy free butter for 2 hours at room temperature before adding the rest of the ingredients.
- Once it’s fermented on the counter at room temperature for 2 hours, then place it in the mixer and add the rest of the ingredients.
- Place the cookie dough in a glass or plastic bowl with a tight fitting lid and then place in the refrigerator for 12-72 hours to do a cold ferment. The longer the ferment, the more the grains get softer (less grit that can come with gf grains) and makes it easier to digest. I have baked them at 12 hours and at the 72 hour mark. I prefer the longer ferment. The taste is exactly the same, but the texture of the cookie is more smooth like traditional wheat.
- Once you’ve let the dough cold ferment for the desired length of time, then proceed to bake them.
- Bake until set and lightly golden brown on the edges.
- Cool completely before frosting the cookies.
Storage
Once the cookies have cooled completely and you have frosted them. Allow the icing to set. Then, store in an airtight container. I like to put a layer of cookies, then cut a small piece of parchment paper to cover the cookies, then add another layer of cookies to the container and repeat the process. My containers seem to be tall and not very wide, so this method works well for storing cookies. They will stay fresh for 2-3 days. You can freeze them for up to 6 months.
Soft Ginger Spice Gluten Free Sourdough Cookies
These soft sourdough ginger spice cookies are gluten free and dairy free. The sourdough helps break down the phytic acid from the grains in the gluten free flour, making it easier to digest and assimilate the vitamins and minerals. Sourdough gives them a mild sweet flavor, enhancing the spiced flavor. Delicious with icing or without!
Ingredients
- 1 cup dairy free butter melted
- 1/2 cup active gluten free sourdough starter
- 2 1/2 cups gluten free flour with xanthan gum OR 1 1/2 cups brown rice flour and 1 cup tapioca starch plus 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
For the Frosting
- 2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3-4 Tablespoons Water
Instructions
- First place the melted butter, gf flour blend and sourdough starter in the mixer and mix until combined.
- Transfer the flour/butter/starter mixture to a glass or plastic bowl and cover tightly. Leave on the counter at room temperature to ferment for 2 hours.
- Once the mixture has fermented for 2 hours, place it back in the mixer
- Next, add the sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, xanthan gum (if your mix doesn't have it), ground ginger, cinnamon, ground cloves, salt and baking soda and mix until smooth.
- The cookie dough should be soft, but not runny. If your dough is runny like cake batter, add 1/2 cup more of gf flour and mix it in. If it's really stiff, or crumbly like you can't mix it, add a bit of dairy free milk to the dough and stir until it's a soft dough.
Now for the long ferment:
- Transfer to a glass or plastic bowl (sourdough doesn't like metal) and cover tightly.
- Place in the refrigerator and allow to chill and cold-ferment for 12 hours and up to 72 hours. *See notes
- Once you are ready to bake them, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
- Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease them.
- Using a cookie scoop, place on prepared pan, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until set and the edges are light brown.
- Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Cool completely before frosting.
For the Frosting:
- In a medium sized bowl, combine the powdered sugar, 3 Tablespoons of water and vanilla and whisk until smooth. If it's too thick, add a bit more water to get the consistency that you want.
- Frost each cookie and allow to set before storing them.
- Store in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Can be frozen for up to 6 months.
- Enjoy!!
Notes
* You can long ferment them for 12 to 72 hours in the refrigerator. There is no difference in taste, but the texture is smoother the longer you ferment them. I prefer to ferment my dough for at least 2 days and wow, it's so soft and smooth, very similar to traditional wheat texture. It helps break down the "grit" that can be found in some gf flours.
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