Gingersnaps Recipe: A Classic Dairy-Free Cookie with Lemon Glaze

Everyone needs a good recipe for gingersnaps, and this simple one is naturally dairy free. These sweet and spicy cookies are perfect for holiday parties and gifting, or for dunking in milk beverage any old day.

This gingersnaps recipe with photo was shared with us by Culinary.net and AICR.org.

Special Diet Notes: Gingersnaps

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, and vegetarian.

For egg-free and vegan gingersnaps, swap in 2 tablespoons of aquafaba. Or in a pinch, you can use 1 to 2 tablespoons of dairy-free milk beverage, as needed, in place of the egg white until a soft dough forms.

Gingersnaps

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

25 mins

These basic gingersnaps are a pinch more wholesome than the rest, but still quite indulgent. Especially if you opt to top them with the simple lemon glaze.

Author: American Institute for Cancer Research

Serves: 24 cookies

Ingredients

Gingersnaps

¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1¼ teaspoons ground ginger
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup + 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
⅓ cup dairy-free shortening (see Shortening Note below)
2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses
1 large egg white (see post above for egg-free/vegan options)

Lemon Glaze (optional)

⅓ cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Instructions

Gingersnaps

Preheat your oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Put the flours, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
Put the ½ cup sugar and shortening in a medium mixing bowl. Beat with a hand mixer on medium-high speed until creamed, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the molasses and egg white and beat for 3 minutes. Add the dry ingredients and stir to combine, or use the mixer on low speed. Don’t over-mix the dough. It should form a soft ball.
Place the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in wide, shallow bowl. Roll about 1 tablespoon of dough into a 1-inch ball. Roll the ball in the sugar to coat, and place it on your prepared baking sheet. Repeat, spacing the dough balls 2 inches apart.
With the bottom of a glass, press each ball to flatten them into 1x3-inch disks.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Immediately remove the cookies to a wire rack.
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Lemon Glaze (optional)

While the cookies bake, add the powdered sugar and lemon juice to a small bowl, and whisk until smooth.
Using the tip of a knife, spread ¼ teaspoon glaze on top of each warm cookie then let them cool completely.

Notes

Shortening Note: The original recipe uses "dairy-free butter shortening sticks." I believe that means the recipe was created with Crisco Butter Flavor Baking Sticks. But we also like Nutiva or Spectrum for this recipe, which both use sustainable palm oil and are non-hydrogenated.