Healthy Ginger Cookie Recipe

Healthy Ginger Cookie Recipe
You asked for a healthy ginger cookie recipe, and here it is: a very healthy (but undeniably delicious!) ginger cookie recipe. No refined sugar, no unhealthy fats, no gluten, and lots of flavor! Plus fiber, protein, monounsaturated fat, and antioxidants. Plus, they’re vegan and dairy-free.
Truly a cookie for us all. Now let’s get baking!

My favorite thing about this healthy ginger cookie recipe is that it gives you a cookie you can eat all day.
Breakfast, tea time, late afternoon snack, dessert, midnight snack, and breakfast again!
Seriously, go wild. You can eat these healthy ginger treats all day every day with almost no regrets.
They are pillowy soft. Delicately spicy. Ooey-gooey in the center. Everything I want from a ginger cookie.
(If you are more of a crunchy gingersnap fan, I fear this may not be the healthy gingersnap recipe you are looking for…but soft ginger cookie lovers, stick around. You’re going to love these!)

What's in this Ginger Cookie Recipe?


Let me give you the highlights (but promise me you’ll stay with me!): avocados, maple syrup, molasses, oats, buckwheat and tapioca flour, chia seeds, and pu-erh tea.
So much good stuff!
I’ve heard about using avocado in cookies to replace butter, but I’ve never tried it before now. The healthy fat in the avocado really does work wonders as a butter substitute, and you would never know the difference! There’s no hint of guacamole, no suspicious green color…it’s basically magic.
For the oats, I experimented with a couple of different methods. I used a food processor to grind my oats as fine as I could get them, and I also bought oat flour. Both resulted in a tasty cookie, and the flavor and texture didn’t really vary. I must admit, however, aesthetically there was a huge difference.
So if someone were to ask you, “Is beauty all that matters?” and your response is, “What else is there?” I say: it’s worth buying oat flour if you don’t already have it. But if you don’t mind a lumpy-looking cookie, then whip out that food processor and grind away!
If you don’t happen to have oat, buckwheat, or tapioca flours in your pantry, and you don’t want to stock up for just one recipe, check out these gluten-free English muffins! They use all three ingredients, so you can start an alternative flour collection with two recipes locked and loaded.
To use up that tapioca flour, you can also try this hearty, healthy, gluten-free tapioca bread! Or, for extra labor of love, use it to make tapioca balls and brew your own boba!
Your buckwheat flour won’t go to waste, either…check out these almond scones (which also use oat flour!) and this maple pecan tea loaf… You can have a whole gluten-free tea party!

Sounds Great! Tell Me More…


These healthy gingersnaps are loaded with spices and molasses—essential elements of a ginger cookie! The deep, dark molasses flavor pairs perfectly with the earthiness of the buckwheat and the grounded sweetness of the maple syrup.
The sweet and spicy Pu-erh, with its warming cinnamon bark, ginger pieces, and sweet cinnamon oil, provides nuance and an extra punch of antioxidants. A double whammy of goodness!
While I am not a doctor, I think it is safe to argue that tea has a lot of awesome health benefits. One could also argue that because it is fermented, Pu-erh is one of the healthiest types of tea out there.
This healthy ginger cookie recipe uses Pu-erh in two ways: steeped tea to use in your chia egg, and ground leaves to incorporate directly into your cookie batter. This not only does wonders for the flavor of the cookie, but it also amps up the health benefits—which is of course what you want from a healthy ginger cookie. Plus, it gives you the chance to not only enjoy your daily cuppa but also eat your tea leaves, which is always a treat.
If Pu-erh isn’t your thing, (though I strongly recommend it for this recipe!) you can always swap it out for your favorite ginger tea. Comfort Blend, Rejuvenation Blend, or even Just Ginger would all be delicious.

And With All That Healthy Stuff, They Still Taste Good, Right?


Ginger molasses cookies are a favorite of mine—especially around the holidays—so it was fun to play with a recipe that highlights those same flavors and that same deliciously soft texture but isn’t so indulgent. These cookies definitely checked all of my cookie happiness boxes, with a consistency somewhere between cakey and fudgy, and I swear no one would ever know what is in them. (Or what isn’t.)
They are very tasty, and I am happy to have them in my cookie arsenal, especially for my gluten-free and vegan friends! And for those days when I want to eat cookies 24/7.
I will admit, they do taste healthier than a traditional cookie. But in a subtle “did you use a bit of whole wheat flour in these?” kind of way rather than a “these are made of avocados and chia seeds? Yeah, I can tell,” kind of way.
I was also amazed at how well they held up on day two and even day three!
Trust me, though, when I say, they do not hold up on day five. But no worries! You’ll be snacking on these gingery beauties morning, noon, and night; none of them will make it to day five! I only held on to mine that long for the sake of recipe-testing science.
The sweetness of this cookie is subtle, which is plenty for some people, but if your sweet tooth is craving a little extra sweetness, you may want to go for that classic molasses ginger cookie feeling and sprinkle a bit of sugar atop each one. For your first batch, you could always try a combination of plain and sugar-dusted cookies to see which you prefer.
I used a smattering of Plum Deluxe sugar dust on a portion of my cookies and that little boost of sweetness was lovely! The Maple Dust with pulverized maple syrup and organic coconut sugar paired especially well! You could also whip up a quick glaze to drizzle over the top. Divine. Whether they are topped with a touch of sugar, drizzled with a hint of glaze, or going au natural, they are the perfect healthy cookie to pair with your favorite Plum Deluxe teas.
So brew yourself a healthy dose of Pu-erh, pre-heat that oven, and get ready to fall in love with your new favorite healthy ginger cookie.

Healthy Ginger Cookie Recipe


Ingredients:
  • 1 large avocado (or 1 and 1/2 - 2 small avocados, about 3/4 - 1 cup)
  • 8 ounces strongly brewed Rainy Day Pu-erh (or ginger tea of choice), divided. Save tea leaves for later use.
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds*
  • 2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 1/3 – 1/2 cup maple syrup, depending on desired sweetness
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  • 1 teaspoon dry loose leaf Pu-erh (or ginger tea of choice)**
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger (add 1/4 teaspoon if you like an especially lingering spice to your cookie, reduce to 1/2 teaspoon if you are sensitive to ginger spice.)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup oat flour
  • 1/2 cup tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour.)
  • 3/4 cup buckwheat flour
  • Plum Deluxe Maple Dust for sprinkling, if desired

*If you are not vegan and do not have chia seeds on hand, feel free to substitute the chia for a traditional chicken egg. Please note, however, the flavor may be affected because the extra Pu-erh from the chia will not be included.
**If you don’t have a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, feel free to leave this out and double the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
Directions:
Brew your Pu-erh tea or ginger tea of choice, set aside to cool. Save your used tea leaves for later.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. (Or skip this step until your cookie dough has chilled and you are ready to bake your cookies.)
Assemble your chia egg. Combine your chia seeds with 2 and 1/2 tablespoon Pu-erh, let sit for 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
Using a stand mixer, beat avocado on medium speed until creamy. (This can also be done with a hand mixer or by hand with a whisk. If you have a stand mixer, though, I like to turn mine on and let the avocados churn while I assemble my other ingredients.)
In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in 1/3 cup of Pu-erh. (You may have some tea left over. Feel free to sip on it while you bake.)
To your avocado, add molasses, maple syrup, chia egg, and your baking soda mixture. Mix for several minutes to thoroughly combine. (Again, if using a stand mixer, you can just walk away for a bit or move onto the next step while it mixes.)
Using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle (or a well-cleaned coffee grinder), grind your leftover Pu-erh leaves and additional 1 tsp dry tea leaves to a fine powder.*
Add spices. (Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, tea leaves, and salt.) Mix to combine.
Add oat flour and tapioca starch. Mix to combine.
Add buckwheat flour. Gently fold it in until just combined, being careful not to overmix! Overworking buckwheat flour can result in a tough texture.
Cover and chill for one hour.
Drop by rounded tablespoonful** onto greased or lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle with Maple Dust, if desired.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set.
Cool 10 minutes on a cookie sheet, then finish cooling on a wire rack.
Enjoy!
Store leftover cookies in an airtight container in the fridge or at room temperature for up to four days.
Yield: About 2 dozen cookies
Note: One hour is recommended for chilling. You can skip this step if you’d like, but the recipe was not tested without it and it may affect the outcome of your cookie.
*If you do not have a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, you can always chop the tea leaves as finely as you can, or skip this step. See previous note in ingredients section for recipe adjustments.
**This is a fairly thin, sticky dough and can be tricky to handle. For ease of use (and an aesthetic bonus), I recommend oiling your hands with a bit of coconut or olive oil before assembling your cookies. They don’t spread much as they bake, so they will basically retain whatever shape you plop them into. If you drop them by rounded tablespoonful and then use oiled hands to gently roll each one into a cute little ball, you will be rewarded with a prettier cookie. But again, if you don’t mind a lumpy cookie, just drop them and pop them in the oven!

Erica Jolly

Erica Jolly is a born and raised Pacific North Westerner. Rainwater flows through her veins. She is a tea drinker by day, wine drinker by night, and lover of food, yoga, and rambling conversations.
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