These ginger-lace cookies were inspired by one of my favorite store-bought gluten-free cookies a chocolate chip lace cookie recipe that was shared with me. They are wonderfully delicate and crispy but not delicate on flavor. The strong zing of fresh ginger and candied ginger is such a nice balance with oats and the sweet cookie. Vegan options are included in the recipe.
More Gluten-Free Cookies
For more of my cookie recipes, check out my chewy, gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, my 4 ingredient peanut butter cookies with brown sugar, and my gluten-free chocolate mint cookies. Click this link for my full list of gluten-free cookie recipes.
Are Oats Gluten-Free?
Oats are definitely a tricky ingredient if you have Celiac disease or are very sensitive to gluten. Oats are naturally gluten-free but often get contaminated with wheat during the growing and milling processes. I discuss the question “Are oats gluten-free?” in my post about which foods do and do not have gluten.
There are a couple of good options for gluten-free oats. The first and most important question is, are they CERTIFIED gluten-free? The only 2 certified gf brands that I have found in the US are from Thrive Market and Zego. Both brands are organic. Zego uses purity protocol to assure that the oats are gluten-free in every step from seed to package. They are also higher in protein making them my go-to for oats.
In Canada Only Oats is an excellent gluten-free option. They are produced with purity protocol, meaning that the oats are closely monitored form seed to package,
Gluten-Free Flour Blends
If you prefer a store bought blend, I like King Arthur Measure for Measure Flour. It is widely available and works well in almost all of my baking recipes. If your blend includes xanthan gum, guar gum or inulin, omit the xanthan gum called for in the recipe.
I have used several other gluten-free flour blends for these lace cookies and they all worked well. My custom blend of sorghum, millet and brown rice flours works very well. See the notes in the recipe for a super simple DIY gluten-free flour blend or my blog post on diy gluten-free flour blends.
Ginger
I get ginger flavor into these cookies in two ways. There are both chunks of crystallized ginger and fresh grated ginger in the batter. I prefer fresh ginger over powdered because it seems to have a stronger flavor in baked goods.
The best way to to grate ginger is with a microplane which is essentially a super fine grater. If you haven’t worked with fresh ginger before, check out my post and quick video for step-by-step instructions on How to Use Fresh Ginger.
How to Make Crispy Cookies
The key to the crispy, lacy texture of these cookies is that there is just a small amount of flour. When you measure the flour, rather than scooping the measuring cup into the flour, use a fork to transfer it to the measuring cup. I know, use a fork for flour? Yes, this will assure that there is just the right amount.
Panning Ginger-Lace Cookies
These ginger-lace cookies are thin and delicate. They work best when baked on a heavy weight cookie sheet that retains heat, lined with parchment paper. To be sure that the cookies spread and become lacy, scoop or spoon the dough onto the lined cookie sheet and press down gently on top to flatten the dome. And don’t be tempted to use too much dough. The cookies will spread quite a bit so don’t crowd the pan. I keep it to 8 per pan and lay them out like this.
Baking the Cookies
Rotate the pan 180 degrees after 5 or 6 minutes to assure even baking. In the last few minutes they will spread and become lacy. Be patient with these cookies. Depending on the heat of your oven, they may bake slowly or more quickly, so keep a close eye on them once they start to brown. Once you get used to how these cookies work in your oven, it will be easier. When done, they should be a dark golden brown around the edges.
Cooling the Lace Cookies
The cookies will be extremely delicate straight out of the oven, so cool them on the pan for five minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Cooling them on a rack will allow them to get that nice crispy crunch.
Ginger-Lace Cookies
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Ingredients
- 5 Tbsps gluten-free flour blend*
- 1 Β½ c gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp xanthan gum (omit if your flour blend contains guar or xanthan gum)
- Β½ tsp salt
- 8 Tbsps 1 stick unsalted butter, very soft or vegan butter**
- Β½ c granulated sugar
- Β½ c brown sugar
- 1/2 egg or 1 tsp flax seed meal mixed with 1 Tbsp warm water
- 2 tsps vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp water
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger grated on a microplane
- 3/4 cup diced crystallized ginger dice to the size of a chocolate chip
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350Β° and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Measure the flour by using a fork to transfer the flour into the measuring cup.
- Combine the flour, oats, baking soda, xanthan gum and salt in a mixing bowl.
- In a large mixing bowl (or bowl of your stand mixer) cream the soft butter with the sugars. Add the vanilla, egg, water and fresh ginger and stir. To see how to handle fresh ginger, check out this post on How to Use Fresh Ginger.
- Add the dry ingredients and start on slow speed. As the dry ingredients moisten, increase the speed to high and beat for 2 minutes. Stir in the crystallized ginger.
- Use 2 spoons or a scoop to drop about 1Β½ Tbsps. dough per cookie. Press gently down to flatten the cookie mounds.
- Bake 12-15 minutes or until dark golden brown around the edges. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
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