As I mentioned in the post from the book review of Nourishing Traditions on snacks I wanted to try the recipe for ginger snaps.  Since we went to the beach last week I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to make them for a special treat while there.

They were amazing!  They were so tasty and not super sweet and had lots of ginger flavor.  The kids really enjoyed them as well.  Hubby wasn’t too keen on them, but then again he ALWAYS wants chocolate chip cookies and would be content having them on hand at ALL times!

The only thing I didn’t like about the recipe is that it called for [amazon_link id=”B002OC74WO” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]rapadura[/amazon_link]. I didn’t have any and I prefer to only use honey, dried fruits or maple syrup for sweeteners.  I did have a little bit of [amazon_link id=”B001E5E1I2″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]sucanat[/amazon_link] left over from a while ago and decided to use that instead.  It worked fine!  Next time I’m going to try and use something else to sweeten it though.

Ginger Snaps
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups crispy almonds (soaked and dried almonds)
½ cup butter or coconut oil
1 cup [amazon_link id=”B000EDM6KU” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]arrowroot[/amazon_link]
½ cup [amazon_link id=”B002OC74WO” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]rapadura[/amazon_link]
1 TBSP water
1 ½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp salt

Instructions:
Place almonds in food processor and process until finely ground.  Add remaining ingredients and blend well.  Form into walnut-sized balls and place on buttered cookie sheets.  Bake at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes.  After 5 minutes in the oven, press cookies down lightly with a fork.  Let cool completely before removing to an airtight container for storage.  Store in refrigerator.  (Exact copy of recipe taken from [amazon_link id=”0967089735″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Nourishing Traditions[/amazon_link] page 530)

Notes:
I did a few things differently as noted below:

1. I didn’t want to use my soaked nuts to make my own [amazon_link id=”B0006ZN538″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]almond flour[/amazon_link] so I just used 1 ½ cups of[amazon_link id=”B0006ZN538″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ] almond flour[/amazon_link].  I think it was a bit much and had to add about another 2 TBSP water to make the dough stick.  If 1 ½ cups of almonds were ground in the food processor I think it would have made about 1 cup or a little more of [amazon_link id=”B0006ZN538″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]almond flour[/amazon_link].
2. [amazon_link id=”B002OC74WO” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Rapadura[/amazon_link] I substituted with [amazon_link id=”B001E5E1I2″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]sucanat[/amazon_link].  Turned out ok, but [amazon_link id=”B002OC74WO” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]rapadura[/amazon_link] is definitely a better sweetener option than sucanat.  I’ll talk about that more in the dessert post from [amazon_link id=”0967089735″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Nourishing Traditions[/amazon_link] next week.
3. I tried forking the cookies before putting them in the oven and it worked ok.  It is definitely a lot easier if you do it after 5 minutes of baking like the recipe states… imagine that! 😉
4. Definitely let these cookies cool before moving.  They fall apart if you don’t!  Learned from experience!

Fantastic recipe!  Give it a try!  And as usual… let me know what you think!