Flavored by ginger and turmeric and sweetened with golden raisins, these gorgeous cookies add a bright and warm element to holiday festivities. Think of them as the embodiment of a warm mug of golden milk in a cookie. In addition to being free from added sugars, they also happen to be vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, and grain-free as well for anyone with those needs. Drawing inspiration from Indian sweets, the base of the dough is chickpea flour, which gives them additional protein and fiber and makes them more nutritious than a standard cookie. And the turmeric adds an anti-inflammatory boost. They are crisp around the edges and chewy on the inside like the best of gingersnaps. And perhaps most importantly, this is an easy recipe that kids can help make. For anyone who can’t find chickpea flour or doesn’t care for it, we also created an oat-based variation that tastes like a turmeric-infused oatmeal raisin cookie.

Golden Gingersnaps

Makes 15 cookies

Ingredients:

–1 cup chickpea flour (also called gram flour or besan)*

–1 cup golden raisins

–2 Tablespoons coconut oil

–2 Tablespoons water

–½ teaspoon vanilla extract

–½ teaspoon turmeric (use ¼ teaspoon for a more mild taste)

–½ teaspoon dried ground ginger

–¼ teaspoon baking soda

–¼ teaspoon salt

–Pinch of black pepper (assists with turmeric abssorption)

Method:

–Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C).

–Put all of the ingredients in a food processor and process on high until the mixture collects itself into a ball. Be patient on this as it make take 3-5 minutes depending on the strength of your food processor.

–Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

–Roll the dough into balls 1” in diameter and flatten them into disks. The dough will feel slightly sticky. If it seems hard to work with, you can dampen your hands before rolling the balls to prevent sticking.

–Arrange the cookies on the baking sheet.

–Bake for 7-10 minutes, turning once midway to ensure even browning.

—Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing from the tray.

*Oat version: substitute the chickpea flour for 1 ½ cups rolled oats and increase the baking time to 12-14 minutes. The result is like a turmeric-infused oatmeal raisin cookie.

NUTRITION FACTS PER SERVING (1 COOKIE):
CALORIES 80 TOTAL FAT 2.5G PROTEIN 2G TOTAL CARBOHYDRATE 13G DIETARY FIBER 2G TOTAL SUGARS 6G ADDED SUGARS 0G