The beauty of living a healthy lifestyle is that the possibilities of recreating our favourite foods in a much better-for-us version are endless, like these spelt and rye ginger snap cookies! Of course, that doesn’t mean we should eat cookies every single day, but as an occasional treat, why not? We can still indulge and live a healthy life without guilt or bad side effects from junk food.
Remember these delicious Lemon Thyme Shortbread made with buckwheat flour? Yum!
Ancient grains
Spelt and rye are considered ancient grains because they’ve been used for centuries! Thankfully, they’re not as popular as wheat, so they haven’t been changed and hybridized too much. I also have never heard of a GMO spelt or rye, so it’s all a very good thing. Although they are ‘cousins’ of wheat, their gluten content is much lower, and that makes it a great option for people who have a sensitivity to gluten or wheat. I even know people with celiac disease who are able to enjoy spelt occasionally.
Spelt and rye are definitely flours that I use regularly in my kitchen. They perform well for most baked goods, and are easy to work with. You simply substitute these flours whenever wheat/all-purpose flour is called for.
These cookies have the crunch we expect from a ginger snap but the center stays moist. My husband devoured these, and he keeps asking for more!
Enjoy!
ECP xo
P.S.: Have you seen my first eCookbook is out? I’m so excited! A beautiful cookbook with over 100 pages, 40 brand new recipes never published before, and lots of tips on how to eat a healthier diet, and how to fill your pantry with real food! Click here to check it out! It’s on special until December 15, 2016 and you get 3 bonuses: a 1-day juice & smoothie cleanse, a printable pantry shopping list, and a printable dirty dozen list.
A much healthier alternative to a classic ginger snap cookie.
Spelt and Rye Ginger Snap Cookies
These healthy Spelt and Rye Ginger Snap Cookies are made with wholegrain, are low in sugar and they are dairy free as well!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup spelt flour
- 1 cup rye flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 organic free-range egg (lightly beaten)
- 1/3 cup good quality olive oil
- 1/2 cup unbleached sugar (or 1/4 cup unbleached sugar + 1/4 cup whole sugar, like Sucanat)
- 1/4 cup unsulfered organic molasses
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- extra sugar (for rolling, I used demerara)
Instructions
- Mix all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Mix all the wet ingredients in a medium mixing bowl, using a whisk (I whisk the eggs first, and then add the olive oil, whisk more, and then add the rest).
- Using a big rubber spatula, mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients. Make sure there are no 'pockets' of dry ingredients left at the bottom.
- Let dough rest for 5 minutes, and then use a mini ice cream scoop to measure the batter (or use a tablespoon), and roll in the sugar.
- Put on a large baking sheet, making sure they have a little bit of room to expand. In order to get the crinkle effect, do not flatten the cookies.
- Bake in a 325F oven for 15-18 minutes.
- Let cool down completely before eating, or storing in an airtight container.
Note: I do not believe anyone should worry about counting calories, but here is the nutritional information for one serving
Calories: 73kcal | Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 36mg | Potassium: 58mg | Carbohydrates: 11g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Protein: 1g | Vitamin A: 5% | Calcium: 13% | Iron: 0.5%
May I ask do you provide nutritional information for your recipes ? They look fabulous
Thank you very much! I purposely don’t provide this information, because I don’t believe we should worry about counting calories, etc. when we eat real whole food. It really takes away the guessing game out of eating healthy! 🙂
They look fabulous! I made gluten free ginger molasses cookies, too, and they are nothing less yummy than regular cookies. Just more healthy. Spelt flour is great, I use it a lot, but never worked with rye. Have to try that! Congratulations on your eCookbook!
Hey Nicoletta! Thank you! Healthy cookies are the best, aren’t they?! I buy an organic stone-ground rye flour and it’s very tasty and fluffy. I use it in everything: pancakes, muffins, cakes, etc. I always mix it with other flour, like spelt. I’m still experimenting with GF baking, it’s a bit trickier.
I’m a fan of spelt flour, too! These cookies look fabulous. Pinning!
yay, thanks Elaine! Spelt is such an easy switch but so much healthier. I hope you get a chance to try these! 🙂
Spelt and rye are my two favourite flours! They’re the only two I always have no matter what. These cookies are beautiful and I love the idea of including rye in a gingersnap – I think the spices would go really well with the more earthy tones of rye.
Very well said Alexandra! 🙂 Thank you, these turned out beautifully!
These cookies look amazing! I just started baking with spelt flour a couple months ago and I’m loving the results. Rye flour will have to be the next thing to buy so I can make these cookies.
yeah! Good for you for trying new flours! I always find it exciting to try a new flour 🙂 And if you make these cookies, please let me know how it goes! 🙂
I love playing around with different flours in baked goods, so these cookies are right up my alley… the combination of spelt and rye sounds absolutely perfect for a gingersnap. Adding these to my holiday baking plans!
awesome! Let me know how it goes!
I haven’t had ginger cookies in a long time, these were great! I think the spelt and rye flours are a good combination for this type of cookie. Thanks for the recipe!