Ginger and Cranberry Cookies

It was in the middle of the month January and it was freezing cold outside. Late in the evening before I sat down in front of the TV I felt like getting some cookies. I went to the kitchen, opened the cookie tin in the cupboard and was shocked to see just two cookies left. my thoughts were "Two cookies only! Goodness! I need to bake cookieeeeees!..." .
I used the first opportunity I got two days later and baked what I had in mind already. I had bought a box of candied ginger slices at the Asian shop and wanted to use it in cookies. Since I had liked my last batch of almond oats cookies so much and felt that ginger would go well with it I tried it. I used half the dough with currents like the last time for sunny boy and for us - me and hubby, added candied ginger to make ginger oats cookies.
They turned out fantastic! Hubby loved them, as I expected. But, somehow I felt the cookies weren't perfect, there was still something missing. Today I baked another round. While going through the box of nuts and dried fruits in the fridge I saw this packet of leftover dried cranberries. I took a small piece and put it in my mouth and immediately felt that these would go well with the candied ginger. And now these cookies are indeed perfect!
Hubby who went, on smelling the cookies in the kitchen, tried them and also said that these are even better than the last batch. I've packing half of these for my FIL, who likes ginger in food.


Ginger and Cranberry cookies

Recipe by PG of My Kitchen Stories

based on the previous recipe of Almonds, Currents and Oats Cookies

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 25 minutes
Temperaure: 150°C (convection: 120°C)
Makes: 20-25 pieces (if rolled thin, around 30 pieces)

Ingredients:
150 g whole rolled oats (or oat flour)- I used 130 g whole rolled oats and 50 g rice flakes
100 g slivered almonds, divided (80g almonds ground + 20 g crushed lightly)
5 tbsp butter or margarine
5 tbsp level sugar
50g raw marzipan ( marzipan rohmasse, with no additional sugar)
100 g candied ginger slices, chopped finely
30 g dried cranberries*, chopped finely

Method:

• grease 1 baking sheet, lay them on a baking tray and set aside
• grind the flakes in a coffee mill or dry grinder
• combine all ingredients together except for currrents with your hands or using a mixer
  
• add currents and combine with your hands to make one large ball
• either
  
• make small balls out of it and press down with the palms to flatten
• or, roll out with a rolling pin and cut out cookies using cookie cutters
• place on the greased baking sheet
• bake for 25 minutes
  
• let them cool down before picking up the cookies, to avoid crumbling

*dried currents can also be used instead of cranberries or just leave it out completely.

candied ginger slices

Other Ginger cookies:
Ginger Snap Cookies at Jude's Apple Pie, Patis, and Pâté
Ginger shortbread at Meeta's What's For Lunch Honey

Fruity apple cookies

This recipe of cookies has been inspired by Madhram's event Egg replacement-flax seeds at her Egglesscooking .com. Now, all I needed was a nice recipe of cookies to take on this challenge. On searching, I found this simple recipe of cookies with some lovely ingredients and I felt that this would be a good bet for combining both my experiments. Now you might ask, which two? Well, one is the egg replacement with flax seeds and the other to make it gluten free.
Lately, I have been wanting to again start with my experiments with gluten free baking for my nephew Advik. I had done it once a while ago, but somehow got stuck after that. Now, I want to spare you with my excuses and rather tell you what all I have been wanting to do, and what all I have tried already, like this recipe too. I want to bake a bread, but still haven't really got an appropriate recipe. As most of the recipes call for xanthan gum, something which I haven't found yet locally. I haven't tried it online, but I really didn't want mine being shipped from far off places, if it is not necessary.
After trying out a couple of recipes I have now realised that xanthan gum or something similar is an important ingredient of gluten free baking, especially for breads to turn out into something edible. And it was a good idea to wait for the bread recipe and trying out some simpler experiments first. I have tried a recipe of gluten free brownies, which did not turn out the way it should have, I think (recipe coming up soon!). Now there, like here too I also tried to make them egg free by replacing them with silken tofu, maybe I should do it step by step and not make too many experiments in one go. It tasted wonderful, but was a bit sticky and gooey and not fluffy at all.
From what I know for cookies the flour types can be much more easily replaced or exchanged than for breads. Unless you have xanthan gum. My search is on. But, I am happy with this recipe which is also gluten and egg free.

A note beforehand: As guided by Madhuram in her event, this is what I did to replace the eggs: For each egg to be replaced, whisk 1 tablespoon (15gm) of ground flax seed with 3 tablespoons (I required 4 tbsp) of water until the mixture is thick and creamy.

Apple Oats Cookies

Based on the recipe at Kochmeister.com

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Baking time: 20 - 25 minutes (I baked for 35 minutes)
Baking temp.: 200°C (Convection oven: 180°C)
Quantity : about 25- 30 pieces, for 2 baking sheets

Dry Ingredients:
500 g tart apples, washed and grated with skin (6-7 small apples from the garden)
150 g all purpose flour - I replaced it with : 100 g whole meal rice flour (coarse ground) and 50 g cornstarch - both gluten free
100 g thick rolled oats (kernige Haferflocken) - I would like to replace it with puffed amaranth and some sunflower seeds next time
2 1/2 tsp baking powder - I used gluten-free cream of tartar baking powder
1 pinch cinnamon
I also added:
50 g ground almonds with skin

Wet Ingredients:
100 g soft butter
70 g brown sugar - I used powdered jaggery / whole cane sugar
zest of 1 lemon
3 middle sized eggs - I replaced them with 3 tbsp finely ground flax seeds (linseed) and added 4 tbsp lukewarm water for each, i.e., 12 tbsp in total in a bowl and let seep for a while
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp orange juice
50 g raisins - I soaked 60 g in hot water for short and let excess water drip off on a sieve


Method:

• Mix thoroughly with a whisk flour, cornstarch, rolled oats, cinnamon and baking powder in a bowl
• beat together butter, sugar, lemon zest, the juices, and eggs (or the replacement) - start beating with butter and add the ingredients one by one
• Preheat oven, grate apples and add to the batter along with the flour and raisins and mix to wet everything
• with a tablespoon place spoonfuls on two baking trays lined with baking sheets. pressing it down a little to make round shapes
• bake in a preheated oven at 200°C (I used convection: 180°C) for 20-25 minutes, I needed 35 minutes and let stand in the oven a while before opening the door slightly and leaving it for another 20 minutes or so before taking them out and letting them cool down

How did my experiment taste?
Wonderful! It had this slightly sour taste through the tart apples which was lovely and I had coated half of the cookies as you can see with some leftover chocolate icing (couverture; I'm not sure if there is a difference between the two, but I used the latter) which made the taste even more better. But, as I knew hubby would prefer without, I did not bother to coat them all with the chocolate icing. And hubby actually found the ones without the icing better. These cookies are very mildly sweet. So, one could surely increase the sweetness to ones taste.
I would like to add some more cinnamon or cardamom next time too.
These were quite soft and not the crispy kinds, like cookies normally are. Almost like a miniature bread, maybe because of the apples or maybe because of the rice? Maybe that also explains why the brownies also turned out so soft. Maybe it is the rice flour which is making it so soft. Now the next time I will make them with wheat flour to solve the puzzle. :)
Naturally I'm sending this off to Flax seeds-egg replacement event at Madhuram's Egglesscooking .com