These molasses ginger cookies are soft, warmly spiced, and sweetened entirely with molasses and dates - there is no refined sugar anywhere. Coconut flour keeps them grain-free while ginger, cinnamon, and cloves make the kitchen smell like the holidays. They bake in under 10 minutes.
Molasses Ginger Cookies
Parchment paper, for lining the sheet pan or cookie sheet
¼ cup organic unsulfered molasses
5 dates, pitted and pureed with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) water
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons (30 ml) coconut oil or ghee, melted
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
2/3 cup (720 ml) coconut flour
2 teaspoons (10 ml) ground ginger
1 teaspoon (5 ml) ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon (5 ml) baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a sheet pan or cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- With a hand mixer, in a food processor or by hand, combine the molasses, date paste, eggs, coconut oil or ghee, and vanilla in a medium-size mixing bowl.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the coconut flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and cloves.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix until well incorporated.
- Using your hands or a tablespoon, form the dough into balls about the size of a golf ball. Place the dough balls on the sheet pan and flatten them with the bottom of a glass or another flat surface (grease the bottom of the glass with coconut oil to prevent sticking) so that they are about 1⁄4 inch thick.
- Bake the cookies for 9 to 11 minutes, or until they puff up slightly browned. Enjoy!
NOTE: If you don’t have coconut flour, you can use almond flour instead. Just decrease the number of eggs to one and use 1½ cups of almond flour in place of the coconut flour.
VARIATION: Adding a teaspoon or two of freshly grated ginger would bring a welcome kick to these cookies!
Pro Tips for Success
- Puree the pitted dates with the 2 tablespoons of water until completely smooth first. That date paste is the moisture that keeps these coconut flour cookies soft.
- Coconut flour is thirsty. Mix the dry ingredients separately, add them to the wet all at once, and stop mixing the moment the dough comes together.
- Grease the bottom of the glass with coconut oil before flattening the dough balls - the sticky date and molasses dough clings to everything.
- Pull the cookies at 9-11 minutes, once they have puffed and just browned. Coconut flour dries out quickly and the cookies firm up as they cool.
- No coconut flour? Use 1 1/2 cups almond flour instead and reduce the eggs to one. A teaspoon of freshly grated ginger adds a welcome kick.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are molasses ginger cookies paleo?
They are. The sweetness comes from unsulfered molasses and dates, the structure from coconut flour and eggs - no grains or refined sugar.
Can I use almond flour instead of coconut flour?
Yes - use 1 1/2 cups almond flour and reduce the eggs to one. The finished cookies will be a little more tender and less cakey.
How should I store these cookies?
Keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Coconut flour cookies stay softest chilled, and they freeze well too.
Why did my coconut flour cookies turn out dry?
Coconut flour absorbs a lot of liquid, so measure it carefully. Dry cookies usually mean the dough was overmixed or baked a minute too long.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line a sheet pan or cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the coconut flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and cloves.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix until well incorporated.
- Using your hands or a tablespoon, form the dough into balls about the size of a golf ball.
- Place the dough balls on the sheet pan and flatten them with the bottom of a glass or another flat surface (grease the bottom of the glass with coconut oil to prevent sticking) so that they are about 1⁄4 inch thick.
- Bake the cookies for 9 to 11 minutes, or until they puff up slightly browned.
- Enjoy!
