Ginger spice cookies – preschooler approved!

Satisfying ginger cookies that children will love! These vegan cookies are baked with oats and agave syrup to avoid ‘sugar highs’.

My daughter Kipper had a playdate lined up, so we decided to bake some delicious ginger cookies to take with us. We had a fun time baking them, and once our crinkly ginger cookies were cooled we packed them into a plastic box and set off to her friend’s house.

Ginger cookies and drinks

Our hosts made drinks and we all had a cookie each. The lid went back on the plastic box, and I sat chatting with Kipper’s friend’s mum while the two kids went off to do their own thing. They seemed to be having fun, although before long it got strangely quiet… However we decided that they couldn’t both be unconscious, and were probably fine.

All fine, nothing to see…

Well, they were fine, sure enough. Shortly thereafter they both reappeared, with sheepish expressions and AN EMPTY PLASTIC BOX.

We reckon they’d polished off five ginger cookies each. So this recipe definitely comes with a high child approval rating!

Recipe perfection

I’ve had this cookie recipe for donkey’s years, and tinkered with it a fair amount during that time. The end result always looks very professional, for a very minimal effort – just my kind of recipe! The mixture spreads out to form perfectly round, beautifully crinkly ginger cookies every time. 

It is also a very accommodating recipe – on one occasion I forgot to add the sugar, and although the shape and texture were a bit wrong, the finished cookies were still delicious, and were enthusiastically eaten!

A healthier cookie

Since I was baking these cookies for consumption by children, I tried to make the recipe a bit healthier. Or at least less unhealthy. 

I replaced some of the flour with oats, reduced the amount of sugar I added, and used agave syrup to bind, instead of the more usual golden syrup. All these measures contribute to a lower GI (glycemic index) in the final product. The GI is essentially a measure of how quickly your body metabolises available carbohydrate, causing your blood sugar to increase. Food with a lower GI are metabolised more slowly, giving sustained energy rather than a quick sugar high. 

Although if your 3-year-old eats five of these delicious ginger cookies, I can’t be held responsible if they start bouncing off the walls!

Ginger cookie ingredients – vegan!

This yummy ginger cookie recipe uses no eggs, so if you use vegan spread rather than butter, you can easily make delicious vegan cookies! All you will need to prepare a batch of these fabulous ginger cookies is:

• self-raising flour (or use plain flour and extra baking powder – see recipe)
• porridge oats
• ground ginger
• mixed spice
• sugar
• bicarbonate of soda
• baking powder
• vegan spread (or butter)
• agave syrup (or use golden syrup, maple syrup or honey)

The cookie dough mixture whizzes up in the food processor in a matter of moments, so these really are super-simple to make. 

Suggested add-ins for ginger cookies

You can add all sorts of delicious extras to this basic ginger cookie dough. Just make sure you mix them in by hand, before rolling the dough into balls. If you use your food processor to add these, they will get chopped to bits!

Some suggested additions include:

• chopped preserved or crystallised ginger – if you like really gingery cookies!
• raisins, chopped dried dates or apricots, or other dried fruits
• chopped candied orange peels
• dark chocolate chips or chunks

Of course you can also combine these. Chunks of ginger AND dark chocolate chips. Yum! Not such a healthy cookie though, at that point….

Child-approved ginger cookies!

I hope you enjoy these fabulous ginger cookies as much as Kipper and her friend did! The recipe makes around 16 cookies.

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📖 Recipe

Ginger spice cookies

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Delicious crinkly ginger cookies, made with oats and agave syrup to avoid a 'sugar high'.

5 from 5 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Cookie

Cuisine British, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings 16

Calories 102 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 85 g self-raising flour (OR use plain flour plus an extra ¾ teaspoon baking powder) (approx. ⅔ cup)
• 85 g porridge oats (approx. 1 cup)
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice
• 85 g margarine OR butter (approx. 6 tbsp)
• 85 g golden caster sugar (approx. ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp)
• 3 tablespoon agave syrup

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Line 2 baking sheets with greaseproof paper or a non-stick liner.
• Using a food processor, pulse the flour, oats, baking powder, bicarb and spices to combine. Add the margarine or butter and pulse again until the mixture resembles crumbs. Add the sugar and pulse to combine. (Alternatively rub in the margarine/butter by hand, then stir in the sugar.)
• Warm the agave syrup - a few seconds in the microwave should do it, but keep a close eye and make sure it doesn't boil. With the food processor motor running, pour the warmed syrup in and mix to a stiff dough. (Or add to the rest of the ingredients, mix and knead by hand.)
• With damp palms, roll the mixture into walnut-sized balls, and space well apart on lined baking sheets. The cookies will spread to be 8-10cm (3-4 inches) across so make sure they have room to grow.
• Bake for 5-8 minutes until golden. Allow to cool on the trays for a minute or two to firm up slightly, then transfer to wire racks until cold.

Notes

Approx. per cookie: 102 calories, 5g fat, 1g protein, 14g carbs

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Ginger spice cookies

Amount per Serving

Calories

102

% Daily Value*

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keyword ginger

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

More delicious cookie recipes

If you like delicious cookies (and who doesn’t?!) then why not also try these oatmeal cranberry coconut cookies, these fabulous flourless chocolate chip cookies (gluten free) or these wonderfully easy muesli cookies.

Since the theme is ginger, I’m adding this recipes to Vanesther’s Spice Trail challenge over at Bangers and Mash.