Gingersnaps!

I finally own a copy of the Babycakes NYC cookbook. The recipes all sound amazing, even exotic, like meyer lemon and bing cherry cupcakes. I started with a classic (one of my favorites), gingersnaps. Besides wanting a good chomp, my friends Julie, Caissie and I have been talking about a cookie party and I wanted to test out the dough before the extravaganza. Had to share because these are the best gingersnaps I've ever made!! Just as genius Babycakes founder, Erin McKenna, describes, "the recipe produces a fairly flat, crisp-edged cookie" and yes, she put her "chewy, health-minded signature on it." The dough rolled like a charm and as you can see, I put my elephant cookie-cutter to use. The ingredients will be easier to locate at your local health-food store but don't let that scare you. Here's the recipe (my modification in italics):

Babycakes NYC Gingersnaps
makes 36

3/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup applesauce (homemade or unsweetened store-bought)
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger (my modification)
1 1/2 cups evaporated cane juice (I used raw cane sugar)
2 cups Bob's Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose flour
1/4 cup flax meal
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, combine the oil, applesauce, salt, molasses, grated ginger, vanilla, and evaporated cane juice. In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, flax meal, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, and xanthan gum. Using a rubber spatula, carefully add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until a grainy dough is formed.
Using a melon baller (or tablespoon measure), scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the portions 1 inch apart. Gently press each with the heel of your hand to flatten a bit. Bake the cookies on the center rack for 15 minutes, rotating the sheets after 9 minutes. The finished cookies will be crisp on the edges and soft in the center.
Let the cookies stand on the sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.