Extra strong Ginger Snaps anyone?

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whm1974 on 28 Oct 2021 at 19:47

This sound like a really silly thing to do, but could I make some Ginger Snaps without any sugar, brown or otherwise? No Molasses at all. An entire Tablespoon of Ginger!!! Use Gluten Free flour such as buckwheat? Use some salt?

How would this come out? Will I be able to eat this?

 

I'm asking due to having Type II Diabetes.

If you are new to "serious" baking I have some tips (feel free to disregard)

Pick one specific bake and focus on it

Start with a simpler version that works... and each time you make it, adjust it with different flour, etc.

This will build your confidence and develop a sense of mastery. You will learn technique and concepts this way.

For instance, over multiple bakes you will learn how changes you make in flour, water, timing and temperature and manipulation affect the results. In the long run, this gives you power and control through education.

Otherwise you may jump from recipe to recipe without really learning much about ingredients, processes, temperature etc. You see that a lot in the comments sections for housewife-style baking blogs. Or you may get frustrated when things don't work because you haven't developed the concepts as described above and people may not know how to help other than offer another whole recipe.

Thanks for the advice. I was enjoying the box of ginger snaps I brought from Walmart yesterday.

 

Now I what I'm having in mind is something like Oatcakes but with other grains, no sugar, just straight up Ginger and some salt.

 

Way too strong?

Be sure to wear gloves while peeling and handling ginger because it tends to "burn" the skin chemically, like chili peppers do.   A thin slice (up to 2 mm) is good with boiling water for tea. No calories there. Ginger spice is the ground dry root, rather woody by itself, not like the chewy crispy sugary cookies. Leaving out the ginger in the snaps, will still make a snap.  Not much will change except the flavor and hydration.  

Add a very thin slice of orange to the slice of ginger for the tea.  :)

With oat cakes, one still has to add up the carbohydrates in the flour.  If you don't have a scales, it's a good time to get one.  

Thanks for the Diabetes mention. One Con that the OP didn't bring up in the Link you Posted, the Keto Diet is hard to follow

If I want some breads, I always go for whole grains ones. Always avoid white breads since I  started purchased my own food. Potatoes? Color ones cooked in their jackets. Air fried...

 

 

 

So, if you leave out the molasses, you'll have a different cookie.  You may like it, but it won't be a ginger snap.

And, with no sugar at all, they will be more like ginger-flavored crackers than cookies.

None of the above should be taken as discouragement to experiment; it's just thinking ahead about the effects of the proposed changes.

Paul

Didn't occur to me that what I'm considering will be closer to crackers and not cookies.

 

Looking at Recipes online, I quickly notice quite a few of them use Blackstrap(Treacle). Wouldn't that be much closer to Molasses Cookies then Gingerbread and Ginger Snaps? The Stuff is overpowering stuff...

Now for what I have in mind, do I add Cinnamon or not?

Molasses and ginger are common to all of the items you've mentioned.  The distinction, then, seems to be more a matter of the proportions of the ingredients.  Where the boundary lies, I can't say; since one person's molasses cookie might well be another's ginger cookie. 

I came across a recipe on-line once for a triple-ginger cookie.  It contained grated fresh ginger, chopped candied ginger, and ground dry ginger.  Not to mention molasses and cloves.  They were fabulous!

Cinnamon is a matter of personal taste.  If it shows up in recipes that you already know you like, then you'll probably like it in your experimental cookies, too.  Don't forget the cloves!

Paul