After a week of vacation in California, I flew back to New York early this morning to cloudy weather and projected rain. It apparently rained a few days in New York while I was away as well, which made me appreciate the sun in California even more despite some sunburns. Don’t get me wrong, I love the rain, but it puts a damper on outdoor vacation activities.

Closeup of chewy ginger cookie

Today also happens to be National Gingersnap Day. Why it’s in July and not December, I have no clue. But any excuse to eat ginger sounds good to me. I actually made some of these gingersnap cookies before my flight to Los Angeles and didn’t think to take them with me on the plane. I decided to leave them for my family to eat. (This decision lacked foresight.) I get motion sickness, especially when flying on an empty stomach. And as soon as I started feeling nauseous, I knew I should have brought the ginger cookies. I’m pretty sure I was the last person off the plane because I just didn’t want to move even when the plane landed. I was dizzy and my hands were numb. I like to think the ginger cookies would have prevented this since ginger helps with nausea.

Cat and dog cutout ginger cookies

Because of the hot weather, no high temperature baking is involved for these ginger cookies. They are dehydrated at a low temperature in the oven. Dehydrating the cookies instead of baking them helps maintain your home temperature and helps keep more of the nutrients in the cookies. I used dog and cat cookie cutters to make “raining cats and dogs” cookies. Any shape can be used to cut, but the fewer details the better because the dough can be very sticky from the dates. These ginger cookies could even be made during the holidays for gingerbread men. I don’t know if a gingerbread house is doable, but come winter, I will definitely be testing it out. Hope you like them!

Raining Cats and Dogs Raw Ginger Snap Cookies

By Tiffany Makes

A raw ginger snap cookie recipe using almond flour, dates, and fresh ginger. The cookies are dehydrated for a chewier texture. Coarse sugar is sprinkled on top for an added crunch.

Yield: 18 – 24 cookies

Prep time:

10 mins

Cook time:

0 mins

Idle time:

9 hrs 30 mins

Total time:

9 hrs 40 mins

Ingredients

Ginger Cookies

• 2 cups almond flour
• 1¼ cup Medjool dates – pitted
• 6 tsp fresh ginger
• 3 tsp blackstrap molasses
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp ground vanilla

Toppings (Optional)

• Turbinado sugar
• Unrefined powdered sugar

Instructions

Pulse the dates and ginger in a high speed blender or food processor until they form a paste.
Add the rest of the ingredients into the blender/processor and process until combined.
Chill the dough for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to about ¼ inch thick.
Use lightly greased cookie cutters to cut out desired shapes, like cats and dogs.
Place the cookies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Leave the cookies as is, or sprinkle on desired toppings.
Dehydrate in the oven for 3 hours at the lowest temperature setting.
Turn off the oven and turn on the oven light. Leave the cookies in the turned-off oven for 6 hours or overnight.
Store the cookies in an airtight container.
Enjoy!

Notes

1. These cookies will not turn out crispy like a baked cookies; they will be soft and chewy.
2. When cutting out the cookies, have a kitchen towel nearby to wipe off any dough that sticks to the cookie cutter.