These chewy ginger-spiced cookies with a sparkling sugar coating make for the perfect festive treat!
One of my all-time favourite treats has always been chewy ginger molasses cookies. When I was in university, I always loved having a soft ginger cookie with peppermint tea while I studied. In 2015, I set out to create a vegan version of this cookie and my recipe does not disappoint. Everyone that has tried these cookies over the years has loved them. They’re perfect for the holidays - or any time of the year!
I recently revisited this recipe and added crystalized ginger which is an optional add-in. It elevates the sweet and spicy notes in this cookie and I recommend giving it a try if you have crystallized ginger on hand. You can also choose to add a dusting of turbinado sugar which makes these cookies sparkle!
The optional dusting of turbinado sugar makes these Vegan Ginger Molasses Cookies sparkle!
A note on gluten-free flours:
I’ve had success using gluten-free flour, all-purpose flour, and spelt flour with this recipe. When it comes to gluten-free flours my preference is to use 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flours as there is no guesswork involved. I always try to avoid gluten-free flour mixes that contain conventional potato and corn starch because I am wary about using non-organic potato and corn since these are often grown with pesticides and are commonly genetically modified. I have tried out gluten-free flours over the years and I have found the best results with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
ginger
I recently revisited this recipe and added crystalized ginger which is an optional add-in. It elevates the sweet and spicy notes in this cookie and I recommend giving it a try if you have crystallized ginger on hand!
I’ve used both fresh and dried ginger to kick this recipe up a notch. According to Doctor Michael Greger, founder of NutritionFacts.org and author of “How Not to Die”, ginger is incredibly healing and has been used in traditional healing systems for thousands of years. In fact, it is scientifically considered to be a non-toxic, broad-spectrum anti-emetic (anti-vomiting agent), effective in the treatment of nausea during motion sickness, pregnancy, chemotherapy, and radiation and after surgery. It has also been clinically proven to effectively treat migraine headaches - just one-eighth of a teaspoon of powdered ginger (at the cost of less than a penny) worked just as well and just as fast as the drug sumatriptan (Imitrex), which is one of the top-selling, billion-dollar drugs in the world.*
Vegan Ginger Molasses Cookies (gluten-free option)
These chewy ginger-spiced cookies with a sparkling sugar coating make for the perfect festive treat!
INGREDIENTS (makes 19 cookies)
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
3 tablespoons filtered water
3/4 cup vegan butter (or unrefined virgin coconut oil)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup raw date sugar (or regular vegan sugar)
2 + 1/4 cups all-purpose flour or spelt flour (or gluten-free flour- see notes above)
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 + 1/2 teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt*
1/3 cup unsulphured molasses
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely grated
optional 1/2 cup turbinado sugar
optional 1/4 cup crystallized ginger
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line 2 baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper.
In a small mixing bowl whisk together ground flax with filtered water and allow to stand for about 10 minutes until thickened.
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, add butter or coconut oil (softened at room temperature), cup sugar, and vanilla. Mix for about 4 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of your bowl using a spatula as needed to ensure that everything is evenly incorporated.
Beat in flax mixture, molasses, and fresh ginger. Mix until well combined, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, and salt.
On a low setting, mix in the flour mixture in 1/2 cup portions, beating until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed to ensure that everything is well mixed, but do not overmix. It is ok if the dough seems crumbly, it will stick together when you roll it into balls. If the batter is on the softer side refrigerate for 15-30 minutes to harden before rolling out.
If you are adding in the crystallized ginger, do so at this point being mindful not to overmix.
Roll dough into about 19 equally proportioned balls (about 1 1/2 tablespoons each).
If you are coating the cookies with the optional turbinado sugar, do so at this stage. Pour the sugar onto a small dish, and coat each ball with sugar.
Place each ball on the cookie sheets, about 1 inch apart, and flatten.
Bake for 5 minutes, rotate trays, and cook another 4-5 minutes. This cooking time will result in a chewier cookie. The cookies will be soft when you first remove them from the oven, they will harden as they cool. Allow them to cool on cookie sheets for 10 minutes or so.
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Much love,
Avra
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Sources:
*Greger, Michael, and Gene Stone. How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease. New York: Flatiron, 2015. Print.