Recipe Review: Holiday Ginger Cookies

It’s that time of year for…holiday baking!

My plan this season, time allowing, is to bake up some vegan bread & cookies for family & friends. Historically, vegan cookies have been my nemesis, coming out flat & lifeless, or as rock-hard, flavorless disks. I have a couple of new recipes to try this time & I am hoping to have more sweet success than frustrating failure.

One recipe has already made the cut…the Ginger Cookies from Vegan Holiday Kitchen. My Mom & I whipped these up over Thanksgiving weekend & they turned out delightful. Puffy & pillow-soft, slightly spicy & perfectly sweet. Yaaaay! I love the unexpected addition of raisins or currants in this recipe. We used raisins, but I think tart cherries would add a fun twist.

HOLIDAY GINGER COOKIES

Author: Nava Atlas, Vegan Holiday Kitchen (reprinted with permission)

Recipe Type: Dessert, Baked Goods

Cuisine: Vegan

Yields: 2 dozen

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

• 1/2 cup natural granulated sugar

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 2 tsp ground ginger

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

• 2/3 cup applesauce

• 2 Tbsp safflower oil

• 2 Tbsp molasses or barley malt syrup

• 1/2 cup raisins or currants

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350º F.

2. Combine the first 7 (dry) ingredients in a mixing bowl plus the optional flaxseeds and stir together.

3. Make a well in the center and add the applesauce, oil, and molasses. Stir together until the wet and dry ingredients are completely mixed, then stir in the raisins.

4. With well-floured hands, pinch off pieces of the dough to form 1-inch balls. Arrange them on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Flatten slightly with your palm.

5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies begin to turn golden brown. Let stand for a minute or two, then carefully move with a spatula to cool on plates.

I cannot wait to make these again for my holiday cookie plate, perhaps topped with candied ginger to make them even more festive & special. Do you have any tried & true vegan cookie recipes you’d like to share with me?