The countdown to Christmas continues! This week: the spicy, sweet, chewy perfection of the ginger molasses cookie. A saucy little cookie, the ginger molasses really thrives this time of year, when people are open to the spicy beauty of ginger and the sweet bite of molasses.

These cookies are kind of a combination of healthy upgrades and vegan baking classics – they might not be the healthiest thing at the office Christmas party, but I can guarantee you they certainly won’t be the worst. Actually, truthfully, at most office Christmas parties they will be the healthiest option.

What I’m saying is, you don’t want to make so many healthy upgrades that the cookies no longer resemble cookies, and people look at them and say, “what are these made with again? sprouted alfalfa?” while they hungrily eye the lemon squares at the next table. We still want to entice. Just with fewer questionable ingredients.

To that end: these beauties are gluten-free (made with brown rice flour and oat flour) and vegan, and use healthier sweeteners (coconut palm sugar) and fats (coconut oil) to replace the brown sugar and butter.

Make these cookies for the aforementioned office Christmas party, or for a family get together, or as a gift for your neighbours. Or, get crafty, and measure the dry ingredients into a jar with a gift tag that includes the wet ingredients and the instructions for baking – the perfect gift!

If you are feeling particularly indulgent, and, like me, enjoy a touch of dark chocolate in just about everything, feel free to throw in a 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips. Or, if you really love ginger, throw in a 1/2 cup diced crystallized ginger.

Have a Holly Jolly first week of December!

Perfectly Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies (v, gf)

• Author: Emily Joldersma, R.H.N. (original non-vegan version: Jennifer McGlinn, Gingerbread)
• Recipe Notes: vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free

Ingredients:

• 1 cup oat flour
• 1 1/4 cups brown rice flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3/4 cup room temperature coconut oil
• 1 cup coconut palm sugar
• 1/3 cup fancy molasses
• 2 teaspoons powdered “egg replacer” (like Ener-G) whisked together with 3 tablespoons non-dairy milk
• for rolling: 3 tablespoons organic cane sugar mixed with 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions:

1. In a medium size bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda, salt, and spices.
2. In a large bowl, cream together coconut oil and coconut palm sugar – 1 to 2 minutes should do it.
3. Beat egg replacer/non-dairy milk mix and molasses into coconut oil and sugar.
4. Add dry ingredients to sugar/oil mix, and stir together until well-mixed.
5. Dough may be quite soft – if so, chill for about 1 hour until firm.
6. Preheat oven to 350F.
7. Roll dough into 1-inch size balls, roll in cinnamon sugar mix, and bake for 10 to 12 mins, or until lightly golden on the bottom and firm on top. If the cookie dough was very cold after being in the fridge, you might need to bake for closer to 15 minutes.
8. Makes about 18 to 24 cookies and freezes beautifully.

© Eat Well, Live Vibrantly