Chewy Molasses Ginger Cookies with Dark Chocolate Drizzle (Vegan)

I've always loved molasses cookies. Soft, chewy, spicy, they are the ultimate winter cookie. My brother used to live down the street from this cute little bakery called Ginger Betty's and as I'm sure you can imagine they sold all types of gingerbread cookies. Among the largest population of gingerbread men and women I've ever seen there can be found a stack of the thickest, chewiest molasses cookies. They were no ordinary amazing-looking molasses cookies, no, they are drizzled in dark chocolate. You know how sometimes you don't even realize something is missing something until you see the new version of that something and you suddenly find yourself thinking, "Of course! Why didn't I think of that?". Well, that's exactly what I thought when I saw those cookies.

On Wednesday Sam and I flew into Boston to begin our ten day vacation visiting my family for the holidays. The trip is flying by so far. I can't believe it's already Saturday. Today we're hanging out with my sister and her adorable dog in their New Hampshire cottage before heading back down to Rhode Island in a couple days. It's been a lot of fun hanging out with the Fam. It's been awhile since we've all been together, especially for Christmas. And it's been really great having Sam around this year!

And since I am in New England where I first discovered these delicious cookies I thought it was only fitting to post them today. I found this recipe last year and it exactly the type of cookie I was looking for. I only needed to make minor changes to get it absolutely perfect. This recipe is so good that I had a friend last year buy me all the ingredients so that I could keep baking him more and more cookies. 

Chewy Molasses Ginger Cookies with Dark Chocolate Glaze

Slightly adapted from Lunch Box Bunch

• 2 cups whole spelt flour
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1 1/2-2 tablespoons ground ginger (depending on how spicy you like them)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/3 cup unrefined coconut oil, softened
• 1/3 cup blackstrap molasses
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup vegan cane sugar
• 1 teaspoon unrefined coconut oil
• 1/4 cup vegan dark chocolate chips

Makes 2 dozen cookies.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a medium bowl, stir together the coconut oil, molasses and vanilla. Mix the wet mix into the dry until the dry ingredients are completely mixed in. Place the dough on wax paper and form into a log, wrap the paper around it and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Once the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Unwrap the dough and slice it about every half inch and then cut those slices in half. Take the half circles of dough and roll them in to balls and put to the side. Place the cane sugar in the bowl and roll each ball of dough in the sugar and then place the dough on a silpat or greased baking sheet. Flatten the dough slightly. These cookies don't spread too much, I easily fit a dozen on each sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, the cookies should still feel soft when you pull them from the oven, they will harden as they cool.

Allow the cookies to cool on a sheet of wax paper at least 15 minutes. In the meantime, you can begin melting the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a double boiler or as I usually do, a heat safe bowl over a sauce pan 1/3 of the way filled with water. Be sure to stir frequently so that the chocolate doesn't burn, it also speeds up the process. Once the chocolate is melted and smooth, use the spoon the drizzle the chocolate over the cookies. Allow the chocolate to cool and harden, to expedite this you can place them in the fridge. You will most likely have some chocolate left over, but I'm sure you'll find a way to put them to good use.

Once the chocolate has hardened serve with a glass of your favorite kind of eggnog. Here are some homemade recipes I've been wanting to try:
Vegan Eggnog-Soy Free -Maple Spice
You Gotta Love Raw Vegan Egg Nog -This Rawsome Vegan Life
Healthy Vegan Eggnog -A Baking Girl

Do you have a good homemade vegan eggnog recipe? If so, please share below!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (Vegan)

I'm just going to cut to the chase. I loved these cookies! I had never made Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies before, but these were definitely an experiment gone right! These were so good that when I came home Saturday night I had found a note written from one of my roommates to the other on top of the cookies to keep her from eating them all.

I mean, come on, what's better than an oatmeal raisin cookie during this time of year? The combination of chewy oats, sweet raisins and warm cinnamon is exactly what your taste buds are asking for. As usual, this recipe is full of only healthful ingredients no margarine or shortening crap found here, no nasty, super processed sugar, just ingredients you can feel good about, but you still probably shouldn't eat the whole plate.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

• 2 Flax Eggs (2 Tablespoons Ground Flax Seed mixed with 6 Tablespoons Warm Water)
• 1/3 Cup Unrefined Coconut Oil, Softened
• 1 Cup Coconut Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 1/4 Cup Spelt Flour
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Korintje Cinnamon (If using Saigon or another strong Cinnamon, reduce to 1 Teaspoon)
• Pinch of Sea Salt
• 1 1/4 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
• 1/2 Cup Raisins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, make your flax eggs and set aside. In a large bowl combine coconut oil with coconut sugar until fully incorporated. Mix in the vanilla and flax eggs. Then add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and mix until combined. Stir in the oats and raisins. Spoon the cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet or one lined with parchment paper or a silpat. These cookies do not spread much so there's no need to leave a huge space between cookies (an inch or two should be fine). Place in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool for a couple minutes, then devour. 

Notes:

-Although it is unnecessary, I found the dough less sticky and easier to handle after it had chilled in the refrigerator for at least half an hour.

-When buying raisins, read the label to make sure they didn't sneak in extra sugar, preservatives or other crap and when possible, buy organic.

-If you hate raisins, substitute dark chocolate chips instead. Fill free to mix in your favorite nuts, too!

What's your favorite kind of cookie this time of year?

Coconut Macadamia Nut Cookies (Vegan, Gluten Free)

It's that time of year again. Back to school time. How did this happen? Isn't still July? In my head it is. Don't get me wrong I am as excited as the next person about apple crisp and butternut squash soup and pumpkin everything... just not yet. I'm not ready to let go of summer flavors. Let's savor them as long as we can, shall we? 

Before I left for Austin I raided my pantry to try and use up everything I could so that I would have less to pack or God-forbid throw away. I did quite a bit of experimenting and these cookies were one of my successes (along with some vegan double chocolate espresso cookies that will be posted as soon I can make another batch and photograph them). These cookies are soft and chewy and full of nutty, tropical flavor. And as always are made with only real, wholesome ingredients.

Coconut Macadamia Nut Cookies

Adapted from this recipe.

• 1 Flax Egg (1 Tablespoon Ground Flaxseeds mixed in 3 Tablespoons warm water)
• 3 Tablespoons Coconut Oil, Melted
• 1 Vanilla Bean, Scraped or 1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 1/4 Cup Almond Meal
• 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
• 1/3 Cup Dry Sugar (I used Coconut Sugar)
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• Pinch of Salt
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Macadamia Nuts

Makes 12 Cookies.

Start by making the flax egg in a small bowl and set aside. Next, in a medium bowl, combine almond meal, coconut, sugar, baking powder, salt and nuts; set aside. Whisk flax egg, add coconut oil, whisk again, add vanilla and whisk again. Add wet mixture to dry and stir until just combined. Chill dough for 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove dough from fridge and form 12 flat rounds with the dough. Place on parchment paper or Silpat. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes before consuming. Enjoy the last tastes of summer.

How do you feel about the fact that September is right around the corner?

Salted Brown Sugar Cookies (Vegan)

Hey all!
As anticipated I had another smoothie bowl for breakfast. I ran out out of coconut milk so I used almond milk instead, definitely not as good. Still tasty, but not as creamy. Anyway that was yesterday. Today we are talking about cookies. Salted Brown Sugar Cookies to be exact.

I have to admit, I'm not really into adding sea salt to everything like most people are these days. Don't get me wrong, I love sweet and salty, but I usually prefer mostly salt with a little bit of sweet or sweet and spicy or just straight sweet. Anyway, today I wanted to try this recipe again (I made a chocolate version for my brother's birthday awhile back) and for some reason it just felt like there should be salt on top. So that's what I did. I will admit as a first timer to the sea salting world, I over salted. Rookie mistake. They still tasted good, but it was a little too much. Also, as I was making them I was sprinkling regular sea salt on top of the dough and mentioned to Molly, "I wish we had coarse sea salt" to which she replied that we did. Whoops. So the first batch (the ones I got pictures of, of course) are over salted and made with the wrong salt. You live and you learn.

So when you go to make these cookies, aim to sprinkle less salt than you see in the above picture. Ha. Look at all that salt. What was I thinking?

The good news is, even if you're not a fan of sea salt sprinkled on top of your cookies, these taste great without it! I mean if you're into super soft and chewy cookies, but let's be serious... no one likes soft and chewy cookies. Ha! 

Salted Brown Sugar Cookies

Adapted from this recipe

• 1/2 Cup Coconut Oil
• 1 Cup Vegan Brown Sugar (not packed)
• 1 Flax Egg (1 TB ground flax seed stirred into 3 TB water)
• 2 Tablespoons Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 Tablespoon Unsulphered Molasses (I used Blackstrap)
• 1 3/4 Cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• Coarse Sea Salt for Sprinkling

Makes approximately 1 dozen.

In a small bowl, make your flax egg and set aside. In a medium size bowl, cream together coconut oil and brown sugar until fully combined, set aside. Whisk the flax egg for about 30 seconds to a minute, then add it to the creamed mixture and whisk it all together. Add the vanilla and molasses, whisk again until everything is fully mixed. Add the flour, baking soda and baking powder and stir until fully combined. Place the dough in the refrigerator for at least half an hour. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a tablespoon, scoop out the dough and place on parchment paper, silpat or greased cookie sheet, do not flatten. I fit 9 cookies nicely on my silpat, they will spread. Next, lightly sprinkle the sea salt onto the cookies. Place the cookies in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes. The cookies will still feel slightly soft on top, when they are removed from the oven, but they will harden up slightly. Allow to cool for at least five minutes before serving. Share with a friend and enjoy!

I'm also thinking these cookies would be fantastic to make ice cream sandwiches out of with vanilla bean coconut ice cream or even banana ice cream. Hmmmm... I may need to get started on that.

Are you a fan of the sea salt trend?

If so, what tasty treats have you made?

Banana Nut Breakfast Cookies (Vegan, Gluten Free)

This morning I woke up to this...

...and this...

No one warned me before I moved out to Colorado that springtime in the Rockies is unlike springtime anywhere else. Apparently, it is the coldest, snowiest, cloudiest season and if you know me, you know I do not enjoy any of those things. I thought I was out-smarting Mother Nature by moving in here in April, but clearly the joke was on me. 

I'm trying to maintain a good attitude about it and tell myself it'll feel like spring soon and that we need the precipitation since we're in a drought, but when that didn't work I took to the kitchen. Homemade cookies are one of my ultimate comfort foods and when those cookies are actually good for you, so much so it's acceptable to eat them for breakfast... double win!

Don't you love the old school blue mason jars Molly found in her grandfather's basement?

These cookies are full of nothing but wholesome ingredients like old-fashioned oats, ground flax seed, almond butter, bananas and a hint of honey. They're soft and chewy and I definitely did not burn my mouth taste-testing one straight out of the oven. They make the perfect grab-and-go breakfast on those cold mornings like today when you hit the snooze button a few times in an attempt to avoid the chilly air. Or bring them on a hike or on a picnic or to the beach. They're filling and satisfying without weighing you down. They're loaded with protein, fiber, potassium, Vitamin E and healthy fats like Omega-3. Plus, they're cookies for breakfast, how can you complain about that? 

*Since we just moved our pantry is still a little sad and empty so I used what nuts and nut butter I had on hand, feel free to substitute walnuts (which I would have preferred to use) or other nuts in place of the almonds and feel free to substitute peanut butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, mac nut butter....or whatever you fancy. You will notice very quickly that both Molly and I love almonds.

Banana Nut Breakfast Cookies

• 1 Ripe Banana
• 1/4 Cup Almond Milk (or other non-dairy milk)
• 1/4 Cup Almond Butter
• 1 Tablespoon Honey (Vegans substitute Pure Maple Syrup, Agave or Brown Rice Syrup)
• 1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Ground Flax Seed
• 1/4 Cup Sliced or Chopped Almonds
• 1 Cup Old Fashioned Oats (make sure they're Gluten Free for those with sensitivities)

Makes 12 cookies.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium size bowl, mash banana and add the almond milk, almond butter, honey, vanilla, cinnamon and flax seed. Mix thoroughly. Add the almonds and oats, mix to combine. Batter with be slightly loose and wet. Spoon batter onto a silpat, wax paper or greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 until slightly toasted looking and slightly firm to the touch, be careful not to over bake or they may become crumbly. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and dig in!

*Feel free to mix in other fun ingredients as well such as shredded coconut, dark chocolate chunks or dried fruit.

Are you one of the lucky people experiencing spring weather? 

Tell me about it so that I may live vicariously through you.