I love cookies. Cookies are really my favourite baked good next to cupcakes of course. They’re little, crunchy, and so delicious warm out of the oven. Mmmm! The past few months I’ve been a baking machine. I’ve been making scones, cookies, cupcakes, cakes…you name it. Nothing I bake ever lasts long in this house, not with two parents, a brother, and a boyfriend who all have a huge collective sweet tooth. They complain that I’m making them fat with these unhealthy foods, but they certainly don’t seem to mind one bit when scarfing ‘em all down. I received a complaint from my boyfriend about his gut’s increasing girth or at least that would be what I assume he was talking about. It was hard to make out the actual sounds of words as he shoveled down an entire plate of cookies. I told him I wouldn’t bake so much anymore and apologised for his ever-expanding belt. With a long face and a sad heart I hung up my oven mitts and put away my baking pans. Thus began my search for the healthier, heartier cookie that was sweet enough to not seem like the typical “healthy alternative.”
After a few hours, though it seemed like years, I managed to find a slew of healthy-cooking websites and blogs. I began perusing them for new ideas and recipes to freshen up our everyday fare. I made a hearty meat chili, vegetarian chili, barley vegetable soup, tuscan lentil and vegetable soup, and chicken souvlaki. Still my urge to bake sweet, delicious treats was not assuaged. I continued my quest…and that’s when I found it. HEAVEN IN THE FORM OF HEALTHFOOD. I had found a recipe for glorious gingerbread cookies! Thank you
Fatfreevegan.com! You have saved me from a life deprived of baking delectable goodies!
Good things do come in small packages! My little minature gingerbread men can prove it!
Over the course of two paychecks I amassed a little collection of healthy ingredients and set out upon my first quest. I would make a healthy cookie that would be just as delicious as their non-vegan bakery counterparts. I spent this past Tuesday mixing, measuring and baking like a fiend all for the sake of cookies. I rolled out my dough, cut out my shapes, and impatiently stood by the oven for my cookies. After 7,000 hours of baking (you might want to adjust that official baking time by a smidgen, this is just an estimated guess) the timer finally went off. DING! I opened the door to my oven and yanked out the cookie trays. I tossed my oven mitt to the ground, snatched a cookie from the tray, and popped it into my mouth….AND A CHOIR OF ANGELS BROKE FORTH! PERFECT. LITTLE. WARM. CRUNCHY. CHEWY. COOKIES. OH HAPPY DAYS! My life was now complete. Thanks to a recipe from fatfreevegan.com I had managed to make these amasingly perfect little guilt-free cookies. And now, without further ado, I share with you this delicious cookie recipe. I made no tweaking to the recipe’s original ingredients list, just reorganised it in the order of addition to the bowl. I included my method for making gingersnaps along with the cutout directions. Those are my preferred method of making cookies from gingerbread dough. I love that they’re crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside! My only warning? Have someone hide the other half of the cookies or you’ll be sad when you eat them all in one sitting.
Looking for s
omething sweet to buy your little cookie? Look no further than my
Etsy Shop! Check out my selection of holiday earrings. I bet the baker in your life would love to make these cookies wearing a cute pair of Gingerbread Sweeties earrings!
INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp applesauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup dark molasses
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup cold water
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups white flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 t allspice
1 t ginger
1 t cloves
1 t cinnamon
1 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
PAM nonstick cooking spray
Powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar) or White Granulated Sugar
DIRECTIONS
Mix the applesauce, brown sugar, agave nectar and molasses together thoroughly. Stir in 1/2 cup cold water and vanilla.
Mix together dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well until soft dough forms.
Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
To make cutouts: Sprinkle waxed paper, parchment paper or baking block with flour. Roll out dough 1/4 inch thick. Cutout shapes with various cookie cutters. Sometimes it helps to coat cookie cutters with butter, nonstick spray, or flour.
To make gingersnaps: Roll into balls about 1inch in diameter. Cover balls in sugar, press down in center with thumb.
For large cookies place on tray about 1inch apart. Mini cookies can be placed closer together.
Bake about 7 minutes.
Dust with powdered sugar or decorate with icing and allow to cool.
My absolute favourite kind of cookie: GINGERSNAPS!
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