Today is a momentous moment in my personal baking history. Ladies and gentleman, the images of crinkly cookies you are currently viewing represent the very first Vegan baked good I’ve ever made. My friend Hänni will be so proud of me! I definitely had my reservations about attempting this recipe but in an absentminded moment I purchased and then re-purchased several gigantic claws of ginger while at the grocery store and I simply refused to throw them out. I can only add diced and grated ginger to so many things though so when I happened upon this recipe in Krystina Castella’s new Crazy About Cookies cookbook it seemed as though the spice gods were seriously looking out for my frugal well-being.
Some snarky part of me really anticipated that these cookies would not be edible but I was absolutely wrong. In fact these Vegan Ginger Cookies came out exactly the way I like my cookies: soft and chewy. The flavor is outstanding. If you’re a gingersnap fan I highly recommend testing these. The addition of ground, fresh, and crystallized ginger to the dough is brilliant and bold and if I hadn’t just thoroughly stuffed my face with leftover coconut cream pie from last night’s dinner I would be in my kitchen right now whipping up another batch.
PS: Don’t forget about the Folgers contest. Check out some of my favorite holiday traditions and then learn how you could win a trip home for the holidays!
Vegan Ginger Cookies
Originally Published in Crazy About Cookies by Krystina Castella
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark brown sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 banana, mashed
1 1/2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup diced crystallized ginger
Combine the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
Beat the brown sugar, oil, molasses, and banana in a medium bowl until blended.
Stir in the flour mixture until well blended.
Add the fresh and crystallized ginger. Refrigerate for at least two house.
Preheat the over to 300ºF. Grease 2 cookies sheets with oil.
Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Place the balls on the cookies sheets about two inches apart. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until browned. Let cool on the pans for 5 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
