These sparkly, sugar-coated gingersnaps are the latest of several “secretly vegan” cookie recipes I’ve adapted in recent months (See my posts on chocolate maple and chocolate covered pretzel cookies.) With oil in place of butter and water instead of eggs, they are lighter and a bit chewier than traditional molasses cookies, but retain the same flavor profile – with an extra kick from generous amounts of ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Vegan Molasses Cookies
Adapted from Spice Up the Curry
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup olive oil or other vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsulphured molasses
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup granulated sugar, for rolling
1. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. In another large bowl, whisk together oil, molasses, brown sugar, and water until smooth.
3. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients, stirring until a dough forms. (Be careful not to over-mix.) If dough is sticky, refrigerate for 30 minutes before shaping.
4. Scoop tablespoon-size portions of dough, for smaller cookies, or 2 tablespoons of dough, for larger cookies, and roll into balls. Coat with granulated sugar and place on prepared cookie sheets about two inches apart.
5. Bake for around 10-12 minutes, depending on size. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Baker Without Borders 