Ginger, cloves, and cinnamon are the secret ingredients flavoring these simple but tasty Vegan Spice Cookies.
I was only a child when my niece was born so it’s surprising I remember much about her at all. But then again, I was the youngest of four so having a niece who was a toddler when I was still a child myself sort of felt like having a younger sister. They sort of leave a big impression on you.
Little Angela was my mom’s first grandchild. I was definitely too young then to realize the significance of that. There is a difference how a mom treats her own child compared to her grandchild. For example, my mom called her first grandchild “Sweetie.” Who knows, maybe she referred to me (and my siblings) as “sweetie” when we were toddlers too, but somehow I doubt it.
In that time of my life all I knew was that my mother was referring to this toddler, my niece, as sweetie.
It was enough to make a child jealous. You know, if that child were the jealous type.
But then something happened. My niece, in full-on adorable toddler brain mode, said something like this to my mom, “Can I have a cookie, sweetie?”
There was a pregnant pause in the air as we all pondered what my niece just said.
She must have thought “sweetie” was a nice way to refer to people.
If jealousy were like a damn, the laughter that followed was like a roaring river freeing me of those negative emotions. We laughed until we nearly cried. And little Angela? Well, she laughed at us laughing at her.
For some reason, every time I make cookies I remember this moment; now in my mind’s scrapbook of memories.
I know it’s easy to think of spice cookies as more of a winter treat, but the sweet, spicy scent filling the air after baking a batch or two of these cookies is perfect year-round.
So, have a cookie. As my mom might also say, “Oh lah, why not have two!”
Vegan Spice Cookies
Yield: Approximately 3 dozen cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups flour*
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ½ cup dairy free margarine
- ¼ cup peanut butter (I think creamy is best, but crunchy could work here too)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup molasses
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 4 tablespoons cold water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (to roll cookies in before baking)
Directions
- Heat your oven to 350℉.
- Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices. Stir a bit and then set aside.
- Beat the margarine, peanut butter and 1 cup sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Feel free to use an electric mixer…or do this by hand if you’d like to work up a little sweat in the kitchen!
- In a small bowl combine the flax seed, corn starch, and water. Stir until well combined. Add this to the margarine mixture along with the molasses. Stir well.
- Next add the combined dry ingredients to the wet. Mix just until combined.
- Roll the dough into 1″ balls between your hands. Then roll the dough balls in sugar (using the remaining ½ cup sugar) before placing on ungreased cookie sheets. Be sure to leave about an inch in between them to allow room for spreading. I used the bottom side of a glass to press each dough ball down a little because I wanted the cookies to be a little flatter. Either that or I just liked the feel of the glass in my hand. Go figure.
- Baking each cookie for 9 minutes or so will give you cookies with crispy edges and a soft middle. If you want less crisp and more goo, bake them for 8 minutes. If you want crispiness throughout, take them up to 10 or even 11 minutes. Crazy, I know!
- Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
Add a little spice to your life. You deserve it, sweetie!
my goodness! those look delicious!!! I LOVE spice cookies. thanks for sharing! can’t wait to try!
May 25, 2012
1:00 pm
Thanks, Caralyn! They *were* really tasty, but, alas, now they’re all gone. The good news is…it’s time to make more of something new!
May 31, 2012
8:06 am
Can I have a cookie too, sweetie? Thanks for making me smile with your write up…and for the many smiles thereafter as I eat one cookie after another…Yummy!
May 26, 2012
4:35 am
Anything for you! Cookies do have a smiling effect, don’t they? Even the name alone is kinda cute!
May 31, 2012
8:05 am
I was happy to find your post at first as I myself have been looking for good vegan recipes. However, using margarine, corn starch and soy products are extremely bad for your health. Not only is the hydrogenation process of making margarine bad, margarine also contains skimmed milk. The whole existence of margarine and soy milk is unnatural and should be omitted if one chooses vegan diet as an option for healthier life style. In my opinion, vegan diet has to be about using the pure ingredients coming from nature and not try to make modified substituents, which are even more harmful for our bodies. In no way am I trying to be disrespectful, but just because you can claim that the dish is vegan, does not imply it being healthy for you, as this recipe suggests.
June 13, 2012
6:37 am
Kristina,
I agree with you that it’s important to be mindful of the foods we eat and to try to include as many whole foods as possible. Some margarines, like Earth Balance, are dairy-free and those are the ones I go for. As far as corn and soy, I think science is still up in the air about those right now. I haven’t seen any conclusive evidence that they’re innately bad for humans to consume. I do think moderation is important in most everything we eat…well, maybe not with broccoli.
I try to limit the amount of margarine in most of my recipes by including things like peanut butter. You’ll see that in this recipe along with spices like ginger and cinnamon, both of which have been shown to include many health benefits. And as an egg replacer, I add ground flax seed which provide a lot of useful nutrition.
I think it’s important to include lots of healthy foods in our life. But I also think life is about living too and sometimes that means having a cookie. And when I’m going for a cookie I want it to taste knock-my-socks-off great! And I want everyone to know that living a vegan lifestyle isn’t all sackcloth and ashes. Nuts and twigs. Nine days out of ten I will have pears, bananas, and yes, lots of broccoli. But on day 10? Bring on these delicious Vegan Spice Cookies. Yes!
June 13, 2012
7:59 am