I wouldn’t consider this a revolutionary concept in the slightest, but a simple tweak to my daily routine has changed everything.
“Make a list.”
That’s the advice Eric gave me several weeks ago when I was fizzling out. <—my term for juggling too many things at once with no clear direction on how to get it all done. I was moving at mach speed, but not feeling like I was making real progress. Running in place at its finest.
So I took his advice and dropped everything to make a simple list. I’ve enjoyed list-making in the past, but got out of the habit somewhere along the way. Eric is always ranting and raving about how good it feels to check off his list (he always has a list), and I’ve been secretly envious of his organizational prowess for years. A few weeks ago I made a list just for kicks. By 10am, I already had a few major things checked off and I felt motivated to keep going. Just like the energizer bunny. Ok, not really, but I felt more on top of things than I had in a while. He might be onto something here…
Of course, I had to buy a cute notebook for my new list-making infatuation. For some reason, I can’t get into the digital/online/app lists. Too easy to ignore, maybe. I need a list I can hold in my hand, cart around, and of course, scratch off each item with self-congratulatory force.
I now try to finish off each day by making a to-do list for the next day. I think I’ve reached peak personal organization! bahah. When I wake up in the morning, I already have a game plan waiting to be pounced on. Things are added, removed, or tweaked as the day goes on. Sometimes I get them done and sometimes I don’t (like yesterday, when we were without power for 24 hours due to an ice storm), but the point is that it’s made a huge impact in my day-to-day motivation and sense of accomplishment. And during the dreary, short days of winter, I’ll take every little bit I can get.
These molasses cookies are made a bit healthier using light spelt flour instead of all-purpose flour. To my delight, they turned out even better than my former favourite ginger cookies. The spelt flour lends a rich, nutty flavour and compliments the rustic molasses, cinnamon, and ginger flavours nicely. If you are looking for a last-minute cookie idea that is super quick to throw together, try these on for size. Keep in mind this batch only makes 1 dozen cookies, so you might want to double it for a larger crowd.
Chewy Molasses Spelt Cookies
Yield
1 dozen cookies
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
With crispy edges and chewy middles, these are hard to resist. The candied ginger is optional, so no worries if you don’t have any. I made the first batch without candied ginger and the second with it. I think I prefer the version without the candied ginger as they were a bit less sweet. If you want to cut back on the sugar, omit the candied ginger and the optional rolling in sugar. Either way, they’ll be a nice treat no matter which way you make them!
Ingredients
- 1/2 tablespoon ground flax mixed with 2 tablespoons water
- 1/4 cup vegan butter
- 1/4 cup natural cane sugar
- 2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 & 1/4 cups light spelt flour
- 1/4 cup diced candied ginger (optional)
- 2-3 tablespoons sugar, for rolling (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line 1 large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix flax and water in a mug and set aside for a few minutes. Stir to combine.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, molasses, syrup, vanilla, and flax mixture until smooth and combined.
- In the same bowl, beat in one-by one, the dry ingredients (ginger, cinnamon, soda, salt, cloves, and flour) until just combined. Be sure not to overmix.
- Fold in diced candied ginger if using (or skip this step).
- Shape dough into small balls and roll in a bowl of sugar (optional). Place balls 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. Carefully flatten ball slightly with hand so it's about 1/2 inch thick.
- Bake cookies for 12 minutes for a crispier cookie, or 10 minutes for a softer cookie (I did 12). Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack for another 10-15 minutes. Enjoy!
Tip:
Notes: 1) You can probably swap the light spelt flour for all-purpose flour if desired. 2) This recipe can be doubled if you desire 24 cookies instead of 12. 3) I used a combo of cane sugar and turbinado sugar for rolling (the turbinado makes it really crunchy), but you can use all cane sugar if you prefer.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)My planned giveaway was not possible this weekend due to the power outage. More coming soon over the next couple weeks, so stay tuned!
ps. – This song is on high rotation! can’t. stop. listening.
pps. – 17 more vegan holiday desserts & drinks
Wishing you all a happy, safe, and fun holiday! Thanks for your amazing support in 2013. xo
Glad to see you have power again after that crazy ice storm! Hope everyone stayed safe. And yum! I love ginger-molasses cookies!
Do you think half whole spelt flour and half all purpose flour would work? I haven’t been able to find any light spelt flour around my parts.
Hey Jo,
Yes, I do think that would work! Let me know how it goes if you try it out.
I posted my last gingerbread/molasses recipe of the season over the weekend and I will miss posting about these flavors so much! Your cookies look RIGHT up my alley! Soft, chewy, and full of spice and a little kick! Pinned! Merry Xmas, Angela! :)
Glad to hear your power is back on! I’d say that’s pretty good advice Eric gave you. I find that it’s easier to sleep at night if you’ve purged all of the things you need to do on paper. Plus,it’s a good excuse to buy a pretty notebook!
These cookies look amazing, per usual. I just bought a bag of spelt flour too…
All the best to you as well in the new year! Thanks for the great resource you provide to us and you so deserve all of the success you’re enjoying. Have an amazing Christmas and Happy 2014 :)
PS-The cookies look incredible!
Thanks Sharon! All the best to you as well :)
Eric saves the day once again with a brilliant ideal! Making a list has been the best thing that happen to me, especially during this time of year when you wonder where does the time go.. Cookies with candied ginger are such a lovely treat.
Delicious–I love ginger and molasses in baked forms! I’m going to have to try my hand at making candied ginger so I can try these, since it’s been pulled from the shelves at a lot of stores here in California :(
Thanks for sharing, I loooove candied ginger in cookies :) These sound amazing! Glad to hear that you all made it through the storm safely and with power now.
Would love to make these – do you think any other type of “oil” would work.
I rarely purchase butter of any variety, nor at this point do I have much time to do so….
I was thinking coconut oil maybe since that is what I generally have on hand. I would really like to try some of these!
I was wondering about coconut oil too….I haven’t tried but I will have to do so soon! I’ll report back in the recipe if I do. I can’t imagine why it wouldn’t work.
Kathy Patalsky has a great recipe that is similar to this & I use a mix of macadamia oil & olive oil instead of a vegan butter – it works really well. I’ve tried it with just olive oil & there’s not quite enough flavour, so I prefer to include the macadamia. I’m thinking that coconut oil could overpower the flavour just a little…
Very keen to try this recipe next!
I used applesauce and it turned out beautifully!!!
Bonny, how much applesauce did you use in place of butter? I would love to reduce the calories just a bit. Made these last night by the recipe and they were amazing. (-:
I used coconut oil and honey instead of sugar/maple syrup. They turned out beautifully, no overpowering coconut flavour at all :)
I tried with coconut oil and they turned out so yummy! Your recipes never disappoint Angela, I always know they will turn out amazing! Thank you! :)
I make these delicious cookies using coconut oil and they turn out wonderfully:)
I’m so happy to hear that Lynn! :) Thanks for letting us know.
Vegan shortening or solid coconut oil would work.
I substituted olive oil and the dough was a bit more softer. The cookies baked up fine.
Spelt is a variety of wheat so substituting wheat flour should work fine.
Tasty cookie. Wasn’t sure how the cinnamon would go in the dough but it actually works without tasting cinnamony.
I’m in love with ginger and molasses cookies this season but I’ve never experimented with spelt before so I’m excited to give these a try!
Glad to see you have power back again. My parents are still without so everyone’s getting cozy in my tiny apartment : ) These cookies will make a fun baking activity together this afternoon.
Hope your parents have power soon! I swear we could see our breath last night. lol. So thankful for that heat & electricity!
Hi Angela!
Its been a long time since the Toronto Women’s Half but I wanted to let you know that I am still a reader and am so happy for you and Oh She Glows! Yesterday I was talking to my brother in Colorado who needed a vegan recipe and I referred him to your blog. Funny thing is the girl he was cooking for is a big fan of the blog! Just wanted to let you know you have fans everywhere!
Wishing you and Eric a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Hey Sarah, So nice to hear from you! I hope you have a great Christmas & new year too. :)
ps- too funny about your brother’s friend following my blog. How nice of your brother to make her a recipe!
Oh girl…why are you doing this to me?!!??!!? Ginger cookies are my number one favorite! I already made your turtle cookies. At least my husband helped me eat those. These I’d have to eat all by myself…YIKES! I’ll probably just have to double up on my T25 work outs!
hah tis the season ;) and yes, thank goodness for a good workout this time of the year!
These look fantastic! I love chewy ginger cookies. And I think I have everything on hand to make them except for the candied ginger. I know what I’m going today. :)
Oh I know what you mean about lists. I can’t stand digital lists; they just make me further confused. Jason always wants to “sync calendars” but mine is in a large print book written in pen. :)
Anyway I hope it’s helping focus your busy life.
Hope your Holidays are wonderful!
Well, I made “cookies” also , almost everytime I make food for a non-veggie type of person. This is how it goes They say oh wow what is this ,I reply its something I made for you, they say can I eat this is it legal , of course, its a granola type pattie I made it into a ‘Cookie”, look my food is functional alright if you were to leave this “cookie” in a bowl of some coconut milk it would magically turn in to a gourmet bowl of oatmeal also… Its so weird to me that some one would question my food, I don’t say wow am I going to get Cancer from you processed box cake, no I just smile and say thanks. Including my cookies have over 20 ingredients from WF…why do I try! Anyways Happy Holidays. Co-existing is so fun.
This recipe has me in heaven. I cook with whole spelt all the time. I used to mix it with white spelt when converting a white-flour recipe, but forgot one day with a biscuit crust and didn’t mind one bit. Thus, never again :). I might swap out a little bit of it for some almond flour, though. Thank you, thank you!
hah I’ve made spelt biscuits before too! Such short/dense little things (but yea, pretty sure they tasted great!) Love the flavour of spelt.
I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to function if I didn’t have my Moleskin attached to my hip at all times. If I don’t have my day planned out on paper, I don’t manage to get a lot done because I don’t even know where to start… so I spend all my time trying to come up with a plan rather than carry one out. And thank you for giving me another wonderful way to fuel my molasses obsession — these cookies look amazing.
Oh my gosh Ange, I am sooooo with you on the list making! And the fancy notebook thing too – that would be the first thing on my list of to-do’s: must buy notebook! Lists are just how I operate and I make one daily. I’ve learned though not to put too many things on the list and also to include some little things (like small wins) so that I know I’ll be able to cross them off and feel really good about it. I also make lists of things I’m grateful for, blog idea lists, recipe idea lists etc etc. I have lists for my lists lol! I was thinking about you guys yesterday and hoping that you’d get power back soon. It sounds like I escaped the cold just in time and I hope you guys are nice and toasty now. These cookies look fantastic and my mum looooves this type of thing. I’m going to visit her in January so I just might take a batch with me! I hope you’re having an awesome day!
haha I’m with you on small wins. Hey if it helps, why not? I also have recipe idea lists and blog writing topic lists (but those are in my Google drive). Sounds like we are on the same “page”!
I made some spiced Christmas biscuits and thought they would satisfy my holiday biscuit cravings but now I’ve seen these cookies -I’m just going to have to try these too -they look delicious!
I find lists essential for organising, although mainly because I’m so forgetful!
wow I love your cookies there so great, I just cant get enough of them . Your so creative at cooking your recipes are so original.. Happy Holiday
These look perfect, I love candied ginger! Thanks!
I think Eric and I would get along. I live for checking things off my lists! It makes me sound like a total loser but it is one of my favourite things to do and it gives the best feeling of accomplishment!
Lists keep me sane!! And so would these cookies…delicious!
These look delicious! I’m a molasses-ginger fan so these would be perfect for the vegan cookie swap. One question: I don’t have light spelt flour, do you know if AP flour would be fine, or perhaps cake flour since that’s like the “light” version of AP flour? I only usually buy those even though I keep telling myself it would be nice to try something different :)
Hey Jen,
yes I do think AP flour is fine since I’ve made previous similar versions with AP flour. Other flours might work too but I havent tried any yet. Enjoy!
That ice storm sure was something! I love listening to the booming cracks as the ice from the trees comes down. We were only out of power for 14 ish hours but we were certainly becoming a concerned that our poor girls (cockatiels) were too cold – almost hotel bound :).
I love your site, breathlessly await your cookbook, and am making these cookies as we speak. I have been mostly vegan for a while and finding your site has made it much easier; thank you!
Thanks for your lovely comment! I so appreciate your support. :)
So funny you mentioned worrying about your pets…we were saying the same thing about Sketchie (oh his ears are so cold!!) haha. Somehow he survived. ;) Eric actually made him a “cat tent” with blankets…crazy cat man, for sure!
Read Getting Things Done by David Allen … life-changing :-)
Hockley Valley flours? I have never heard of these! Are they Ontario based?
Also love love love molasses cookies and will definitely try this one
These sound amazing! I love ginger and molasses. Do you have a suggestion for a GF substitution for the flour? I can’t wait to try making these.
Thanks so much and happy holidays!
Merry Christmas Angela! And thank-you for your wonderful recipes and stories throughout the year. Do you know, for Christmas this year, I’ve made your homemade rolos, your peppermint oat squares, your peanut butter cookies (for Santa), the raw almond butter cups, and your peppermint pattie mixture is cooling in my freezer right now. And tomorrow’s project is going to be your homemade graham wafer cookies, which we always make into gingerbread men – and now, I guess I’ll be making these molasses spelt cookies as well, lol. How would I have any Christmas treats without you?! :)
I adore lists :-) They definitely give a buzz of actually getting something done! And if your lists generate these kinds of cookies, then I think we’ll all be benefiting.
Best wishes for a very happy Christmas Angela.
I’m a big list-maker myself, and simply cannot bring myself to do it without a fun notebook and pen to record everything with. I LOVE these cookies. Crystalized ginger is one of my favorites and I adore all things gingerbread-esque. Gorgeous and delicious! Have a great Christmas!
I just made these with coconut oil instead of butter and wow they are soooo good! Thank you!!
Wow, these look delicious! :)
Happy, merry! I got a work colleague hooked on your blog, and HE sends your recipes to his family and makes them for us at work. He especially loves your squash recipe with the dried cranberries.
I wonder if I could pat these cookies into ginger bread peops? Or chill the dough and use cookie cutters? Wish I’d seen this recipe last weekend…but there’s always next year. We used to decorate the cookies to look like the people we were making the cookies for! *<);D
All the best!
Suze
Just want to say how excited I am for your cookbook! I preordered a copy for myself for a Christmas present :) In the mean time, I’ll be baking these or your Nutcracker cookies, listening to Christmas music, and seeing if these strange sensations might mean we’re having a Christmas baby!
Wishing you a Merry Christmas!! I’m so grateful for your blog!!
Candied Ginger is the perfect winter spice! Love the pictures!
Hello Angela!
Thank-you Darling for all your lovely recipes! I made these delicious cookies this evening. My mother says they are awesome; “Just enough spice that you eat them slowly!” I am looking into purchasing one of your books. Your blog is beautiful love, photos are fantastic!
Thank you so much for the feedback! So glad you all enjoyed them. Have a great holiday!
These were gone in less than a day. YUM! The ginger was a great addition.
I made these today as part of my festive cook/bake-athon and they turned out wonderfully, even though I supped my gluten-free flour mix for the spelt flour. Thanks for all the wonderful recipes that enable my cookie addiction with minimal guilt :)
I swapped in all oat flour but added an extra 1/4c because the consistency of the dough was too thin. Cranked the oven to 375 and dropped the bake time to 10 exactly and they came out amazing, and gluten free.
I made these today and they were a hit with my family. I also used coconut oil instead of vegan butter. Really great. Thanks!
Merry Christmas —-Angela And Eric and family
I just made the cookies and they are delicious!!! <My kids and hubby loved them too. I am not a fan of black-strap so I used fancy molasses instead. I think I'll use this one in my Home Ec. class. Definitely need to double it next time – there is not going to be enough left for back to school lunches!
I’m a list maker too.. I usually have a running list of things I need to do, but I think having a game plan for the morning before going to bed is a great idea. I’m going to try to start doing this to see if it helps. :)
I think I need a short break from sugar after all I’ve eaten the past few weeks with the holiday get togethers. BUT as soon as I’m ready for a small treat again, these might be first on my list. They look wonderful!
Thank you for this recipe. I made these with my family. Turned out amazing and so good! Everyone loved them. This is sure to turn into a annual cookie classic!
Mmmm there were molasses cookies at our family cookie bake this year but not vegan. I will definitely be keeping these in mind for my veg contributions next Christmas ;)
these cookies look great – and molasses are one of my boyz favorites so I will be sure to make them :)
Glad you have gotten into the list habit – it is a lifesaver and can really decrease anxiety (as soon as you put something on paper, you no longer have it swirling in your head!). My problem is that lately I have so many lists or they are so long and cumbersome – it is feeling a bit overwhelming and scattered. Time to regroup in the new year!!!
These look so delicious. Can’t wait to try the recipe.
If I don’t have access to vegan butter (I currently live outside the US) could I use coconut oil as a replacement?
I haven’t tried it yet with coconut oil, but I would expect that it would still work. Let me know if you try it out!
Wow, these look great! What are your thoughts on spelt flour? I’ve heard some controversial comments on it, but I’m definitely intrigued.
Hey Angie!
I am stoked to try these cookies but also don’t have any spelt flour on hand although I DO have quinoa and sorghum. I’m thinking the sorghum would compliment the molasses but wanted to ask your advice, being the creator o’ goodie-ness and all! :)
These will be a welcome addition to a bring-your-own-snacks New Years Party!
Hey Brinklen, Hmm..that’s a tough one to say for sure! I’ve only tried them with AP flour and spelt flour. Quinoa and Sorghum are both gluten-free flours as you know which can have unpredictable results in baking recipes! I would think you’d need a starch in there for binding (is sorghum a starch? I can’t remember). All the best if you do try something out and Happy new year!
These look absolutely delicious! Love the way they are nearly sugar free! I was wondering what the purpose of flax idv – to act as a binder? Do you think chia seeds could be used instead?
Yes chia seeds might work although I haven’t tried it before. Let me know if you do!