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.
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
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
Ok gals, I ground some spelt this am and gave these a try. I get real creative at the end of the month… No money. And since These didn’t call for eggs it was a perfect timing! I doubled the recipie, used coconut oil, mixed all my dry ingredients together than sifted them into the wet stirring after so many sifts. I didn’t want to get a lump of ginger in w my cookies. Then I put them in fridge for 15 min. Baked as directed, they are amazing!! Thanks for the recipie!
The recipe turned out very well. I made a few substitutions and it was my first use of spelt flour. I used psyllium husk to replace the flax, applesauce rather than vegan butter and agave as opposed to molasses bc I didn’t have those items. I rolled them in turbinado as you suggested to add the crispness. One thing I really like about them is that they are flavourful, yet very nice and light. Thanks for sharing!
You made three major substitutions and gave the recipe four stars? This is a five star recipe as is. I think it’s the apple sauce and agave that maybe made it taste four stars.
You made molasses cookies without molasses? It’s not just sweetener….it’s for the flavor of this type of cookie.
I loved these! I didn’t have light spelt flour (or know where to get it, even), so I used half regular spelt flour and half AP. I baked them for 10 minutes and they were heavenly. I will certainly make them again. (And again. And again.)
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…. Yummie!!!
Thank you so much for this fantastic reciepe. This are for sure the best ginger cookies I’ve ever tried! And they’re vegan.
All the best for you
A friend of mine gave me some spelt flour and I had no idea what to do with it. Came to Pinterest to see what was out there. These cookies appeared and oh my god, I am so happy they did. My husband and I love them! Thank you!
Is it ok to use Spectrum shortening in place of the vegan butter?
It won’t be vegan then unless it’s veg shortening?…there are other vegan butter substitutes out there too.
I am so excited to find this recipe, via pinterest! I have a gluten intolerance and have had lots of luck with spelt flour. However, I haven’t had a lot of luck with spelt cookies. Your recipe looks great though! I can’t wait to try making these tomorrow.
Can I add coconut oil instead of vegan butter? Has anyone tried that?
I am in the midst of making a double batch of your delicious cookies. This is my first vegan Christmas. I am sure these cookies will be part of my new “traditional baking” in the future. They are wonderful. My dough was too wet, as others have written, so I added about 1/4 cup more spelt flour. I guess it depends on the flour brand you use. I cut my candied ginger into tiny pieces and just used half of the powdered ginger. The flavour is perfect for me. I think these are my new favourite cookies! Thank you, Angela!
The cookies came out amazingly good! Can’t wait to share them over the holidays!
Made these tonight. Super easy & super tasty.
I’ve been wanting to make these for a few months and finally had all of the ingredients on hand and decided to bake them! I followed the recipe exactly but I came out with 16 cookies so I baked them for 10 minutes instead of 12 and they came out perfect. I eve added the chopped candied ginger. These cookies are amazing, chewy-spicy-addictive! I have found a keeper!
Just made your cookies very good. Thank you.
This looks DELICIOUS! I’m always looking for healthy and all natural cookies .. I found some at www.cooperstreetcookies.com but this looks like something I’ll have to try!
These are seriously the BEST cookies EVER! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! I ended up using Brown Rice Flour 1:1 in place of Spelt and they turned out amazing. The batter was really gooey, so I rolled them in organic cane sugar which really helped a lot. They turned out soft and perfect with the ginger chips added in. Thank you!!
These were delicious! Thanks so much for the easy recipe … perfect for the holidays. They were easy to make, and came out nice and chewy and perfect in taste and texture. These will definitely be made every year in my house!
These were the hands down favorite of my vegan cookie baking session!
This is not gluten-free!
Sorry to say but spelt contains gluten so if you have celiac disease like me or a gluten sensitivity stay far away from this cookie!!!
I made these yesterday but I used an egg instead of flaxseed mix and I left out molasses and doubled up on the maple syrup. I also used wholemeal spelt flour because I couldn’t find light spelt flour. My mix was just soo sticky and basically impossible to roll into balls. Is there a way I could fix it so that doesn’t happen? Like maybe adding more flour until its rollable? But would that counteract the flavour at all? Meaning I would have to add more ginger and cinnamon possibly? Or would it be fine?