Appeale

Yesterday I was at Ici with a friend who tried one of their tiny and precious gingersnap cookies.  The cookie was pretty flat so I was expecting a nice crunch (or snap if you will), but they were just the right texture (if you’re looking for a chewy cookie).  I somehow missed out on eating gingersnaps over the winter holidays, so my apologies for this just-out-of-season treat.  If you’re a huge ginger flavor fan, like me, you’re welcome.

The end result of baking today was nice and crunchy, sugar coated ginger cookies.  I made them pretty small and ended up with about four dozen (you can see in the picture – it’s a teacup plate- for a ratio idea)  Originally this recipe was non-vegan, but I was out of eggs (and feeling rather lazy) so voila:

Vegan Gingersnaps

Makes about 4 dozen

Ingredients
2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
A pinch of ground cloves
1/4 cup apple sauce (I use cinnamon applesauce)
1/4 cup molasses (the darker the better, in my opinion)
Additional sugar for rolling the cookies – I prefer sanding sugar (the crystals are a bit bigger and have a better crunch)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Using a mixer beat the oil, sugar, and applesauce on medium speed until the mixture is smooth and light. Scrape down the bowl and add the molasses until well combined. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cloves and cinnamon. On low speed, beat in the dry ingredients until the dough comes together.

I let the dough sit in the fridge for a few minutes to firm up while I placed some sugar on a small place.  Next, form the dough into desired ball size, and roll each in the granulated sugar to evenly coat them. Place the cookies on baking sheets, (evenly spaced and about an inch apart) and lightly press with your palm to flatten the tops slightly.

Bake until they are puffed, cracked, and lightly golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Cool completely and enjoy!