Yum, yum.  I was wanting to snack.  Snack bad.  Like let me buy a bag of cookies or bag of butterscotch chips and sit in front of the t.v. and eat the until it was all gone and I felt sick to my stomach.  Bad snacking.  So I needed to get busy and make something snack worthy but healthy.  Something I wouldn’t feel guilty about the next day…or the minute after I finished.  So here is my Baking Swaps – Vegan Ginger Cherry Cookies.

Totally the reason I gave up store-bought cookies.  I can down a package 0.6 seconds…no joke!  And butterscotch chips are a total downfall of mine-especially frozen ones.  Totally addicting.  But, luckily I had given both up in the past year and that is going well, but it doesn’t mean that I haven’t found replacements.  Dried cherries in bulk from Whole Foods are that new addiction.  Thankfully I don’t go there often, but when I get a big bag of them they don’t last long at all.

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I don’t make cookies often because, again, my self control is nil.  One of my favorite cookies (though I could eat any) is the Vegan Gingerbread Cookies from Whole Foods in Washington, DC.  I am telling you they are so addicting, I would go to WF to shop even though I couldn’t really afford it.  And those cookies are Expensive-and yes that was expensive was meant with a capital E.  $1 for one cookie.  Sheesh.  But very worth it.  So that was my inspiration.  Ginger cookies and my bag of dried cherries.  Oh goodness.  These turned out so good.  The one thing I like best about vegan cookies is the cake-like texture.

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For my baking swap, I used something that I was very nervous about…coconut oil.  I hate coconut with a passion.  I hate the smell, texture and flavor. Yuck.  But, I had gotten a free jar of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil from Tropical Traditions and since I feel behind the times since everyone out there is touting coconut oil, I needed to get over myself and try  it out.  I used the oil instead of the normal banana or applesauce, and I used less of the oil than I did applesauce and bananas for my Baking Swaps – Breakfast Cookie.  It was the same consistency as a normal cookie and I also used water after I started adding in the dry ingredients.  Totally healthy!

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It wasn’t bad!  I was really shocked that no coconut flavor ended up in my done cookies.  I smelt it in the batter and tasted it a little when I tasted it, but nothing in the end product.  The texture and the cherries and ginger.  Wow, my apartment smelt amazing!

Ginger Cherry Cookies, 30 cookies

1 Tbsp Hodgson Mill Flax Seed

3 Tbsp Water

2 1/4 C All-Purpose Flour

1 Tsp Baking Soda

2 Tsp Cinnamon

1 1/2 Tsp Ground Cloves

1/2 Tsp Nutmeg

1/2 Tsp Ginger

1/4 Tsp Salt

1/2 C Maple Grove 100% Pure Maple Syrup

1/4 C Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil

1 Tsp Vanilla

1/2 C Water

1 C Dried Cherries, chopped

 

1.   Mix flax and water about an hour before starting recipe and refrigerate

2.   Turn oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking sheets with Pam.

3.   Measure and pour all dry ingredients into medium mixing bowl. Mix well.

4.   Measure and pour all liquid ingredients to large bowl and mix well.

5.   Slowly pour dried into wet and mix.  Add water as the mix gets really dry.

6.   Chop cherries while batter sits.

7.   Pour in cherries and mix.

8.   Scoop batter with teaspoon onto sprayed baking sheets.

9.   Bake 10 minutes.

10. Let cool on rack or parchment paper (I only had foil and used that).

Healthy Vegan Fridays