Triple-Ginger Cookies

vegan, soy-free, nut-free

Adapted from a recipe by my uncle Bill
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Calling all ginger fans! These perfectly spiced cookies will impress all your holiday guests while allowing you to sneak in a little nutrition into the dessert course. With the amazing tastes of ginger and warming spices, and the incredible crispy-around-the-edges, chewy-in-the-middle texture, no one will suspect that they contain whole-wheat flour and a whooping serving of ground flaxseed (they will know about the ginger, though)!
My uncle Bill has been making these cookies for years, but he only recently started making a vegan version (substituting vegan butter for dairy butter and using a flax "egg" for the egg). No one seems to miss the animal products, and my mom even said she likes the vegan version better! Thanks for the recipe, Bill!

Yield: about 40 cookies  / Prep time: 20 min / Total time: 35 min

Ingredients:​
Topping:

• 1/3 cup (83 g) turbinado sugar (or any coarse, sparkly sugar)

​Cookie batter:

• 3 tablespoons (21 g) ground flaxseed, divided
• 2 ½ cups (300 g) whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (115 g) minced crystallized ginger
• 2 teaspoons (10 g) baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon (1.5 g) salt
• 3/4 cup (170 g) vegan butter
• 1 cup (200 g) brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup (85 g) molasses
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (10 g) finely grated fresh peeled ginger (about 1.5 inch diameter piece)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (3 g) ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) ground cloves

Directions:

1. Remove butter from fridge to soften, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Pour sugar for topping into a shallow bowl and set aside.
3. In a small bowl, prepare a flax "egg" by combining 1 tablespoon (7 g) ground flaxseed and 2.5 tablespoons (37 g) water. Stir well and set aside.*
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, remaining 2 tablespoons (14 g) ground flaxseed, minced crystallized ginger, baking soda, and salt.
5. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer until creamy and light, about 2 minutes.
6. Gradually beat in brown sugar on medium-high speed until creamy, about 3 minutes.
7. Add flax "egg", molasses, fresh ginger, ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, and beat to blend. 
8. Add flour mixture in 2 additions, beating on low speed just to blend between additions.
9. Roll dough into tablespoon-sized balls and pat each ball into the sugar topping, gently pressing to flatten. Place each cookie onto the cookie sheets, topping side up and spaced about 2 inches apart.
10. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the surfaces crack and the cookies are firm around the edges. Cool completely on the cookie sheets. The centers will firm up as they cool.**

*Ground flaxseed works as a binder here when combined with water. After the mixture sits for a few minutes, it will become gelatinous and ready to hold the rest of the batter together! Not only does it make using eggs unnecessary, but it also boosts the nutrition level of the cookies. Check this out: https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/flax-seeds/
**These will keep for several days at room temperature in a sealed container or for several months in the freezer.