Published: Oct 8, 2015

Vegan Ginger Molasses Cookies

Name: Vegan Ginger Molasses Cookies
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon ground flax; 3 tablespoons water; 1¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour; 1 cup spelt flour; 2¼ teaspoons cinnamon; 1½ teaspoons ground cloves; ¾ teaspoon ground ginger; ¾ teaspoon nutmeg ((see note 1)); 1 teaspoon baking soda; ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt; ¼ cup melted coconut oil ((or grapeseed oil)); ⅓ cup molasses ((unsulfured)); ⅔ cup cane sugar ((or granulated sugar, more for rolling))

These soft and chewy ginger molasses cookies have just the right amount of spice. They're vegan (no eggs or butter!) and made with whole grains, but you'd never guess it. Make a batch (or two) this holiday season.

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Stack of ginger molasses cookies on a grey plate

Ginger molasses cookies are my favorite kind of cookie (second only to the classic chocolate chunk!). When my boyfriend and I started dating, he noticed my love of ginger cookies and started to collect them from local coffee shops. After work, he'd pull out the crumpled cookie bag from his work jacket for "us" to taste test. Usually, that meant me eating most of the cookie before noticing he was patiently waiting to try some too. Oops! (Update: We're married now!—and if he buys treats, he'll get two just to be safe.)

Ironically, after all that testing, the ginger molasses cookie we love best are these homemade ones. I tweaked a family-favorite recipe to make it vegan. The whole-grains don't only make these cookies more wholesome, but they also provide a slightly more complex flavor than all-purpose flour. The pretty sugar-coated exterior is optional, but make for a picture-perfect cookie, don't you think?! Enjoy these cookies with a hot cup of tea or coffee—or eat them on it's own, because the perfect ginger molasses cookie truly needs nothing else.

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Key ingredients
How to make
Frequently asked questions
📖 Recipe

Key ingredients

Ground flax and water: Whisked together to make a vegan "flax" egg for baking.
Whole wheat pastry flour: This flour is finely milled and has a low protein content, which helps keep baked goods light (which can be a challenge with whole-grains).
Spelt flour: Another whole-grain flour that adds a subtle nuttiness.
Spices: Cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg.
Coconut oil: Melted coconut oil is a vegan-friendly butter substitute. The other flavors in these cookies make it so that there's no noticeable coconut flavor, but if you can use refined (deodorized) coconut oil to be extra safe. Grapeseed oil or other vegetable oil works too.
Molasses: I usually use dark molasses for these cookies. But "fancy" molasses works too (see the FAQ below). Pro tip—measure out the molasses after the coconut oil. That way, the residual oil in the measuring cup will help the molasses slide out easily!
Cane sugar: For sweetness, both inside the cookie and for rolling. You can use cane sugar or granulated sugar, whichever you prefer.

How to make

These vegan cookies follow a similar baking process as regular cookies. Ginger cookie dough is often quite firm/stiff when you're incorporating the final dry ingredients. Use either a handheld mixer or a stand mixer, and mix until the dough comes together—because it will!

Make the flax egg: Whisk the flax and water together until smooth. Set it aside to let it thicken.
Mix dry ingredients: Whisk together the flours, spices, baking soda, and salt.
Mix wet ingredients: Use an electric mixer to combine the oil, molasses, flax egg, and sugar.
Combine: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, in batches, starting on low speed (so the flour doesn't fly out of the bowl). The dough will appear quite still and dry at first—keep going until it comes together.
Bake: Scoop the dough into balls (we recommend using a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop), then roll the balls in extra sugar. Arrange the balls on a baking sheet (see the FAQ below), and gently flatten the tops before baking. Bake until the edges are set and the middles are soft. Enjoy!

Placing ginger molasses cookies on a baking tray and shaping them using hands

Frequently asked questions

Can I substitute the whole wheat pastry flour?

Yes, you can use all-purpose flour instead of whole wheat pastry flour. For best results, substitute by weight (grams are provided in the recipe card, under "metric").

Can I substitute the spelt flour?

Yes, you can use more whole wheat pastry flour instead of spelt. For best results, substitute by weight (grams are provided in the recipe card, under "metric").

What kind of molasses should I use?

Molasses is the byproduct of processing sugar cane (or sugar beets). The juice from the sugar cane gets heated in stages to remove the additional sucrose, which then gets turned around and sold as table sugar. Each stage of heating removes more and more sugar (and becomes more concentrated).

Fancy Molasses has gone through one stage of heating and contains the most sucrose (sugar). Dark Molasses has gone through two stages of heating. Blackstrap Molasses has gone through three stages of heating, so it contains the least sucrose (sugar) and the most concentrated in mineral content but also the least sweet.

For these cookies we recommend using either Fancy or Dark Molasses, which will provide the flavor and moisture from the molasses without bitterness.

Why is the dough dry?

Dry dough could be from using too much flour. For best results in baking, measure your ingredients by weight (on a scale) rather than volume (cups, spoons). If you don't have a scale, fluff up the flour in the bag, lightly spoon it into the cup, and level off the flour using the back of a spoon.

If you added the right amount of flour and the dough still looks dry, it likely just isn't mixed enough. Use an electric mixer (either handheld or a stand mixer) and keep mixing on low speed until the dough comes together.

Do I need to roll ginger molasses cookies in sugar?

You don't have to! But the sugar makes them extra pretty, and adds a bit of sweetness and texture to the outside.

Should I use a light or dark baking sheet?

We usually recommend baking cookies on a light baking sheet. We like these ginger molasses cookies to be soft and chewy, so they're sensitive to bake time. Don't over bake because the cookies will firm up slightly as they cool. Darker pans will cook faster, so if you use them, check the cookies a couple minutes earlier than the recipe says.

How do I store ginger molasses cookies?

Allow the cookies to fully cool, then transfer them to a sealed container. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

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