I couldn’t stop eating Nutella by the spoonful so… in my haste, I threw my giant Nutella jar in the trash can, put on a major cleavage shirt and went to empty the trash. That’s just real life. Sometimes you have to throw out your chocolate and haul out the cleavage.
After that!… I found my new favorite cookie. It’s gingery without being a spice cookie. It’s soft and chewy and wholesome… and vegan!
These ginger cookies are also full of whole wheat flour, apple sauce, ground flaxseeds and lemon juice.
I love love love them.
They come from the cookbook Organic and Chic. Lovely recipe and lovely book.
Oh! I made milk too… from cashews and oats. I love it. I’ll show you how to make that in two days. Promise.
Soft Vegan Double Ginger Cookies
Makes about 2 dozen cookies
Recipe from Organic and Chic (I really love this cookbook)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup minced candied ginger
1 cup vegan granulated sugar (if you’re hardcore… or just go for regular granulated sugar)
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup vegan granulated sugar, for rolling the cookies balls
In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, and minced candied ginger. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, ground flaxseed, applesauce, oil, and lemon zest and juice.
Add the wet ingredients, all at once, to the dry ingredients and carefully mix together with a wooden spoon. Make sure all the flour bits are moistened and well incorporated. Form dough into a disk shape and wrap well in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for an hour, or overnight.
Place a rack in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Remove the dough from the fridge and use your hands to roll dough into walnut sized balls. Rolls balls in granulated sugar and place of baking sheet. Use the palm of your hand to slightly flatten the dough ball. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until just slightly browned but still slightly soft in the center. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing.
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
180 Responses
Just found out about your site and these cookies were AWESOME!!! Made them tonight and added some grated ginger b/c I loooooove ginger!!! Thanks!
I am so excited… yum yum yum yum yum.
Is there a reason you specify aluminum-free baking powder? Thanks!
omg, these are the best cookies ever. I made these last week and though I put them in the freezer, I keep on eating them. Soon no more :) Thanks so much for posting these. I found them totally by chance when I decided I just must make cookies and had no eggs in the house. I also didn’t have any candied ginger, so I used a mixture of brown sugar and more applesauce and added some more ground ginger. Heavenly.
I just went vegan 2 weeks ago, loving it so far! This was my first official vegan cookie endevour. (I PRAY to your Vegan Walnut Pumpkin Bread btw) I should have known that I don’t like ginger. It’s too much… just too much ginger! Am I crazy? As I read along the comments, everyone is crazy for ginger. It’s like eating a spoonful of ground cinnamon to me. Just too much spice. They are pretty though, and I know the health benefits of ginger so I will munch one down a day. I hope my fiance likes them! Gonna try your vegan chocolate cookies next.
i made these tonight – they are delicious!!! thank you for the recipe
Thank you, thank you, thank you. :-) These cookies are so yummy…and I learned something new. I had no idea regular sugar wasn’t vegan.
Joy,
I am a BIG fan of ginger, and these cookies are amazing. The dough was a little dry, so I added I little bit more of oil and applesauce and they came out perfect.
Made the cookies without the flax seed – added two Tablespoons of egg whites and they are just dandy – I’m eating two right now – thanks for another great recipe!
Hi Joy!
The recipe you’ve written says “1/2 salt” – what measurement is this? These cookies look divine!!
oh my. 1/2 teaspoon.
Joy, I just have to say your blog makes my day. I made these cookies the other day but I didn’t have candied ginger so I used dried apricots and added some cinnamon for good measure. Now my family can’t stop eating them. Delicious and easy and perfect. Thank you!
I agree with Annalea, did I read the recipe wrong or is it missing a crucial “or” between 1&1/2c plain flour and wholemeal flour because 3/4c liquid is not enough for 3 c flour! I had to double the liquids as well to get a proper cookie dough.
I had a similar problem, only since I never bake, and didn’t have the confidence to improvise, I soldiered on as written. I just removed them from the oven, and while they taste great hot, they look extremely unappealing. Were we only supposed to use 1.5 cups of flour, or is the recipe correct as written? I love your blog (so inspiring!), and really wanted this baking experiment to be a success.
I made these for a bakesale and they all sold! Thank youuu :)
These cookies are to die for! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Joy, these are uh-ma-zing. Seriously. I now have two favourite cookie recipes.
as i type this, i’m enjoying these cookies with the cashew oat milk. omg, joy, deee-lish!!! the perfect afternoon snack….or breakfast food. i only had about 1/4 cup of candied ginger i doubled the applesauce, oil and lemon juice because the dough seemed dry and i added the left-over cashew milk pulp as well. i love the texture of these cookies: moist inside and crisp on the outside.
I made candied ginger last night and these cookies this afternoon. All were impressed at the dinner party – thanks, Joy! I love that they’re the sort of level of sweetness where you can eat them any time of day without feeling overly sugared or sick. They have that great ginger bite at the end. Perfect.
Would you mind sharing your recipe for candied ginger?!! I LOVE it and am trying to find a good recipe- a chewy and tasy version ;) Tahnks so much in advance!!
I used Alton Brown’s instructions and it came out GREAT.
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/candied-ginger-recipe/index.html
Made this tonight but with margarine and in the microwave for a super easy 1 tupperware 1 person snacky! It was DIVINE!!! :)
I swear our cats are related! :) https://bit.ly/elGGho
Loving your blog!!
I think our cats are long lost siblings! :)
Put the words ‘ginger’ and cookies’ together and I’m sold. These look delicious!
Oh you’re gooood…i just had some soft chewy ginger cookies at Pt. Reyes this afternoon and came here looking for a recipe and looky looky what i found in the first scroll. nice work, missy.
Joy, you have me doing all sorts of crazy things. First with your kale smoothie, and now ginger cookies. I don’t even particularly like ginger, but the pictures you take are so captivating. So I found myself at the grocery store staring at the ginger and buying a pound of it so I could candy it (now I have a quart sized mason jar full of candied ginger…wtf?) so I could make these cookies. Sure, I could have just bought the candied ginger, but that’s not how I roll.
While browsing the internet for candied ginger to try these, I stumbled across a recipe to make your own – so I did, and it’s incredible! Can’t wait to include my freshly-made ginger in these cookies. Spicy.
I definitely thought your little milk jug in the Cookies & Milk photo was labeled “Cashew Cat Milk” – ha! I am rather relieved to see that it says “Oat!”
Love when you post pics of your cat. :)
I’m always afraid to post photos of mine on my food blog…seems unsanitary or something. But you do it so well.
(the cookies look good, too)
Ohhhh – yummy! I recently found out I am extremely allergic to Flaxseed (big, puffy lips) would you just leave it out?
the flaxseed in important because it’s full of great fats and acts as a binder of the cookies, much like an egg would.
you might replace the flaxseed with an egg although i have not tried this substitution and it (obviously) takes the vegan aspect away from the cookies.
I realized that my flaxseed wasn’t ground and my food processor couldn’t get it fine enough for my liking, so I just used a pat of softened butter instead and the cookies came out delish. Obv. this isn’t a vegan solution either, but just another option.
delicious! way to be!
I love the kitteh!!! Ginger snuggles!
Love triple ginger kitteh! Happiness! :)
Anything that involves candied ginger is a hit in my kitchen! I’m looking forward to the cashew oat milk post and tonight I’m making the vegan chocolate cake with avocado frosting!
eee – you’re kitty is sooooooo cute!!!
i’ve been wanting to bake healthier goodies – vegan ginger cookies, yes please! also, I can totally relate to your Nutella situation… it’s had that affect on me too… and so has it’s non-chocolate cousin peanut butter.
These look really good… I often substitute with applesauce. Especially in baked goods. My kids never notice the difference! Thanks for recipe.
These look great! I’ve been doing a lot of vegan baking lately and have had trouble getting the cookies to turn out right. I’ll have to give these a try!
I have the same problem with the Nutella jar I have inside my cupboard.I might just do the same with my jar but my daughter makes me buy and then I end up eating it! Did you know there was a World Nutella Day? https://www.nutelladay.com/nutella-recipes/
I know this post is about wonderful, delicious vegan Ginger cookies. But my attention keeps going back to the other Ginger ( that adorable fluffy cat ) I also cannot stop squealing over it’s cuteness. It’s too much to handle, I just might kidnap the furball!
love that you do vegan recipes without being vegan. these look awesome!! thanks-so glad i found this site!
These look great! Just curious, what’s the difference between vegan sugar and non-vegan sugar?
Some sugars are bleached using bone char, so for vegans (and strict vegetarians) it’s important to find one that’s either raw or bleached without the use of bone.
Ginger cookies are my favorite. I make mine with Crisco (ouch).
Maybe I need to healthy them up a bit and try these!
Cute kitty….
Ginger IS MY LIIIIIIFE. Trying these asap. :)
How badly do I want to ruffle your kitty’s tummy fur right now??!!
And, sit in that fantastic chair.
My hubby LOVES ginger cookies (and so do I). These look super, can’t wait to try them!
cruel joy – you know i’m weak for ginger…
xo
hi jeremy!
These cookies look incredible! Ginger is like chocolate for me, just love the stuff. Will have to make these ASAP!!
JOY! I freaking LOVE the new banner – – it is the CUTEST! I’ve been on a cupcake rampage lately and have been drooling over all your yummy recipes. So far I’ve done vanilla with vanilla buttercream (which is the BEST frosting ever!) and have Chocolate Peanut Butter cupcakes on deck:) You baked goods make me smile… and want to bake. The perfect combination:)
since you seem to be the “creme de la creme” of the baking world Joy, can you recommend a good baking scale? I am overwhelmed by all the different ones out there:)!!! Thank YOU!!! Love your site!!
Ginger cookies are such a lovely alternative to the usual old cookie. Yours look wonderful!
Thanks for the recipe and cookbook reco!
I love the new banner. It has all the ingredients that make life good =)
These look very yummy! Love ginger…and your cat…so cute.
Love soft ginger cookies! Ginger is one of my favorites!!!
Hi Joy! FYI, I bought this dark chocolate peanut butter (made by Peanut Butter & Co. (yum!)) as a “healthier” alternative to Nutella, at a Target with a grocery section. It has 13g of fat (like regular peanut butter) 7g of sugar (less than Nutella), and 6g of protein (close to regular peanut butter- except it’s chocolate!!). It’s pretty delicious, and not too bad for you! :)
yummy!
your cat is gorgeous.
I’ve had a package of crystallized ginger that’s been diminishing because of mindless snacking rather than the baking it was purchased for…now I can actually put it to good use!
your blog is as beautiful as ever, and your recipes super delicious. i must say it is nicest when you let the pictures speak for themselves…
Wow these look so good. I love ginger so much and your little ginger is adorable. Hope she did not get a kink in her neck. Have not looked at your index in a while, but wanted to know if you new sources or books that have gluten free / dairy free baking. The new year brought on new exciting dietary restrictions….that is when I attempt to follow them.
Thanks
I am hoping the nutella jar was empty when you threw it out! Throwing away Nutella is crazy!
I am loving this recipe. If I make these cookes may I have a visit from your kitty?
YES to TRIPLE GINGER!
I’m sipping ginger tea
My furry little ginger is cuddled on my feet
I’m going to make these ginger cookies!
So, I was actually totally eating Nutella by the spoonful too when I read this…I may have to follow your example, haha.
P.S. The cookies look delish!
How can sugar not be vegan? Isn’t it made from either beets or cane?
Nutella is evil that way. I don’t have the strength you do. You’re a delight.
I have everything except the candied ginger to make these cookies anytime! I wonder if they will taste just as good without? Only one way to find out…
I like vegan recipes like this that don’t call for anything out of the ordinary, like xanthan gum. They always lose me at xanthan gum. If you had a really wicked vegan banana bread recipe, or even just an eggless one, I wouldn’t mind seeing that.
You have made me not afraid to try vegan now; thank you!
You’re amazing. I can’t even buy nutella anymore!
Love you, love your blog, you say all that fun stuff that is in my head but rarely makes it to my mouth, love it! Ginger is a big fave of mine… made shutterbeans ginger almond mini cheesecakes last week, yum, I think I will whip up you fancy find for this week. WooHoo, thank you! ;o)
Fun fact: my best friend and I call ‘wearing a low cut top’ ‘getting the bins out.’ This started when we were getting ready to go out one night and she remembered she had to put the garbage out and, well, you had to be there.
I haven’t had much luck with vegan cookies, so I’ll definitely be bookmarking these. I adore ginger! I might try them with the jarred keukengember you can find around here, just for an excuse to use another Dutch ingredient. They look amazing!
Obviously, these cookies look divine. But what makes regular sugar not vegan?!?! I had no idea that it isn’t :(
Those cookies look so soft and pillow-y! I kinda want to make some just so I can poke them like the Pillsbury Dough Boy. And because they sound yummy. :D
Oh man, while I’m thrilled with the cookie recipe…I can’t WAIT to see the milk one! Thanks for sharing!
Whilst I think those cookies (and your kitten!) are adorable, I am particularly smitten with those plates! Especially the one underneath! Gorgeous, as per usual.
Joy, you’re stories make me laugh. I love your honesty. I love that you use some of the same silly words I use in real life(ex., booyah-kah). I hope you never get tired of sharing your stories!
And I will be passing on this recipe to a friend who has a kid with a dairy, soy, egg, gluten allergy. Maybe there’s a substitute for the flour that she can use.
Joy, do you have a source for candied ginger? I am obsessed with the chewy stuff, but never know where to find it! (For what it’s worth, I’m in your hood — I live in Los Feliz.) thanks!!
whole foods or trader joes! howdy neighbor!
Can’t wait to see how you made the milk! You inspired me to try the blueprint cleanse next week :) Your ginger kitty is the cutest!
Argh, I want these cookies in my face- right now!
These look so yummy! Thanks for the recipe. Glad I’m not the only one that can’t leave the Nutella alone. I can never buy it!
Joy- I love your new header, the wooden spoons are so creative. Do you create those yourself? I am also very intrigued by these cookies. I am by no means a vegan, but your vegan recipes make me way more open to that type of eating. Thank you!
These look fantastic. It seems like cookies are making a comeback post-holiday, and I’m dying for some! I really cannot wait to see how you made the milk too!
I love your ginger cookies! But why did you put your Nutella in the trash? :(
They look wonderful, Joy! I sure would love to try one! Your kitten sure has gotten big by the way! He looks so innocent and content! But how could he not be with all the yummy stuff you make! Bet you spoil him rotten! Good for you! :)
i dont like candied ginger, but your ginger cat is absolutely adorable.
Why do you tempt me so? Vegan ginger cookie; om nom nom.
Pefect timing, vegan cookies for my vegan week :) They’re already in the fridge!
These look so delightful!! I might just make these right now!
I will have to try these the next time my Coptic friends are in town. They have a lot of fast days that are vegan.
Keep the vegan yummies coming! My sister and I LOVE your blog but we are vegan so we have to either miss out or adjust most of your delicious looking recipes. We get giddy as schoolgirls anytime you have a vegan recipe for us to try: ) THANKS!
These look great! Can’t wait to make some. Did you grind the flax seeds in a food processor?
These look like the perfect vegan ginger cookies! I haven’t found any I love so must try this one!
i love that book too! nutella spooned from the jar is danger. delicious danger. i love candied ginger chunks in cookies, these look great!
These sound absolutely amazing. Love ginger cookies!
Yay, thank you! Can’t wait to make these… :)
I love ginger, and these ginger cookies look so good! I will have to make them somtime.
thanks
oh my goodness, those cookies sound delightful, and I’m even not a huge fan of ginger. That being said, I’m in love with your blog! Your writing and sense of humor are so refreshing and I can’t wait to read more. :)
you can’t go wrong with ginger. and how nice that they’re vegan to boot. i just tried my hand at some vegan cupcakes.
These cookies are the best thing to happen to ginger since Jenny Lewis.
Nutella makes for better cleavage. They should write that on the jar.
These look so good! How is it that I am a big meat eater who loves the prospect of good tasting vegan baked goods? Probably because I never have a full kitchen but always want cookies.
I thought I was the only one who throws out stuff I can’t stop eating. I just threw out some left over chocolate buttercream frosting. I kept dipping out tiny spoonfulls, convincng myself there so few calories it was okay. When I caught myself dipping like 10 spoonfuls in a row, I knew it was time turn on the diaposal and make the stuff disappear.
Love the ginger kitty shot. He is one handsome fluffy guy. I bet he has a great personality too.
These look delicious! Can’t wait to try them with the cashew and oat milk. Oh and I made your mushroom soup and garlic bread the other day, wow it was so good it will definitely be a staple in my house!
I love ginger cookies! I recently made a similar version with almond butter and honey. Yours are reminding me of how good they were!
I need these. I love double ginger and especially triple ginger. Ginger kittys rock.
Maybe I will make these for my favourite tiny ginger. My 4 year old cousin.
ps. I hear ya on the nutella. It tastes dangerously good off the spoon. You buy it with the best intentions of baking with it, not developing an addiction to eating off the spoon. Usually ends badly.
pps. also the same with chocolate chips and peanut butter. Lethal.
THESE LOOK DELICIOUS!!!!!!! And I cannot wait to get a recipe for that milk. I’ve been wanting to make my own for quite some time now, but don’t have the balls. I feel much safer buying it at the store.
This is exactly what I need in my belly right now. THANK YOU. And I can’t wait for the milk recipe/instructions!
Triple Ginger is getting pretty big, but they do that. I used to have a Main Coon that was that color. Her name was Augustina Picante, Gussy for short. I know a little over the top but it fit.
Ginger cookies I love and they are on the healthy side! Love it.
If whole wheat flour isn’t on hand, is using only all purpose flour ok?
sure!
cashew and oat milk? come again? can that even be called milk?! ;)
heck yes.
Wonderful! Thank you for posting a yummy vegan cookie recipe! Looking forward to the Cashew oat milk!
*love*
Those sound super good! And not too bad for you either. Put those on my to-bake list :D
Love all the gingers! I too am a ginger!
Ok, I will make these now and save 1 to enjoy in 2 days with cashew-oat milk. Ok, I’ll try to save 2 cookies…
Love the new look! thanks for entertaining me every day! :D
So you had me at the cookies, then you started telling me how you could conjure milk in some kind of magical way? Love it.
Hi Joy!
I absolutely can’t wait to make these. You are wonderful! Do you think I could use orange zest instead of lemon? I love orange and ginger together.
P.S. Your ginger kitty is so cute! My Fargo says meow.
go for orange… for sure!
Ooo orange ginger…. that sounds like an ice cream flavor that needs to be made…
Joy- It’s been one of THOSE days already and it’s only 8 AM in Georgia.
I was just hoping you would be waiting for me in my E-mail and BAM! you were, so thanks!
high five! i hope your day gets better!
Ohhh these cookies sound lovely! I bet they’d be wonderful with a cup of tea. Mmm :)
Ohh these look wonderful! I would eat them in the morning or warmed up with ice cream!
I love the sound of these. Candied ginger is dangerous for me. I can eat so much of it!
Double ginger – yes, please! These look fantastic. Melted coconut oil is my go-to for vegan baking, so I might try subbing that in for the canola. The cashew-oat milk sounds awesome, too, looking forward to your recipe :)
i think coconut oil will be great!
in love with the march header joy! spoooons!
Mmmm, Ginger. What a wonderful taste!
your posts brighten my day. i love love love caramelized ginger.
These cookies look great! Love your photos too!
How much applesauce? It says 1/2 Hahahaha! I’m going to go ahead and do half a gallon and see if it works. ;)
I love your kitty. He’s so handsome!
oh goodness.
I really like these cookies boosted with lots of flavors! So yummy!
I am so making them today itself. Only problem is I have to eat the whole batch or find someone to donate it. My kids won’t touch anything that has chunks of ginger in it.
LOVE you, your blog, and ginger cookies! I absolutely adore putting candied ginger into ginger cookies the flavor and additional chewiness is so good. Can’t wait to try this recipe.
As a hardcore almond milk drinker, I am very excited about this cashew oat milk!
Yay, another vegan recipe! I loooooove ginger – these are getting made pronto:) Nice one Joy!
There must be a Nutella bug going around–I just made a batch of Nutella Blondies this week and posted about them yesterday :) Highly addictive stuff.
THANK YOU for posting another vegan cookie recipe! They always make my day, and I’m always excited to try a new one (and given that gingersnaps are one of my standby favorites, I have no doubt I would love these).
As a vegan, I read your blog for your wit and charm but rarely make the recipes (though they do all sound divine!) so I am thrilled to see some vegan offerings pop up from you! And did I mention that ginger cookies are my favorite cookie EVER? Well, they are. I will be making these. Can’t wait to see the cashew oat milk recipe!
feel like picking up,btw luv ur new header
Vegan Cookies, perfect for me!
The fact that they are ginger AND soft…that is what I’m talking about!
Thanks for the wonderful recipe :)
I love ginger! And I always looking for vegan sweet recipes (have a dairy allergic friend) Thanks!!
What do you think of using pumpkin puree instead of apple sauce?
PS: (What did happen with your diet?… lol)
Kisses from Spain.
Haha, I literally just did the SAME thing with my jar of nutella approximately 0.3 seconds before reading this. I decided since it was no longer World Nutella Day, I couldn’t justify the sheer indulgence. These cookies look amazing, and with an impending cold coming on, any shot of ginger to keep the sniffles away is a-ok in my book!
PS – I am always obsessed with your dishware. All around ace choices!
Wow, so many ingredients for these cookies…I used flexseeds for cakes, never for cookies, and I like the idea of applesauce too…mmm…
I can’t wait to read your milk recipe…I love cashews!
Ginger cookies and milk sound fantabulous!
i just bought some candied ginger…after eating a few i didn’t want anymore. maybe i could put a cup of that to good use in this recipe!
i’ve not tried ginger as an ingredient in coookies. but from the pic, it look really great and delicious (:
I didn’t even know there was such a thing as vegan sugar! The cookies look delicious. And your kitty looks like the long lost twin of my own little ginger buddy Elvis :)
Some companies use bone char (from cow bones) filters to remove colour from raw cane sugar. Other companies don’t. Brown sugar can also be none vegan if it was decoloured using bone char and then had molasses added back to it to make brown sugar.
I buy my vegan sugar at Whole Foods. I’m not a vegan, but vegan sugar tastes better than any other sugar I’ve ever tried. :)
Butterfree as well. Why flaxseed? Is it meant to act as a substitute for egg white? It contributes omega 3 so making this a health cookie (almost!)
When you wrote “Oh! I made milk too” I laughed because yesterday I bloggeed about Baby Gaga – the human milk ice cream:)
Ground flaxseed acts as a binder, so yes, it replaces egg whites.
yep! flaxseed is a binder!
No photographic evidence of major cleavage shirt?!!
um… no.
Oooh! Delight! Thank you Joy!
I love reading your blog. You write so well, I laugh a lot, and enjoy myself and your pictures are beautiful. I am not that good at leaving comments, but I have to show my gratitude. Thank you!
Oh wowwww do those sound amazing. I’ve been looking for a new tea-dunking cookie. Possibility?
to be sure!
Oh these look great. I love ginger in anything sweet!
Yum!! I was crazy and threw some crystallized ginger in florentines the other day and am hooked. I would definitely be into these.
p.s. ginger kitty! <3
triple ginger pretty much melts my heart. just so you know.