Vegan Gingersnap Cookies

I'm finally back! It's been so long since I've been able to bake that I've felt all out of sorts lately. It didn't help that I was in the midst of moving (which took longer than expected, since I accidentally turned my utilities off at the old place too soon, so had only a couple hours a day between the end of work and sunset to continue transferring stuff from the old to the new place!). I'm also the kind of person who gets unpacked as soon as humanly possible, but it has taken me over a week to get started on unpacking since i slipped a disc in my back on New Year's Eve! So I laid helplessly in bed, not able to move at all, trying not to let the boxes stare back at me, refusing to listen to them mock my disorganization. This week has been the first that I can do anything after work besides crawl under the covers and take pain medication. So I mostly unpacked and got to work in the kitchen!



Oh yes, this is the newest addition to our family, Luna. She's quite a character, but seems to be settling in with us just fine. She cuddles relentlessly, which was entertaining for me while bedridden.



And here's the other kitten dozing on his new favorite blanket.



Here's my new half-way unpacked kitchen.



As you can see, I don't have much counter space at all, which drives me nuts! I'm going to have to create some on my own, but for now, this is what I have to work with.



I emerged from the dungeon I work in to greet a uniformly slate-gray sky and gusts of chilly wind, and my first thought was, "gingersnap cookies and a glass of almond milk, with a book under my covers with the kitties cuddling with me sounds like the best sort of remedy for this day". So that's what I did. Recipe below.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp clove
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup molasses
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

sugar for coating the cookies (about 1/2 cup)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.

In another medium bowl, stir together all the wet ingredients with a fork. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and stir to combine. The dough will be uniform in texture and will feel oily, but should stick together.

Scoop by rounded Tablespoon-fulls and roll the dough between your hands to create balls. Roll in a shallow bowl or plate of sugar. Coat completely and place on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake in oven for about 15 minutes. Place on a cooling rack after you let them cool on pan for about five minutes. Once they are completely cool, they will be much stiffer than when they first came out of the oven, so expect a crunchy cookie when you bite into it!

Hope you all enjoy :)