Mikey Likes It!

If by Mikey, I mean Greg, then yes, this is accurate!

I've noted before that Greg is not a huge fan of sweets. When an amateur baker learns this when she is in a budding relationship with a very cute potential significant other, the effects could be personally devastating. Fortunately, we've been able to work it out. Greg is always game to try something new and at least twice because, open-minded as he is, he believes if you don't like something the first time, it might just be fluke, and everyone and everything deserves a second chance. Greg has also proclaimed that he doesn't like a lot of sweets, but he does like it when I bake. I don't know if that is true or if he is just a good husband, but I'll take it.

For my part, this has meant trying to work on my food pushing. What do I mean by food pushing? Let's just say the first time my college roommate Katie's now-husband came over, he exclaimed, "Wow, look at all the snacks that are out!" And Katie famously said, "Yep, that's Beth - she's a feeder." So needless to say, when I bake something, I need to stop myself from shoving more food at Greg when he only eats one or two cookies.

Even though Greg and I have found this happy medium, the fact that someone would just "settle" for a particular snack...well, I find that to be troubling. I put myself on a mission to find a cookie that Greg would love, that would be a special cookie just for him, because, darn it, he deserves it!

As Greg and I have been experimenting with veganism more, I've realized that many recipes I've been preparing for dinner require powdered ginger. I have very little experience with ginger, either in sweet or savory dishes. Greg, on the other hand, seems drawn to dishes with the stuff. Whenever the "pesce" part of his pescetarianism makes an appearance and he eats sushi, he just gobbles up the pickled ginger. This got me thinking - what if I made him cookies that had ginger in it? I've never seen him eat gingerbread during the holidays, so I'm not sure if he likes it or not, but I do know in general he has a thing for soft cookies.

Needless to say, my search was short. Thank you Isa Chanda Moskowitz and Vegan with a Vengeance. I think it is only appropriate that I decided to make her Sparkled Ginger Cookies. Not only did her cookbook first give me confidence that maybe I could try this vegan thing, but she also has some of the best vegan baking tips ever. Let's just say I've preordered her new vegan cookies cookbook coming out next month, and I am counting down the days until Amazon delivers.

So how did these cookies stack up? Let's jusy say Greg, who is usually a model of restraint, gobbled up ten after his first tasting. I think we have a winner. :)

Sparkled Ginger Cookies (adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance)
Yields: 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
1 c. + 1/4 c., divided, raw or demetra sugar (white sugar will also work, but try to get raw sugar for the 1/4 cup)
2 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. molasses
1/4 c . soy milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda

1) Mix together 1 c. sugar, ginger, cinnamon, oil, molasses, soy milk, and vanilla.
2) Slowly add flour and baking soda to wet ingredients, until just mixed.
3) With each cookie, make a one-inch ball, and then flatten the ball into a 1-1/2 inch disk. Press each cookie into a bowl which has the remaining 1/4 c. sugar and place sugar side up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
4) Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes (rotate halfway through); then remove from oven and let cookies sit on the baking sheet for another 3-5 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and cool completely.