Oatmeal Cranberry Ginger Cookies & A Holiday Wish

It's hard to believe that we are only three days away from Christmas. 

Time seems to accelerate over time...

I wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a beautiful holiday and extend my very best wishes for the New Year ~

I look forward to returning in 2012 with more wholesome recipes to get us started on the right track.

And...

Just in case anyone is still looking for that last minute something to offer guests or a favourite host/ess, these easy-to-prepare ginger delights might just do the trick.

Unlike their snappy cousin, these cookies made with spelt, oatmeal and blackstrap molasses are soft, chewy and impossible to resist.

I like working with blackstrap molasses because it has a very distinct taste that I absolutely adore (reminiscent of black licorice) and is less refined than fancy molasses.

Spelt, although a glutenous grain, is often better tolerated by those who have difficulty digesting wheat.

So, with that in mind, I offer up my very first cookie post.

Chewy Oatmeal Cranberry Ginger Cookies

• 1 cup spelt flour (substitute flour of choice)
• 1 cup whole grain oatmeal
• 1 + 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1/2 tsp ginger powder
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries (substitute apricot, fig or prune)
• 4 pieces crystallized ginger, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup butter at room temperature (vegan option: 1/4 cup olive oil,  1/4 cup apple sauce)
• 1/2 cup blackstrap molasses
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar (I used turbinado)
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger (or to taste)

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Heat oven to 350 F.

In a medium size bowl, combine spelt, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger , allspice, dried cranberry and crystallized ginger.

In a separate, larger bowl, beat butter, blackstrap molasses and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add egg and ginger and beat until combined.

Add dry ingredients to wet, mixing just until combined.

If dough is too soft to shape into cookie formation, place bowl with dough in the fridge for 30 minutes or so.  Once dough is semi-firm, drop cookie dough by tablespoon full onto greased cookie sheet (shaping it with your fingers as needed).  You can sprinkle a little bit of sugar on top of cookies before baking them for a traditional ginger cookie look or simply leave them as is (as pictured).

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes just until cooked but still soft inside.  Allow cookies to cool and set for at least 5 minutes before jumping in.

Enjoy!!