• 2 cups all-purpose flour (can be whole wheat)
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 2 teaspoon ground ginger (can use finely grated fresh ginger)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice (optional)
• 1/3 cup chopped crystallized ginger (optional)
• 1/3 cup canola or grape seed oil (can partially replace with applesauce)
• 1/2 cup vegan sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup unsweetened soymilk

Sift together all dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil and vegan sugar thoroughly. Stir in molasses. Stir in soymilk. Add flour mixture to molasses mixture 1/2 cup at a time; stirring until flour is well combined after each addition. Stir in crystallized ginger if desired.

Roll out dough into a manageable disk between two sheets of parchment or wax paper. Refrigerate or freeze until stiff (1/2-1 hr). Pop dough back into the fridge/freezer at any point during the following steps if it becomes too soft to handle!

Roll dough until just under 1/4 inch thick. Peel off top layer of paper, cut into shapes. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet and bake in preheated 325F oven for 5 min, rotate sheet, bake another 5 min. Depending on thickness of your cookies and strength of your oven, baking time may need adjustment. Cookies should be puffy and with soft centers straight out of oven. Let cookies cool on sheet for 10 min before removing and cooling completely. Frost and decorate as desired.

Serves: makes 3 dozen

Preparation time: 30 minutes + refrigeration