Barbara's Fig Bars are Delicious!

I love me a fig newton any day anyhow (will have to try and make my own soon). These taste exactly like the ones from my childhood, the ones that weren't very healthy but were totally delicious, only these are healthy AND totally delicious! Sweetened naturally with fruit juice and low in fat, I wouldn't recommend pounding them back (like I'm trying not to - losing battle!) but they are a fabulous snack to go along with tea or coffee or just on their own. Glad I picked these babies up. Will be getting them again and again and again. There are different kinds too, I chose blueberry because I love them too. Two of the things I love in one place. I know they also have a whole wheat variety.

Vegan Chocolate Spice Cookies

This recipe is absolutely delicious. Like a soft, vaguely chocolatey, gingerbread, it's perfect for the holidays. The recipe is completely vegan: dairy free, egg free, and nut free. You can play around a bit with the spice mix according to your own taste.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups + 1 tbsp Flour (I used all-purp)

1 1/4 tsp Ground Ginger

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Ground Cloves

1/4 tsp Nutmeg *I don't like Nutmeg, see Adventures in Pumpkin bread, so I just put in a pinch

1 (rounded) tbsp Cocoa Powder

1 cup Vegan Margarine (I used Becel).

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

1/4 cup Molasses *I didn't have molasses so I substituted 1/4 cup + 2 tbsps pure Maple Syrup

1 tsp Baking Soda dissolved in 1 1/2 tsp Boiling Water

1/4 cup sugar mixture set aside (1 part brown sugar, one part cane sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon)

Directions:

1. Whisk together dry ingredients: flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and cocoa, in a small bowl.
2. Beat together margarine and brown sugar (I used a hand mixer). Add the molasses or maple syrup and mix well. Add half of the flour and the baking soda/water mixture and combine well. Then add the rest of the flour.
3. Chill cookie dough covered for at least an hour. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
4. Spoon dough into 1 1/2 in balls (I used a melon baller) and roll in sugar mixture
5. Bake 13-15 minutes (I baked for 13, checked at 10)

To see the original recipe please click here. I made adjustments based on what I had in the house, like subbing the molasses for maple syrup, and I also added more margarine and a little extra maple syrup because after following all the directions I found my cookie dough to be too dry and mealy and in need of more moist/liquid ingredients to help it get to the right texture.