I rarely eat cookies, but when I do, I like a lush cookie: a cookie you eat over the sink because whipped cream and runny chocolate and caramel burst out when you bite into it.

In truth, I’ve never discovered this exact cookie, but if it exists, it’s my ideal cookie.

James, on the other hand, is a big fan of the punishing cookie…the kind your grandmother would find at the back of a cabinet when you dropped in to visit her unannounced…the kind the rest of us would call a desperation cookie….the kind you bite into and think, “Okay, Grandma, I  love you, but that’s all I can stand.”

But James will not only purposely buy those nasty things, but eat a dozen of them at a sitting! Digestive biscuits, sugar cookies, ginger snaps all fall into this category. And as for texture, the harder, the better as far as he’s concerned!

Well, today I took a shot at vegan ginger snaps. And then I figured, what the hell, since they’re likely to taste as horrible as regular ginger snaps, why not take out the oil and reduce the sugar and make them not only vegan, but WFPB (whole-food, plant-based).

But here’s the thing: THEY ACTUALLY TASTE GOOD!!! And I don’t even like ginger snaps! I mean…you don’t have to eat them over the sink, but as far as ginger cookies go, they’re pretty damn good!

And the best part is…James likes them!

However, they are nothing like a ginger snap; in fact, they have the taste and texture closer to a soft gingerbread cookie, so I’m calling them “Ginger Bends.”

Plus, the only ingredient that’s not over-the-top good for you is maple syrup (which isn’t terrible) and there’s only about 2 tsp. per cookie. I used sprouted whole wheat flour, but I think they’d be fine with sprouted spelt flour as well. I also got to use homemade soy milk because I was making tofu today!

If you like the taste of ginger and aren’t too fussy about whether they snap, this might be the cookie for you!

Ginger Bends

Sift together in a bowl:

2 cups sprouted whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1.5 TBS ground ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground clove

In a stand mixing bowl, mix together until smooth:

3/4 cup applesauce

2/3 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup soy milk

1/4 molasses

1 tsp vanilla

Mix in the the dry ingredients. Line a couple of baking pans with parchment paper. Use a small scoop to form cookies because the dough will be too goopy to handle.

Sprinkle a bit of brown sugar on each cookie and flatten them out.

Even though the dough is quite wet, it won’t spread that much, so it’s important to flatten the cookies. You should get exactly two dozen cookies.

Bake at 350 for twenty minutes. Place on a rack until cool.

And the song of the day is M. Ward’s version of “Let’s Dance” because I heard it today and was reminded of how much I love this cover: