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Winter Weigh In + Ginger Molasses Cookies

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I don’t do yoga.

I don’t have the patience/attention span.

There is one thing I do like about yoga: the clothes.  Like this top I received from Yogi:

I wore this shirt (click here for better pics of shirt on their site) while braving the mall over the weekend.  And then I wore it to the gym.  I love a versatile outfit!  Impossibly soft, breathable, and loose.  During the winter months there is NO way I’m going to be rocking teeny tops.  It’s a too cold… and I tend to eat a couple of cookies.  They also sent yoga pants, but they are SO long – like an extra 6 inches of fabric – I need to get them hemmed before wearing them out.

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this review (other than the free clothes).  Opinions are my own… I could never keep my opinion to myself. 😉

Some people may beat themselves up over these winter indulgences, but I like my friend Lindsay’s perspective.  The holiday season only comes once a year.  Why not enjoy a few of your favorite things (like warm woolen mittens)?  Don’t go nuts, but don’t feel like you have to sit in the corner with a salad while everyone else is having pie.  Winter is bulking season, after all!

In one more week, things will be back to normal, nutrition plans will be followed more strictly, and – while I’ll still wear my yoga tops – the thought of those tighter gym shirts won’t made me squirm.

 

Now that we’ve gotten that established, here is how I photograph are the cookies!

Last week my concierge mentioned that he wanted molasses cookies.  I’d never made them before, but I thought it would be nice to make him a Christmas treat.

I don’t know that I’ve ever had a molasses cookie, so I don’t have anything to compare these too.  They remind me of a gingerbread cookie; however, these are chewier and have a deeper, more subtle sweetness thanks to the Blackstrap molasses.

I used a bit of almond flour, but you could use all regular flour.  Your cookies will just be a little cakier.  These are also a good candidate for whole wheat flour (I ran out), and you could replace the oil with applesauce if 1/2 C of butter is enough fat for you. 😉

 

Molasses Gingerbread Cookies

Ginger Molasses Cookies

  • 1.5 C flour
  • 1/2 C almond flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom
  • 1/2 C salted butter, softened
  • 1 C dark brown sugar
  • 2 T canola oil
  • 1/4 C Blackstrap molasses
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a large bowl whisk together flours, baking soda, and spices.

With an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add oil, molasses, egg, and vanilla and beat to incorporate.  Beat in the flour mixture until just combined.  Cover and place in the refrigerator to chill until firm (at least 2 hours, preferably overnight).

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Roll chilled dough into ~1 inch balls.  Place on baking sheet, leaving ~2 inches of space between.  Using the bottom of a glass, flatten the cookies slightly.

Bake for 10-12  mins.

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

***

I’m taking tomorrow (and probably Wednesday) “off.”  Wishing everyone Happy Holidays!

Do you allow yourself to indulge a little over the holiday season?

What is your favorite Christmas cookie?  Who will you be enjoying them with tomorrow?

Comments

  1. My favorite christmas cookie really isn’t a cookie at all. It’s fudge. My grandmother’s homemade chocolate fudge to be exact. Oh man, I could eat atrocious amounts of this stuff, it’s that good. From the looks of it, I could probably eat atrocious amounts of your gingerbread molasses cookies too…try not to judge. 😉

    • I just realized I didn’t get any fudge this year! Probably a good thing, now that I think about it, but it’s one of my favorites too!

  2. I love the taste of molasses in cookies. And I don’t worry about a little indulgence either. It’s all about balance (and not eating that way for the whole month of December!).

  3. Christmas is definitely the time to let loose and have a little fun. I remember way too many Christmases where I was way too strict with my diet, and the restriction was pretty much the strongest memory I had of those times. No more. I’ve definitely been enjoying my fair share of tasty treats this year, including a similar batch of ginger molasses cookies that I baked tonight 😀 They were delicious, but I’d have to say that my favorite Christmas cookies are snickerdoodles… can’t go wrong with the combination of sugar and cinnamon.

  4. I’ll be completely honest.. I skipped the first half to this post (don’t worry I went back & read it than), and scrolled right down to the cookie recipe =) They look so good!!

  5. Thanks for sharing Lindsay’s post- I couldn’t agree more! You know I love my workouts and eating a healthy diet but not at the expense of foregoing fun over the holidays…and yes indulging more than normal counts as fun! Have a happy holidays, Laura!

  7. Love the comfy -ness of Yogi Clothing! You are so right, perfect for this time of year when we indulge a little more than usual. Great cookie recipe! Pinned! Have a great couple of days ‘off!’

  8. Christmas is TOTALLY a time to just have fun and indulge! Heck, it only comes around once a year, why not go all out?! 🙂
    Those cookies sound amazing! I think my favorite Christmas cookies gotta be old fashioned sugar cookies or raspberry thumbprint cookies NOM 😀
    Have a beautiful Christmas friend!

  10. i buy a size bigger in the winter just for room to grow. And yoga clothes always do the trick. no need to fret, we’ve got 11 months out of the year to work on nutrition plans. you got that right!
    merry christmas friend

  12. Merry Christmas!!

    I do love me some yoga clothes.

    I also HATE yoga. I had a brief love affair with it when my ankle was sprained, but I seriously hate it. I’m making a point to make it a part of my training this year because my body needs it. I hate it. And it is going to suck. But it’s probably not good for me to be so damn inflexible. Plus, strengthening my concentration is definitely good for marathon training.

    • I have the same relationship with it – I know it’s good for me but UGH. 😛

      Merry post-Christmas!

  13. I’ve never had molasses cookies either, but they look really good.

    Yoga clothes are so comfortable. I would pretty much wear them every day if it weren’t for that pesky work thing. Although I could totally get away with wearing some at work really.

    • I was just talking to my mom telling her how tired I was after all the food and then leg day. Holidays well-spent! Merry post-Christmas to you!

  20. I don’t celebrate Christmas (well I do but in January) but I’m looking forward to my mom’s Napoleon (mille-feuilles) cake on New Years! It’s one of those few cakes I enjoy but have so rarely because it takes forever to make!

    Holiday time is about having those treats you have once in a blue moon and I think that as long ax you don’t go overboard with sweets you shouldn’t worry too much about it 😀

    PS: Love the Yogi top and Merry Christmas 🙂

  21. I like the yoga top! Like you, I get a tad bit bored w/the yoga.
    Your cookies look phenomenal!! Yum!! Very sweet of you to bake for the concierge. 🙂
    As for holiday indulgences, I’m trying to avoid the sugar & trying to stick to my low-carb eating… I’ll allow myself some extra cheese curds & sausage though. 😉 Maybe a sugar fee cookie… or two. Happy Holidays!!

    • So glad I’m not alone with the yoga! I feel like everyone else is in love with it.. Happy Holidays to you too!

  23. Ginger molasses cookies sound wonderful! Yoga also sounds wonderful, but I’ve never been able to get my body to do the necessary things. Keep thinking I will. Now I think I’m too old to get it to work. Merry Christmas, Laura!!!

  24. Totally agree on your holiday weight perspective! It’s a time of joy, might as well enjoy the season! I actually am not a huge cookie fan, I prefer muffins. Have a great Christmas!

  26. I agree with your outlook! I’m enjoying myself and not caring. I’m not going anywhere in a bikini anytime soon and what are the chunky sweaters for anyway 😉 to cover all the extra fun underneath ahha

    Merry Christmas!

    • I am SO glad we met as well! Thank you for being a constant source of inspiration. 🙂

      Happy Holidays!

  29. I always indulge over the holidays. It does only come once a year and as long as you keep exercising a few days of indulgence aren’t going to ruin you forever. I always get annoyed with my mother-in-law who goes on and on about the calorie count of the dishes and at the same time tries to justify having another slice of something. Just eat it! It’s Christmas.

    I’m definitely with the first poster, fudge it my favorite holiday treat.

  30. Lindsay’s post has been on my mind ever since I first read it. I’m trying to be ok with the fact that in the last two weeks or so, I KNOW I’ve put on a bit of weight. I completely agree with “letting yourself live a little” during the holidays, but this year, something happened and my idea of splurging “a little” got squashed by a full out two-day Christmas binge! Of course it didn’t help that the majority of the food this year was ALL processed finger food crap! I seriously feel like I’ve been run over by a truck (and then backed over a few more times). And the worst part? I’m STILL craving sugar! and it’s STILL around every freaking corner! I’ve been at work all night, hiding away in my department pretending not to see the cookies/dips/chips/other crap that they have in the ER right now. Nope, it’s time to get back on track…and for now, my mashed banana on rice cakes will have to do!

    Luckily this post does nothing for me since I’m not really a fan of ginger based cookies, but my favorite CHRISTMAS cookie (of which I only got ONE this year…among MANY others) is definitely chocolate peppermint…like my pan-cookies! 😀

    • Yeah… i know exactly how you feel. I wonder if I could convince my family to spend next year at a health spa? 😉

      I ate a snack today and wanted dessert after. I thought of the cookies in my freezer. I had to leave the house. LOL!

  32. I do allow myself to indulge, but only if it is something I really want. Oddly, since I’ve been battling this head cold, I feel like my cravings are completely off. The other night, I was offered a spread of delicious cake and brownies, and I just was so uninerested, and then last night all I wanted in my life was a big fat piece of cake…and there was none to be found. I’ve somehow managed to avoid overindulging because I’ve been in the wrong head (and stomach?) space and the wrong time. I will say I have been indulging in some Skippy peanut butter…spoonfuls of it. Does that count?

Trackbacks

  1. […] sitting on the couch next to my parents watching Little Shop Around the Corner, debating making these cookies, listening to the fire place roar and enjoying this clean meal I made for our […]

  3. […] with Laura’s theme from her past few blogs about cleaning up your kitchen and the winter weigh in about letting yourself indulge in your favorites (without going overboard), I managed to keep a […]

  4. […] Molasses Gingerbread Cookies […]

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