Today…

I ran.

I bought groceries.

I gardened.

Today…

Although, I did all of the above, I will admit, I spent most of my day playing in my kitchen…

I was in a Sweet and Spicy kind of mood…

so I baked these…

These are homemade Ginger Cookies, from my favorite cookbook, Super Natural Every Day, by Heidi Swanson. If you have been following my blog, then this book will be familiar to you, for I have shared with you several of her recipes. She’s the best!

Sweet Tooth

Because I am an endurance athlete, I normally crave healthy fats and salty food. However, sometimes, I desperately desire something sweet – I am human.

Ginger and Cacao

Along with sweet, my all time favorite ingredient is ginger! I love, love, love ginger – can’t even express how much. Ginger also has many health benefits, including being an anti-inflammatory, and improving digestive health. Lately, I have been cooking with it quite a bit. So when I came across this recipe, I just had to try it. This recipe also includes Cacao, which is known for being rich with disease fighting antioxidants. I am a chocolate lover, so this was definitely a plus. I mean, if I am going to indulge in something sweet, I want  to go all out, and have a pastry made from high quality ingredients. I also think everything taste better when you cook or bake it yourself. It is true, give it a try.

So here we go…

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup raw sugar
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70 percent cacao)
• 2 cups spelt flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground ginger
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
• 2/3 sugar
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 large egg beaten
• 1 cup dried apricots chopped

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• Shave chocolate into large bowl.

• In another large bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, ground ginger, and salt. 
• Heat butter, molasses, sugar and fresh ginger in a pan on medium heat. 
• beat egg, mix into warm mixture in pan. Note: The yolk is very deep in color, because they are organic and from a local east coast farm. It makes a big difference in flavor. 
• Chop dried apricots.
• Pour mixture from stove over flour mixture. Add apricots. Stir.
• Stir in chocolate.
• Scoop dough with a spoon and roll into little balls. I dipped every other dough ball into sugar. Place each dough ball onto parchment paper cookie sheet. 
• Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool. Enjoy!

These Ginger Cookies definitely met all of my standards. They are made from all of the highest quality organic ingredients. They not only taste amazing because I made them from scratch myself, but they also made my whole house smell sweet and spicy.

So if you are in a sweet and spicy kinda mood… these are a must try!

What Sweet and Spicy combos are your favorite?

© 2013 sweatdaily