Dovetail Bakery
3039 NE Alberta St. – Portland
$2.25
As I have mentioned, I am not a vegan. This, if you have read any of my other cookie reviews, is stating the obvious. But despite my love of butter and eggs, some of my favorite cookies ever have been, to quote the used car salesman who sold me a 1988 Nissan Pulsar, “critter-free.” (True story: he was a vegan used car salesman and he really did say “critter-free” in reference to his dietary practices. I’m not making it up. And yes, I really did buy a 1988 Nissan Pulsar (in 1996) – T top convertible, cherry red, btw. It (I?) was pretty smokin’, if you wanna know the truth.)
I would not put this at the top of my ginger molasses cookie list (those honors go to Milk and a couple of others), but it is certainly a respectable version, vegan or not vegan. As you can see in the photo, it is pleasantly under-baked and not shy with the molasses. I am guessing that the use of oil in place of butter lends to its bendable and soft texture.
If I were making this, I would amp up the level of ginger, either with a more powdered ginger or chunks of candied ginger added to the dough. Or both. It’s good, but could definitely use a little kick.
Also, at $2.25, it’s sort of on the pricey side – so unless you really are trying to avoid animal products, the price isn’t really justified. You can get a bigger and more satisfying ginger molasses cookie at any of these places – in addition to Mother’s Bistro in Portland, who makes a really great one that I only recently discovered and haven’t gotten around to telling you about yet. More on that later.