Sparkled Ginger Cookies (Vegan)

I took Japanese the first half of the semester and one day, my sensei brought baked cookies to class - these, in fact. I liked them a lot so I asked for the recipe and she sent it to me. I love them 'cause they're soft and moist - not to mention I love ginger. :) According to her, this recipe's adapted from "Vegan with a Vengeance" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

Sparkled Ginger Cookies (Vegan)
Makes about 2 dozen Cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tablespoons turbinado or demerrara sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup soymilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets and place the turbinado sugar in a small bowl.
• Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. In a separate large mixing bowl, mix together the oil, molasses, soymilk, sugar, and vanilla. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and combine well.
• Roll into 1-inch balls and flatten into 1 1/2 inch-diameter disks. Press the cookie tops into the turbinado sugar and place one inch apart sugar side up onto the prepared cookie sheet.
• Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheet for 3 - 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

NOTES AND COMMENTS

• I reduced the amount of sugar to between 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup. The molasses should sweeten the cookie well enough.
  
• I sprinkled the sugar on top instead of pressing it down.
• There's no need to grease the cookie sheet - the canola oil contained in the 'dough' is quite enough. :)
• I actually prepared the dry ingredients in a large bowl, stirred it around to incorporate everything with a whisk, then added the wet ingredients one by one into that. I then mixed it by hand and it worked just as well.
  
• Even though this is a vegan recipe (since my sensei's vegan), I'm not. I also didn't have soymilk, or rice milk (what my teacher used), on hand so I used skim milk instead. At least it's organic?
• A 10-minute baking time makes the cookie slightly soft, whereas a 12-minute baking time makes it crunchy. [taken from my teacher's memo] I like it soft, so I only baked it for roughly 10 minutes.